Section 21: Effect of mistakes as to law.

The Indian Contract Act, 1872Central Act · Act 9 of 1872

A contract is not voidable because it was caused by a mistake as to any law in force in India; but a mistake as to a law not in force in India has the same effect as a mistake of fact.

* * * * *

Illustration

A and B make a contract grounded on the erroneous belief that a particular debt is barred by the Indian Law of Limitation; the contract is not voidable.

* * * * *

Where this provision sits

Act	The Indian Contract Act, 1872
Section	21
Marginal note	Effect of mistakes as to law.
Jurisdiction	Central
Status	In force as published by the source
Judgments citing it	6

How this provision has been amended

Taken from the footnotes printed with the provision by the source. Where a footnote names the amending instrument, it is quoted as printed.

other. . The original words "British India" have successively been amended by the A.O. 1948 and the A.O. 1950 to read as above.
inserted. . Paragraph 2, ins. by the A.O. 1937, and as amended by the A. O. 1948 was Rep. by the A. O. 1950.
repealed, Act 24 of 1917. . The second Illustration to s. 21 rep. by Act 24 of 1917, s. 3 and the Second Schedule.

Find the provision, not just read it

The full text above is free, and it stays free. What a free CourtMesh account adds is everything you cannot do by reading one page at a time:

Search 49,000+ Central and State enactments by what a provision says, not by its number
Jump from any section to every judgment that has applied it
Search 300 million+ Indian court records alongside the statute
Ask a research agent to find and read the case law on a provision for you

Free account. No card. About a minute to create.

Create a free account

Need this as data, not as a page? The Indian Contract Act, 1872 is one of 49,000+ enactments on CourtMesh. The Indian court cases API serves the case law that cites these provisions over JSON, with API documentation and plans and pricing. See also the judgment library.