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Bare Act summaries
Plain-language summaries of 44 key sections from the Contract Act, the RTI Act and the Consumer Protection Act.
← Back to home| Section | Heading | In plain language | Act |
|---|---|---|---|
| Section 2(a) | Proposal | One person shows willingness to do or not do something in order to get the other’s assent. | Contract Act |
| Section 2(b) | Promise | A proposal, when accepted, becomes a promise. | Contract Act |
| Section 2(d) | Consideration | Something done, not done, or promised at the promisor’s desire, by the promisee or any other person. | Contract Act |
| Section 2(e) | Agreement | Every promise and every set of promises that form the consideration for each other. | Contract Act |
| Section 2(g) | Void agreement | An agreement that is not enforceable by law. | Contract Act |
| Section 2(h) | Contract | An agreement that is enforceable by law. | Contract Act |
| Section 2(i) | Voidable contract | A contract enforceable at the option of one or more of the parties, but not of the other or others. | Contract Act |
| Section 10 | What agreements are contracts | Agreements made with free consent, by competent parties, for a lawful consideration and object, and not expressly declared void. | Contract Act |
| Section 11 | Who is competent to contract | A person who is of the age of majority, of sound mind and not disqualified by law. | Contract Act |
| Section 14 | Free consent | Consent is free when it is not caused by coercion, undue influence, fraud, misrepresentation or mistake. | Contract Act |
| Section 15 | Coercion | Committing or threatening an act forbidden by law, or unlawfully detaining property, to make a person agree. | Contract Act |
| Section 16 | Undue influence | One party can dominate the other’s will and uses that position to obtain an unfair advantage. | Contract Act |
| Section 17 | Fraud | Deceiving a party to induce a contract, for example by a knowingly false statement or by active concealment. | Contract Act |
| Section 18 | Misrepresentation | A false statement made innocently, or without reasonable grounds, that misleads the other party. | Contract Act |
| Section 19, 19A | Voidability where consent is not free | A contract caused by coercion, fraud or misrepresentation (Section 19) or undue influence (Section 19A) is voidable at the option of the affected party. | Contract Act |
| Section 23 | Lawful consideration and object | Unlawful if forbidden by law, defeats a law, is fraudulent, injures a person or property, or is immoral or against public policy. | Contract Act |
| Section 25 | Agreement without consideration | Void, with exceptions such as a written and registered agreement made out of natural love and affection, or a promise to pay a time-barred debt. | Contract Act |
| Section 27 | Restraint of trade | An agreement that restrains a person from carrying on a lawful profession, trade or business is void, subject to limited exceptions. | Contract Act |
| Section 30 | Wager agreements | Agreements by way of wager are void. | Contract Act |
| Section 56 | Impossible acts | An agreement to do an impossible act is void. A contract becomes void if the act later becomes impossible or unlawful. | Contract Act |
| Section 62 | Novation | The parties may replace a contract with a new one, or alter or rescind it. | Contract Act |
| Section 73 | Compensation for breach | The party who suffers a breach can claim compensation for loss that arose naturally or was in the parties’ contemplation. Remote loss is not covered. | Contract Act |
| Section 74 | Named sum or penalty on breach | Where a sum is named as payable on breach, the party may receive reasonable compensation not exceeding that sum. | Contract Act |
| Section 124, 126 | Indemnity and guarantee | Indemnity is a promise to protect against loss (Section 124). A guarantee is a promise to perform, or discharge the liability of, a third person if they default (Section 126). | Contract Act |
| Section 3 | Right to information | Subject to the Act, all citizens have the right to information. | RTI Act |
| Section 4 | Obligations of public authorities | Public authorities must maintain records and proactively disclose certain information. | RTI Act |
| Section 5 | Public Information Officers | Public authorities designate officers to receive and process requests. | RTI Act |
| Section 6 | Making a request | Apply in writing or electronically with the prescribed fee. The applicant does not have to give a reason (Section 6(2)). | RTI Act |
| Section 7 | Disposal of a request | A decision is generally due within 30 days, or within 48 hours where the life or liberty of a person is involved. | RTI Act |
| Section 8 | Exemptions | Lists information that may be refused, such as matters affecting sovereignty and security. Some exemptions are subject to a public interest test (Section 8(2)). | RTI Act |
| Section 11 | Third-party information | Sets the procedure when the information relates to or was supplied by a third party. | RTI Act |
| Section 18 | Complaints | A person can complain to the Information Commission about certain failures of the authority. | RTI Act |
| Section 19 | Appeals | A first appeal goes to a senior officer within the authority (generally within 30 days). A second appeal goes to the Information Commission (generally within 90 days). | RTI Act |
| Section 20 | Penalties | The Information Commission can impose penalties on a Public Information Officer in specified cases. | RTI Act |
| Section 22 | Overriding effect | The Act has effect despite inconsistent provisions in other laws, such as the Official Secrets Act, 1923. | RTI Act |
| Section 2(7) | Consumer | A person who buys goods or hires or avails services for consideration, generally excluding those who buy for resale or commercial purposes. | Consumer Protection Act |
| Section 2(9) | Consumer rights | The rights to safety, information, choice, being heard, seeking redress and consumer awareness. | Consumer Protection Act |
| Section 2(10) | Defect | Any fault or imperfection in the quality, quantity, potency, purity or standard of goods. | Consumer Protection Act |
| Section 2(11) | Deficiency | Any fault or shortcoming in the quality, nature or manner of performance of a service. | Consumer Protection Act |
| Section 2(47) | Unfair trade practice | An unfair or deceptive practice, such as a false representation or a misleading advertisement, in promoting the sale or supply of goods or services. | Consumer Protection Act |
| Section 10 | Central Consumer Protection Authority | Established to protect, promote and enforce consumer rights, including action against misleading advertisements. | Consumer Protection Act |
| Section 35 | Filing a complaint | A complaint is made to the District Commission, and it can be filed electronically. | Consumer Protection Act |
| Section 69 | Limitation | A complaint should generally be filed within two years from the date the cause of action arose. Delay can be condoned for sufficient reasons. | Consumer Protection Act |
| Section 82 to 87 | Product liability | Manufacturers, sellers and service providers can be liable for harm caused by defective products or deficient services, subject to the conditions in the Act. | Consumer Protection Act |
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A student summary, not the statute. These summaries leave out sub-sections, provisos and amendments. Read the actual section on India Code before citing it, and see our guide on how to read a bare Act. Last updated: October 2026.