Indian Contract Law

Void Agreement In Contract Act.

1. Agreements void if considerations and objects unlawful in parts.
2. Agreement without consideration is void, unless it is in writing and registered, or it is a promise to compensate for something done, or is a promise to pay a debt barred by limitation.
3. Agreement in restraint of marriage. Every agreement in restraint of the marriage of any person, other than a minor is void. It is the policy of law to discourage agreements, which restrain freedom of marriage. Where a party is restrained from marrying at all, or for marrying for a fixed period or from marrying a particular person, or class of persons, the agreement is void.
4. Agreement in restraint of trade. Every agreement, by which one is restrained from exercising a lawful profession, trade or business of any kind, is to that extent void.
5. Agreement in restraint of legal proceedings. Every agreement by which any party thereto is restricted absolutely from enforcing his rights under or in respect of any contract, by the usual legal proceedings in the ordinary tribunals, or which limits the time within which he may thus enforce his rights is void to that extent.
6. Agreements for uncertainty. Agreements the meaning of which is not certain, or capable of being made certain, are void.
7. Agreements by way of wager/ Bet. Agreements by way of wager are void; and no suit shall be brought for recovering anything alleged to be won on wager, or entrusted to any person to bide by the result of any game or other uncertain event on which any wager is made. (Wager means betting or gambling). However certain prizes for horseracing are exempted.

Voidability Of Agreement Without Free Consent

When consent to an agreement is caused by coercion, fraud or misrepresentation, the agreement is a contract voidable at the option of the party whose consent was so caused.

A party to a contract, whose consent was caused by fraud or misrepresentation, may, if he thinks fit insist that the contract shall be performed, and that he shall be put in the position in which he would have been if the representations made had been true.

Exceptions

1. If such consent was caused by misrepresentation or by fraud and the party had the means of discovering the truth with ordinary diligence, the contract is not voidable
2. A fraud or misrepresentation which does not cause a person to consent to a contract does not render a contract voidable.

Breach Of Contract

The parties to a contract must either perform or offer to perform, their respective promises, unless such performance is dispensed with or excused under the provisions of the Act, or any other law.

Promises bind the representatives of the promisor in the case of death of such promisor before performance, unless a contrary intention appears from a contract.

In a contract the agreement being enforceable by law, each party to the contract is legally bound to perform his part of the obligation. Non-performance of the duty undertaken by a party in a contract amounts to breach of contract, for which he can be made liable.