Civil Litigation
Acknowledging part of a debt does not revive limitation for the whole
What the Court held
In M/s Airen and Associates v. M/s Sanmar Engineering Services Ltd (Supreme Court of India, 24.07.2025; 2025 LiveLaw (SC) 745), a Bench of Justices Sanjay Kumar and Satish Chandra Sharma held that under Section 18 of the Limitation Act, 1963, an acknowledgment of only part of a debt gives a fresh period of limitation only for the acknowledged amount. It does not revive or extend limitation for the disputed or unacknowledged part of the claim.
Why it matters
A written acknowledgment can restart the limitation clock, but only to the extent of what is actually acknowledged. For a creditor the decision is a caution: a part-payment or part-admission will not keep the whole claim alive, so the balance must still be pursued within its own time. For a debtor it confines the effect of an acknowledgment to its terms.
This note is general information on the law as at the date shown, not legal advice on any specific matter. The law changes; for advice on your facts, please speak to the firm.
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