Oath on affidavit by whom to be administered
Full Text
In the case of any affidavit under this Code—
(a) any Court or Magistrate, or
(aa) any notary appointed under the Notaries Act, 1952 (53 of 1952); or
(b) any officer or other person whom a High Court may appoint in this behalf, or
(c) any officer appointed by any other Court which the State Government has generally or specially empowered in this behalf,
may administer the oath to the deponent.
Plain English Summary
Section 139 enumerates the competent authorities authorized to administer oaths to deponents swearing affidavits under the Code of Civil Procedure, including courts, magistrates, notaries under the Notaries Act, 1952, and High Court appointed oath commissioners.
Key Legal Elements
- Deponent Oath Administration: Regulates who can legally administer oaths on civil affidavits under the Code.
- Judicial Officers: Any civil Court or Magistrate.
- Notaries Public: Notaries appointed under the Notaries Act, 1952.
- Oath Commissioners: Officers or persons appointed by the High Court.
- Specially Empowered Officers: Officers appointed by subordinate courts under State Government empowerment.
Practical Note
Statutory Competence for Attestation of Pleadings & Interlocutory Affidavits: 1. Four Authorized Categories: An affidavit supporting a plaint (Section 26), written statement, or interlocutory application (Order XIX) is defective unless attested by: (i) a Judge/Magistrate, (ii) a Notary Public, (iii) an Oath Commissioner appointed by the High Court, or (iv) an empowered court officer. 2. Defective Attestation: An affidavit attested by an unauthorized person is non est in the eyes of law. However, procedural irregularities in attestation are curable upon re-verification and do not warrant dismissal of the substantive suit or application. 3. Verification Requirements (Order XIX Rule 3): The deponent must explicitly state which paragraphs are true to personal knowledge and which are believed to be true on information received, alongside formal endorsement by the attesting officer under Section 139.
हिंदी पाठ
इस संहिता के अधीन किसी शपथ-पत्र (Affidavit) की दशा में—
(क) कोई भी न्यायालय या मजिस्ट्रेट, अथवा
(कक) नोटरी अधिनियम, 1952 के अधीन नियुक्त कोई भी नोटरी; अथवा
(ख) कोई ऐसा अधिकारी या अन्य व्यक्ति जिसे उच्च न्यायालय इस निमित्त नियुक्त करे (यथा शपथ आयुक्त / Oath Commissioner), अथवा
(ग) किसी अन्य न्यायालय द्वारा नियुक्त कोई ऐसा अधिकारी जिसे राज्य सरकार ने इस निमित्त साधारणतया या विशेषतया सशक्त किया हो,
शपथग्रहीता (Deponent) को शपथ दिला सकेगा।