Enlargement of time
Full Text
Where any period is fixed or granted by the Court for the doing of any act prescribed or allowed by this Code, the Court may, in its discretion, from time to time, enlarge such period, not exceeding thirty days in total, even though the period originally fixed or granted may have expired.
Plain English Summary
Section 148 grants courts discretionary power to enlarge any time period fixed or granted for performing acts prescribed or permitted under the Code (such as filing pleadings or depositing costs), up to an aggregate maximum of thirty days, even after the originally granted period has expired.
Key Legal Elements
- Discretionary Judicial Enlargement: Empowers courts to extend deadlines fixed by judicial orders under the Code.
- Retrospective Extension: Can be exercised even after the original period fixed or granted has already expired.
- Thirty-Day Aggregate Cap: Statutory limitation capping time extensions to an aggregate total of 30 days (introduced by 1999/2002 Amendments).
- Section 151 Inherent Override: Supreme Court holds that the 30-day cap is directory and can be relaxed in exceptional circumstances under Section 151 to prevent grave injustice.
Practical Note
The 30-Day Cap on Enlargement of Time & Inherent Powers under Section 151: 1. Procedural Acts Governed: Section 148 applies strictly to acts allowed by the Code where the court fixed a timeline (e.g. paying deficit court fees under Section 149, filing amended plaints under Order VI Rule 18, depositing security, or filing process fees). It does NOT extend statutory limitation periods prescribed by the Limitation Act, 1963. 2. The 30-Day Statutory Limitation: The 1999 amendment inserted the words 'not exceeding thirty days in total' to curb dilatory tactics by litigants. 3. The Landmark Ruling in Salem Advocate Bar Association (II) v. Union of India (2005) 6 SCC 344: The Supreme Court authoritatively held that the 30-day limit in Section 148 is directory, not mandatory. In exceptional cases of unavoidable necessity (e.g., medical incapacitation, act of God, strike, non-receipt of certified copies), the court can exercise its inherent powers under Section 151 to extend time beyond 30 days to avoid grave miscarriage of justice, subject to compensatory costs.
हिंदी पाठ
जहां इस संहिता द्वारा विहित या अनुज्ञात किसी कार्य को करने के लिए कोई कालावधि न्यायालय द्वारा नियत या अनुदत्त की गई है, वहां न्यायालय, स्वविवेकानुसार, समय-समय पर ऐसी कालावधि को कुल मिलाकर तीस दिन से अनधिक (Not exceeding thirty days in total) तक बढ़ा सकेगा, भले ही मूलतः नियत या अनुदत्त की गई कालावधि समाप्त हो चुकी हो।