Service of foreign summonses
Full Text
Summonses and other processes issued by—
(a) any Civil or Revenue Court established in any part of India to which the provisions of this Code do not extend, or
(b) any Civil or Revenue Court established or continued by the authority of the Central Government outside India, or
(c) any other Civil or Revenue Court outside India to which the Central Government has, by notification in the Official Gazette, declared the provisions of this section to apply,
may be sent to the Courts in the territories to which this Code extends, and served as if they were summonses issued by such Courts.
Plain English Summary
Section 29 provides for reciprocal recognition and service of summonses and judicial processes within India that originate from non-CPC Indian territories, Central Government-established foreign civil courts, or notified reciprocating foreign jurisdictions, permitting them to be served as if issued by domestic courts.
Key Legal Elements
- Non-CPC Indian Territories (Sec 29(a)): Applies to processes from civil or revenue courts in Indian areas where the CPC does not extend.
- Central Govt Courts Abroad (Sec 29(b)): Covers civil courts established or maintained by the Central Government outside Indian territory.
- Notified Foreign Courts (Sec 29(c)): Extends to foreign civil courts specifically notified in the Official Gazette based on diplomatic reciprocity.
- Fictional Domestic Service: Received foreign summonses are executed by Indian civil courts as if originally issued by themselves.
Practical Note
Cross-border and extra-territorial service of foreign judicial processes: (1) Reciprocating Territories: Clause (c) operates based on bilateral treaties and central government notifications (e.g., UK, UAE, Singapore, France) under which summonses received from foreign courts through diplomatic or Ministry of Law and Justice channels are served by local Indian District Courts on Indian residents. (2) Hague Service Convention: India is a signatory to the Hague Service Convention (1965); service of judicial documents from member states routed through the Ministry of Law and Justice (Central Authority) is executed via local civil courts under the framework of Section 29. (3) Effect of Service: Proper service establishes personal jurisdiction and evidentiary compliance, critical if the foreign court later passes an ex-parte judgment to be executed under Section 44A or tested under Section 13.
हिंदी पाठ
निम्नलिखित द्वारा निकाले गए समन और अन्य आदेशिकाएं—
(क) भारत के किसी ऐसे भाग में स्थापित कोई सिविल या राजस्व न्यायालय जिस पर इस संहिता के उपबंधों का विस्तार नहीं है, अथवा
(ख) भारत के बाहर केन्द्रीय सरकार के प्राधिकार द्वारा स्थापित या चालू रखा गया कोई सिविल या राजस्व न्यायालय, अथवा
(ग) भारत के बाहर का कोई अन्य सिविल या राजस्व न्यायालय जिसके संबंध में केन्द्रीय सरकार ने राजपत्र में अधिसूचना द्वारा यह घोषित किया है कि इस धारा के उपबंध उसे लागू होते हैं,
उन राज्यक्षेत्रों के न्यायालयों को भेजे जा सकेंगे जिन पर इस संहिता का विस्तार है, और उनकी तामील ऐसे कराई जा सकेगी मानो वे ऐसे न्यायालयों द्वारा ही निकाले गए समन हों।