Code of Civil Procedure, 1908
(1) At any time after a warrant for the arrest of a judgment-debtor has been issued the Court may cancel it on the ground of his serious illness. (2) Where a judgment-debtor has been arrested, the Court may release him if, in its opinion, he is not in a fit state of health to be detained in the civil prison. (3) Where a judgment-debtor has been committed to the civil prison, he may be released therefrom— (a) by the State Government, on the ground of the existence of any infectious or contagious disease, or (b) by the committing Court, or any Court to which that Court is subordinate, on the ground of his suffering from any serious illness. (4) A judgment-debtor released under this section may be re-arrested, but the period of his detention in civil prison shall not in the aggregate exceed that prescribed by section 58. A TTACHMENT 60. Property liable to attachment and sale in execution of decree.—(1) The following property is liable to attachment and sale in execution of a decree, namely, lands, houses or other buildings, goods, money, bank-notes, cheques, bills of exchange, hundis, promissory notes, Government securities, bonds or other securities for money, debts, shares in a corporation and, save as hereinafter mentioned, all other 8. For amendments to s. 60, in its application to East Punjab, see the Punjab Relief of Indebtedness Act, 1934 (Pun. Act 7 of 1934), s. 35, as amended by Pun. Acts 12 of 1940 and 6 of 1942. saleable property, movable or immovable, belonging to the judgment-debtor, or over which, or the profits of which, he has a disposing power which he may exercise for his own benefit, whether the same be held in the name of the judgment-debtor or by another person in trust for him or on his behalf: Provided that the following particulars shall not be liable to such attachment or sale, namely:— (a) the necessary wearing-apparel, cooking vessels, beds and bedding of the judgment-debtor, his wife and children, and such personal ornaments as, in accordance with religious usage, cannot be parted with by any woman; (b) tools of artisans, and, where the judgment-debtor is an agriculturist, his implements of husbandry and such cattle and seed-grain as may, in the opinion of the Court, be necessary to enable him to earn his livelihood as such, and such portion of agricultural produce or of any class of agricultural produce as may have been declared to be free from liability under the provisions of the next following section; (c) houses and other buildings (with the materials and the sites thereof and the land immediately appurtenant thereto and necessary for their enjoyment) belonging to [an agriculturist or a labourer of a domestic servant] and occupied by him ; (d) books of account ; (e) a mere right to sue for damages ; (f) any right of personal service ; (g) stipends and gratuities allowed to pensioners of the Government [or of a local authority or of any other employer], or payable out of any service family pension fund notified in the Official Gazette by [the Central Government or the State Government] in this behalf, and political pensions; [(h) the wages of labourers and domestic servants, whether payable in money or in kind; ***] [(i) salary to the extent of [the first [ [one thousand rupees]] and two third of the remainder] [in execution of any decree other than a decree for maintenance]: [Provided that where any part of such portion of the salary as is liable to attachment has been under attachment, whether continuously or intermittently, for a total period of twenty-four months, such portion shall be exempt from attachment until the expiry of a further period of twelve months, and, where such attachment has been made in execution of one and the same decree, shall, after the attachment has continued for a total period of twenty-four months, be finally exempt from attachment in execution of that deeree.]] [(ia) one-third of the salary in execution of any decree for maintenance;] [(j) the pay and allowances of persons to whom the Air Force Act, 1950 (45 of 1950) or the Army Act, 1950 (46 of 1950), or the Navy Act, 1957 (62 of 1957), applies;] (k) all compulsory deposits and other sums in or derived from any fund to which the Provident Funds Act, [1925], (19 of 1925), for the time being applies in so far as they are declared by the said Act not to be liable to attachment; [(ka) all deposits and other sums in or derived from any fund to which the Public Provident Fund Act, 1968 (23 of 1968), for the time being applies, in so far as they are declared by the said Act as not to be liable to attachment; 3. For such a notification, see Gazette of India, 1909, Pt. I, p. 5. (kb) all moneys payable under a policy of insurance on the life of the judgment-debtor; (kc) the interest of a lessee of a residential of building to which the provisions of law for the time being in force relating to control of rents and accommodation apply;] [(1) any allowance forming part of the emoluments of any [servant of the [Government]] or of any servant of a railway company or local authority which the [appropri ate Government] may by notification in the Official Gazette declare to be exempt from attachment, and any subsistence grant or allowance made to [any such servant] while under suspension;] (m) an expectancy of succession by survivorship or other merely contingent or possible right or interest; (n) a right to future maintenance; (o) any allowance declared by [any Indian law] to be exempt from liability to attachment or sale in execution of a decree; and (p) where the judgment-debtor is a person liable for the payment of land-revenue; any movable property which, under any law for the time being applicable to him, is exempt from . sale for the recovery of an arrear of such revenue. [Explanation I. —The moneys payable in relation to the matters mentioned in clauses (g), (h), (i), (ia), (j), (l) and (o) are exempt from attachment or sale, whether before or after they are actually payable, and, in the case of salary, the attachable portion thereof is liable to attachment, whether before or after it is actually payable.] [ [Explanation II. —In clauses (i) and (ia)], “salary” means the total monthly emoluments, excluding any allowance declared exempt from attachment under the provisions of clause (1), derived by a person from his employment whether on duty or on leave.] [Explanation [III]—In clause (1) “appropriate Government” means— (i) as respects any [person] in the service of the Central Government, or any servant of [a Railway Administration] or of a cantonment authority or of the port authority of a major port, the Central Government; * (iii) as respects any other [servant of the [Government]] or a servant of any other *** local authority, the State Government.] [Explanation IV—For the purposes of this proviso, “wages” includes bonus, and “labourer” includes a skilled unskilled or semi-skilled labourer. Explanation V—For the purposes of this proviso, the expression “agriculturist” means a person who cultivates land personally and who depends for his livelihood mainly on the income from agricultural land, whether as owner, tenant, partner or agricultural labourer. Explanation VI—For the purposes of Explanation V an agriculturist shall be deemed to cultivate land personally, if he cultivates land— (a) by his own labour, or (b) by the labour of any member of his family, or (c) by servants or labourers on wages payable in cash or in kind (not being as a share of the produce), or both.] [(IA) Notwithstanding anything contained in any other law for the time being in force, an agreement by which a person agrees to waive the benefit of any exemption under this section shall be void.] (2) Nothing in this section shall be deemed *** to exempt houses and other buildings (with the materials and the sites thereof and the lands immediately appurtenant thereto and necessary for their enjoyment) from attachment or sale in execution of decrees for rent of any such house, building, site or land STATE AMENDMENTS Kerala.— In clause (g) of the Proviso to sub-section (1) of section 60, after the words “stipends and gratuities allowed by pensioners of the Government” the words “or of a local authority” shall be inserted. [Vide Kerala Act 13 of 1957, sec. 3.] In the proviso to sub section (1) of section 60 of the Code of Civil Procedure, 1908 (Central Act 5 of 1908), after clause (g), the following clause shall be inserted, namely: — “(gg) all moneys payable to the beneficiaries under the Family Benefit Scheme for the employees of the Government of Kerala.” [Vide Kerala Act 1 of 1988, sec. 2.] 61. Partial exemption of agricultural produce.—The State Government *** may, by general or special order published in the Official Gazette, declare that such portion of agricultural produce, or of any class of agricultural produce, as may appear to the State Government to be necessary for the purpose of providing until the next harvest for the due cultivation of the land and for the support of the judgment- debtor and his family, shall, in the case of all agriculturists or of any class of agriculturists, be exempted from liability to attachment or sale in execution of a decree. 62. Seizure of property in dwelling-house.—(1) No person executing any process under this Code directing or authorizing seizure of movable property shall enter any dwelling-house after sunset and before sunrise. (2) No outer door of a dwelling-house shall be broken open unless such dwelling-house is in the occupancy of the judgment-debtor and he refuses or in any way prevents access thereto, but when the person executing any such process has duly gained access to any dwelling-house, he may break open the door of any room in which he has reason to believe any such property to be. (3) Where a room in a dwelling-house is in the actual occupancy of a woman who, according to the customs of the country, does not appear in public, the person executing the process shall give notice to such woman that she is at liberty to withdraw; and, after allowing reasonable time for her to withdraw and giving her reasonable facility for withdrawing, he may enter such room for the purpose of seizing the property, using at the same time every precaution, consistent with these provisions, to prevent its clandestine removal. 63. Property attached in execution of decrees of several Courts.—(1) Where property not in the custody of any Court is under attachment in execution of decrees of more Courts than one, the Court which shall receive or realize such property and shall determine any claim thereto and any objection to the attachment thereof shall be the Court of highest grade, or, where there is no difference in grade between such Courts, the Court under whose decree the property was first attached. (2) Nothing in this section shall be deemed to invalidate any proceeding taken by a Court executing one of such decrees. [Explanation.—For the purposes of sub-section (2), “proceeding taken by a Court” does not include an order allowing, to a decree-holder who has purchased property at a sale held in execution of a decree, set off to the extent of the purchase price payable by him.]