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The Money-Lenders Act, 1940 (Bengal Act)

( ACT NO. X OF 1940 )

Chapter VII

MISCELLANEOUS

Re-opening of transactions
36. (1) Notwithstanding anything contained in any law for the time being in force, if in any suit to which this Act applies, or in any suit brought by a borrower for relief under this section whether heard ex parte or otherwise, the Court has reason to believe that the exercise of one or more of the powers under this section will give relief to the borrower, it shall exercise all or any of the following powers as it may consider appropriate, namely, shall-
 
 
 
 
(a) reopen any transaction and take an account between the parties;
 
 
 
 
(b) notwithstanding any agreement, purporting to close previous dealings and to create new obligations, reopen any account already taken between the parties;
 
 
 
 
(c) release the borrower of all liability in excess of the limits specified in clauses (1) and (2) of section 30;
 
 
 
 
(d) if anything has been paid or allowed in account on or after the first day of January, 1939, in respect of the liability referred to in clause (c), order the lender to repay any sum which the Court considers to be repayable in respect of such payment or allowance in account as aforesaid:
 
 
Provided that in the case of a loan to which the provisions of sub-section (2) of section 29 apply the lender or money-lender and each of his assignees shall be liable to repay the sum which the Court considers to be repayable in respect of and in proportion to the sum received by such lender or money-lender and such assignee;
 
 
 
 
(e) set aside either wholly or in part or revise or alter any security given or agreement made in respect of any loan, and if the lender has parted with the security, order him to indemnify the borrower in such manner and to such extent as it may deem just:
 
 
 
 
Provided that in the exercise of these powers the Court shall not-
 
 
 
 
(i) reopen any adjustment or agreement, purporting to close previous dealings and to create new obligations, which has been entered into at a date more than twelve years prior to the date of the suit by the parties or any person through whom they claim, or
 
 
 
 
(ii) do anything which affects any decree of a Court, other than a decree in a suit to which this Act applies which was not fully satisfied by the first day of January, 1939, or anything which affects an award made under the 1[* * *] Agricultural Debtors Act, 1935.
 
 
 
 
Explanation.- A decree shall not, for the purposes of this section, be deemed to have been fully satisfied so long as there remains undisposed of an application by the decree-holder for possession of property purchased by him in execution of the decree.
 
 
 
 
(2) If in exercise of the powers conferred by sub-section (1) the Court reopens a decree, the Court-
 
 
 
 
(a) shall, after affording the parties an opportunity of being heard, pass a new decree in accordance with the provisions of this Act, and may award to the decree-holder such costs in respect of the reopened decree as it thinks fit,
 
 
(b) shall not do anything which affects any right acquired bona fide by any person, other than the decree-holder, in consequence of the execution of the reopened decree,
 
 
 
 
(c) shall order the restoration to the judgment-debtor of such property, if any, of the judgment-debtor acquired by the decree-holder in consequence of the execution of the reopened decree as may be in the possession of the decree-holder on the date on which the decree was reopened,
 
 
 
 
(d) shall order the judgment-debtor to pay to the decree-holder, in such number of instalments as it may think fit, the whole amount of the new decree passed under clause (a), and
 
 
 
 
(e) shall direct that, in default of the payment of any instalments ordered under clause (d), the decree-holder shall be put into possession of the property referred to in clause (c) and that the amount for which the decree-holder purchased such property in execution of the reopened decree shall be set off against so much of the amount of the new decree as remains unsatisfied.
 
 
 
 
(3) In this section the expression “suit to which this Act applies” includes a proceeding in respect of any application relating to the admission or amount of a proof of a loan advanced before or after the commencement of this Act in any insolvency proceedings.
 
 
 
 
(4) This section shall apply to any suit, whatever its form may be, if such suit is substantially one for the recovery of a loan or for the enforcement of any agreement or security in respect of a loan or for the redemption of any such security.
 
 
 
 
(5) Nothing in this section shall affect the rights of any assignee or holder for value if the Court is satisfied that the assignment to him was bona fide, and that he had not received the notice referred to in clause (a) of sub-section (1) of section 28.
 
 
(6) Notwithstanding anything contained in any law for the time being in force,-
 
 
 
 
(a) the Court which, in a suit to which this Act applies, passed a decree which was not fully satisfied by the first day of January, 1939, may exercise the powers conferred by sub-sections (1) and (2)-
 
 
 
 
(i) in any proceedings in execution of such decree, or
 
 
 
 
(ii) on an application for review of such decree made within one year of the date of commencement of this Act, and the provisions of rules 2 and 5 of Order XLVII of the First Schedule to the Code of Civil Procedure, 1908, shall not apply to any such application;
 
 
 
 
(b) any Court before which an appeal is pending in respect of decree referred to in clause (a) may either itself exercise the like powers as may be exercised under sub-sections (1) and (2), or refer the case to the Court which passed the decree directing such Court to exercise such powers, and such Court shall after exercise thereof return the record with the additional evidence, if any, taken by it and its findings and the reasons therefore to the Appellate Court and thereupon the provisions of rule 26 of Order XLI of the First Schedule to the Code of Civil Procedure, 1908, shall apply.

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