Indian Contract Act, 1872 · Chapter II: Of Contracts, Voidable Contracts and Void Agreements
Section 21: Effect of mistakes as to law
In plain words
A contract is not voidable because of a mistake about a law in force in India. A mistake about a foreign law is treated like a mistake of fact.
A simplified explanation, prepared with AI assistance from the official text below and checked automatically against it for numbers and cross-references. The official text is the law and prevails over this summary. Not legal advice.
Official text
A contract is not voidable because it was caused by a mistake as to any law in force in 1 India; but a mistake as to a law not in force in 1 India has the same effect as a mistake of fact.
2 * * * * *
Illustration
A and B make a contract grounded on the erroneous belief that a particular debt is barred by the Indian Law of Limitation; the contract is not voidable.
3 * * * * *
Source: India Code (indiacode.gov.in), the consolidated text published by the Legislative Department, Government of India. Text as updated on India Code on 15 October 2026. Words in square brackets [ ] were inserted or substituted by later amending Acts, and *** marks words omitted by an amendment. The amendment footnotes are not reproduced here. Official text on India Code.