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Saturday, 14 November 2026 Judgments, law jobs and study notes, written by a practising advocate
Code of Civil Procedure, 1908 · Order XX: Judgment And Decree

Order XX Rule 3 CPC: Judgment to be signed

Bare Act text

3. Judgment to be signed.—The judgment shall be dated and signed by the Judge in open Court at the time of pronouncing it and, when once signed, shall not afterwards be altered or added to, save as provided by section 152 or on review.

Amendment notes

  1. The provisions of rules 1, 3, 4 and 5 are not applicable to the Chief Court of Oudh, see the Oudh Courts Act, 1925 (U. P. Act 4 of 1925), s. 16 (2).

Text of the Code of Civil Procedure, 1908 (Act No. 5 of 1908), First Schedule, as amended, including the changes for commercial disputes made by the Commercial Courts Act, 2015. Source: India Code, Government of India.

In simple words

The judgment must be dated and signed by the Judge in open Court at the time of pronouncing it. Once signed, it cannot afterwards be altered or added to, except as provided by section 152 (correction of clerical or arithmetical mistakes and accidental slips) or on review.

Order XX: Judgment And Decree

  1. 1 Judgment when pronounced
  2. 2 Power to pronounce judgment written by Judge’s predecessor
  3. 3 Judgment to be signed
  4. 4 Judgments of Small Cause Courts
  5. 5 Court to state its decision on each issue
  6. 5A Court to inform parties as to where an appeal lies in cases where parties are not represented by pleaders
  7. 6 Contents of decree
  8. 6A Preparation of decree
  9. 6B Copies of judgments when to be made available
  10. 7 Date of decree
  11. 8 Procedure where Judge has vacated office before signing decree
  12. 9 Decree for recovery of immovable property
  13. 10 Decree for delivery of movable property
  14. 11 Decree may direct payment by instalments
  15. 12 Decree for possession and mesne profits
  16. 12A Decree for specific performance of contract for the sale or lease of immovable property
  17. 13 Decree in administration suit
  18. 14 Decree in pre-emption suit
  19. 15 Decree in suit for dissolution of partnership
  20. 16 Decree in suit for account between principal and agent
  21. 17 Special directions as to accounts
  22. 18 Decree in suit for partition of property or separate possession of a share therein
  23. 19 Decree when set-off or counter-claim is allowed
  24. 20 Certified copies of judgment and decree to be furnished
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