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Friday, 13 November 2026 Judgments, law jobs and study notes, written by a practising advocate
Code of Civil Procedure, 1908 · Part VIII: Reference, Review And Revision

Section 113 CPC: Reference to High Court

Bare Act text

113. Reference to High Court.—Subject to such conditions and limitations as may be prescribed, any Court may state a case and refer the same for the opinion of the High Court, and the High Court may make such order thereon as it thinks fit:

[Provided that where the Court is satisfied that a case pending before it involves a question as to the validity of any Act, Ordinance or Regulation or of any provision contained in an Act, Ordinance or Regulation, the determination of which is necessary for the disposal of the case, and is of opinion that such Act, Ordinance, Regulation or provision is invalid or inoperative, but has not been so declared by the High Court to which that Court is subordinate or by the Supreme Court, the Court shall state a case setting out its opinion and the reasons therefor, and refer the same for the opinion of the High Court.

Explanation.—In this section, “Regulation” means any Regulation of the Bengal, Bombay or Madras Code or Regulation as defined in the General Clauses Act, 1897 (10 of 1897), or in the General Clauses Act of a State.]

Amendment notes

  1. Added by Act 24 of 1951, s. 2 (w.e.f. 1-4-1951).

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

In simple words

Subject to prescribed conditions and limitations, any Court may state a case and refer it for the opinion of the High Court, which may make such order as it thinks fit. The proviso requires a Court to state a case where it is satisfied that the case involves the validity of an Act, Ordinance, Regulation or provision, which is necessary to dispose of it, and it thinks the law invalid or inoperative but no High Court or the Supreme Court has so declared.

Part VIII: Reference, Review And Revision

  1. 113 Reference to High Court
  2. 114 Review
  3. 115 Revision