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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 II: Execution

Section 42 CPC: Powers of Court in executing transferred decree

Bare Act text

42. Powers of Court in executing transferred decree. — [(1)] The Court executing a decree sent to it shall have the same powers in executing such decree as if it had been passed by itself. All persons is disobeying or obstructing the execution of the decree shall be punishable by such Court in the same manner as if it had passed the decree. And its order in executing such decree shall be subject to the same rules in respect of appeal as if the decree had passed by itself.

[(2) Without prejudice to the generality of the provisions of sub-section (1), the powers of the Court under that sub-section shall include the following powers of the Court which passed the decree, namely:—

(a) power to send the decree for execution to another Court under section 39;

(b) power to execute the decree against the legal representative of the deceased judgment-debtor under section 50;

(c) power to order attachment of a decree.

(3) A Court passing an order in exercise of the powers specified in sub-section (2) shall send a copy thereof to the Court which passed the decree.

(4) Nothing in this section shall be deemed to confer on the Court to which a decree is sent for execution any of the following powers, namely:—

(a) power to order execution at the instance of the transferee of the decree;

(b) in the case of a decree passed against a firm, power to grant leave to execute such decree against any person, other than such a person as is referred to in clause (b), or clause (c) of sub-rule (1) of rule 50 of Order XXI. ]

State amendments

Uttar Pradesh Substitution of new section for section 42 of Act V of 1908.— For section 42 of the Code of Civil Procedure, 1908, as amended in its application to Uttar Pradesh (hereinafter referred to as the said Code) the following section shall be substituted and be deemed to have been substituted with affect from December 2, 1968, namely :—

“42. Power of court in executing transferred decree.— (1) The Court executing a decree sent to it shall have the same powers in executing such decree as if it had been passed by itself. All persons disobeying or obstructing the execution of the decree shall be punishable by such Court in the same manner as if it had passed the decree, and its order in executing such decree shall be subject to the same rules in respect of appeal as if the decree had been passed by itself.

(2) Without prejudice to the generality of the provisions of sub- section (1), the powers of the Court under that sub-section shall include the following powers of the Court which passed the

decree, namely —

(a) power to send the decree for execution to another Court under section 39 ; (b) power to execute the decree against the legal representative of the deceased judgment-debtor under section 50 ; (c) power to order attachment of a decree; (d) power to decide any question relating to the bar of limitation to the executability of the decree ; (e) power to record payment or adjustment under rule 2 of Order XXI; (f) power to order stay of execution under rule 29 of Order XXI; (g) in the case of a decree passed against a firm, power to grant leave to execute such decree against any person other than a person as is referred to in clause (b) or clause (c) of sub-rule (1) of rule 50 of Order XXI.

(3) A Court passing an order in exercise of the powers specified in sub-section (2) shall send a copy thereof to the Court which passed the decree.

(4) Nothing in this section shall be deemed to confer on the Court to which a decree is sent for execution, the power to order execution at the instance of the transferee of a decree.”

[Vide Uttar Pradesh Act 14 of 1970, s. 2]

Amendment notes

  1. S. 42 renumbered as sub-section (1) by Act 104 of 1976, s. 19 (w.e.f. 1-2-1977).
  2. Ins. by s. 19, ibid. (w.e.f. 1-2-1977).

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

A Court executing a decree sent to it has the same powers as if it had passed the decree itself. Persons disobeying or obstructing execution are punishable by it as if it had passed the decree, and its orders are appealable on the same footing. Sub-section (2), added by the 1976 amendment, includes the powers to send the decree to another Court, to execute against the legal representative of a deceased judgment-debtor, and to order attachment of a decree. Sub-section (4) lists powers not conferred.

Part II: Execution

  1. 36 Application to orders
  2. 37 Definition of Court which passed a decree
  3. 38 Court by which decree may be executed
  4. 39 Transfer of decree
  5. 40 Transfer of decree to Court in another State
  6. 41 Result of execution proceedings to be certified
  7. 42 Powers of Court in executing transferred decree
  8. 43 Execution of decrees passed by Civil Courts in places to which this Code does not extend
  9. 44 Execution of decrees passed by Revenue Courts in places to which this Code does not extend
  10. 44A Execution of decrees passed by Courts in reciprocating territory
  11. 45 Execution of decrees outside India
  12. 46 Precepts
  13. 47 Questions to be determined by the Court executing decree
  14. 48 Execution barred in certain cases (Repealed)
  15. 49 Transferee
  16. 50 Legal representative
  17. 51 Powers of Court to enforce execution
  18. 52 Enforcement of decree against legal representative
  19. 53 Liability of ancestral property
  20. 54 Partition of estate or separation of share
  21. 55 Arrest and detention
  22. 56 Prohibition of arrest or detention of women in execution of decree for money
  23. 57 Subsistence-allowance
  24. 58 Detention and release
  25. 59 Release on ground of illness
  26. 60 Property liable to attachment and sale in execution of decree
  27. 61 Partial exemption of agricultural produce
  28. 62 Seizure of property in dwelling-house
  29. 63 Property attached in execution of decrees of several Courts
  30. 64 Private alienation of property after attachment to be void
  31. 65 Purchaser’s title
  32. 66 Suit against purchaser not maintainable on ground of purchase being on behalf of plaintiff (Repealed)
  33. 67 Power for State Government to make rules as to sales of land in execution of decrees for payment of money
  34. 68 Power to prescribe rules for transferring to collector execution of certain decrees (Repealed)
  35. 69 Provisions of Third Schedule to apply (Repealed)
  36. 70 Rules of Procedure (Repealed)
  37. 71 Collector deemed to be acting judicially (Repealed)
  38. 72 Where Court may authorize Collector to stay Public Sale of Land (Repealed)
  39. 73 Proceeds of execution-sale to be rateably distributed among decree-holders
  40. 74 Resistance to execution