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Earnest money - seller - forfeit - immovable property - agreement - Supreme court

1) Fateh Chand v. Balkishan Dass AIR  1963  SC  1405
2) (Kunwar)  Chiranjit Singh v. Har Swarup AIR 1926 P.C. 1
3) Shree Hanuman Cotton Mills and Others v. Tata  Air  Craft  Limited 1969 (3) SCC 522
4) Delhi  Development  Authority  v.  Grihstrapana  Cooperative  Group Housing Society Ltd. 1995  Supp  (1)  SCC  751
5) V. Lakshmanan v. B.R. Mangalgiri and others (1995) Suppl.  (2)  SCC
33
6) Housing Urban Development Authority and another  v.  Kewal  Krishan Goel  and  others  (1996)  4  SCC  249
7) Videocon  Properties  Ltd.  v.  Dr.  Bhalchandra  Laboratories and others (2004) 3 SCC 711



IN THE SUPREME COURT OF INDIA
                        CIVIL APPELLATE JURISDICTION
                        CIVIL APPEAL NO. 7588 OF 2012
                [Arising out of SLP (Civil) No. 4605 of 2012]
Satish Batra                                             .. Appellant
                                   Versus
Sudhir Rawal                                             .. Respondent


whether the seller is entitled to forfeit the earnest  money  deposit  where
the sale of an immovable property falls through by reason of  the  fault  or
failure of the purchaser
..........
When we examine the clauses in the instant case,  it  is  amply  clear
that the clause extracted hereinabove was included in the  contract  at  the
moment at which the contract was entered into.  It represents the  guarantee
that the contract would be fulfilled.  In other words,  ‘earnest’  is  given
to bind the contract, which is  a  part  of  the  purchase  price  when  the
transaction is carried out and it will be  forfeited  when  the  transaction
falls through by reason of the default or failure of the  purchaser.   There
is no other clause militates against the clauses extracted in the  agreement
dated 29.11.2011.


19.   We are, therefore, of the  view  that  the  seller  was  justified  in
forfeiting the amount of Rs.7,00,000/- as per  the  relevant  clause,  since
the earnest money was primarily a security for the due  performance  of  the
agreement and, consequently, the seller is entitled to  forfeit  the  entire
deposit.  The High Court has, therefore, committed  an  error  in  reversing
the judgment of the trial court.

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