Promulgated by the President in the Thirty-ninth Year of the Republic of India;
An Ordinance to prohibit the right to recover property held benami and for matters connected therewith or incidental thereto;
Whereas Parliament is not in session and the President is satisfied that circumstances exist which render it necessary for him to take immediate action;
Now, therefore, in exercise of the powers conferred by clause (1) of Article 123 of the Constitution, the President is pleased to promulgate the following Ordinance:
1. Short title, extent and commencement. (1) This Ordinance may be called the Benami Transactions (Prohibition of the Right to Recover Property) Ordinance, 1988.
(2) It extends to the whole of India except the State of Jammu and Kashmir.
(3) It shall come into force at once.
(1) No suit, claim or action to enforce any right in respect of any property held benami against the person in whose name the property is held or against any other person shall lie by or on behalf of a person claiming to be the real owner of such property.
(2) No defence based on any right in respect of any property held benami, whether against the person in whose name the property is held or against any other person, shall be allowed in any suit, claim or action by or on behalf of a person claiming to be the real owner of such property.
(3) Nothing in this section shall apply,
(a) where the person in whose name the property is held is a co-parcener in a Hindu undivided family and the property is held for the benefit of the co-parceners in the family; or
(b) where the person in whose name the property is held is a trustee or other person standing in a fiduciary capacity, and the property is held for the benefit of another person for whom he is a trustee or towards whom he stands in such capacity.
3. Act not to apply in certain cases. Nothing in this Act shall affect the provisions of Section 53 of the Transfer of Property Act, 1882 (4 of 1882), or any law relating to transfers for an illegal purpose.
4. Repeal of provisions of certain Acts. (1) Section 82 of the Indian Trusts Act, 1882 (2 of 1882), Section 66 of the Code of Civil Procedure, 1908 (5 of 1908) and Section 281-A of the Income Tax Act, 1961 (43 of 1961), are hereby repealed.
(2) For the removal of doubts, it is hereby declared that nothing in sub-section (1) shall affect the continued operation of Section 281-A of the Income Tax Act, 1961 (43 of 1961), in the State of Jammu and Kashmir.
1. Promulgated by the President on May 19, 1988 and published in the Gazette of India, Extra., Pt. II, Section 1 dated May 19, 1988 (Sl. No. 28).