Articles 111 explained: this guide covers what it means, who it applies to, the step-by-step process, documents required, fees, due dates and penalties in India — so you can stay compliant with confidence and avoid costly mistakes.
The last three Articles of the First Division of the Schedule to the Limitation Act, 1963 do two different jobs. Articles 111 and 112 give thirty years for a local authority's suit for a public street or road and for suits by the Central or a State Government. Article 113 is a safety net: any suit with no period anywhere else in the Schedule gets three years from when the right to sue accrues.
The text below follows the consolidated text of the Act consulted (latest amendment shown: Act 46 of 1999). Later amendments should be checked.
A local authority suing for possession of a public street or road (Article 111) has thirty years from the date of dispossession or discontinuance. A suit by or on behalf of the Central Government or a State Government (Article 112) also has thirty years, counted from when the period would begin under this Act against a like suit by a private person. Article 113 gives three years from when the right to sue accrues to any suit for which no period is provided elsewhere in the Schedule.
Where these Articles sit
Articles 111 and 112 are in Part IX (suits relating to miscellaneous matters) and Article 113 is alone in Part X (suits for which there is no prescribed period), both in the First Division (suits). Part X's heading in the print is "suits for which there is no prescribed period". For a business with a claim that does not obviously fit any other Article, the residuary rule is the last check before concluding on limitation; a commercial suit should not be planned without first ruling out a specific Article. Our guide to how the Schedule is laid out explains the three columns.
Copied as printed:
| Article | Description of suit | Period of limitation | Time from which period begins to run |
|---|---|---|---|
| 111 | By or on behalf of any local authority for possession of any public street or road or any part thereof from which it has been dispossessed or of which it has discontinued the possession. | Thirty years. | The date of the dispossession or discontinuance. |
| 112 | Any suit (except a suit before the Supreme Court in the exercise of its original jurisdiction) by or on behalf of the Central Government or any State Government, including the Government of the State of Jammu and Kashmir. | Thirty years. | When the period of limitation would begin to run under this Act against a like suit by a private person. |
| 113 | Any suit for which no period of limitation is provided elsewhere in this Schedule. | Three years. | When the right to sue accrues. |
The print names "the Government of the State of Jammu and Kashmir" in Article 112, and the print is not brought up to date on that reference. Check the current law for the corresponding provision before relying on that phrase.
Article by Article with dates
Under section 12(1), the day from which the period is reckoned is excluded. Thirty years from a date end on the same date thirty years later; three years on the same date three years later.
Article 111: local authority and a public street or road. The suit is "by or on behalf of any local authority" for possession of a public street or road, or part of it, "from which it has been dispossessed or of which it has discontinued the possession". The period starts on "the date of the dispossession or discontinuance". If a shopkeeper builds over part of a lane on 1 March 1995 and the local authority was thereby dispossessed, the thirty years end on 1 March 2025. The Act does not say what makes a body a "local authority"; the text is silent on that.
Article 112: suits by or on behalf of the Central or a State Government. Any suit, other than one before the Supreme Court in the exercise of its original jurisdiction, falls here. The period is thirty years from "when the period of limitation would begin to run under this Act against a like suit by a private person". The Government's period borrows its starting date from the private equivalent. Take a Government supply contract: if a private seller's suit for the price of goods delivered on 10 June 2023 would begin to run from that delivery under Article 14, the Government's like suit also begins from 10 June 2023, and the thirty years end on 10 June 2053. For the private equivalent, see Articles 14 to 18. A private party suing the Government is not under this Article, which is about suits by or on behalf of the Government.
Article 113: the residuary article. "Any suit for which no period of limitation is provided elsewhere in this Schedule" has three years "when the right to sue accrues". For example, if a claim fits none of Articles 1 to 112 and the right to sue accrued on 15 July 2024, the three years end on 15 July 2027. The Act does not say when a right to sue "accrues" in a given case; the facts and the nature of the claim decide that. Before relying on Article 113, check each earlier Article. Many claims that look unusual do have a specific Article: accounts in Articles 1 to 5, money claims in Articles 19 to 25, and declarations in Articles 56 to 58.
Applications have their own residuary Article, Article 137, in the Third Division; see Articles 134 to 137. The two should not be mixed: Article 113 is for suits, Article 137 for applications.
What can change the count
- Section 12(1): the first day is excluded.
- Section 14: time spent bona fide in a court without jurisdiction may be excluded. See section 14.
- Section 17: fraud or mistake can delay the start. See section 17.
- Sections 18 and 19: a signed acknowledgment, or a payment on account of a debt made and acknowledged as section 19 requires, before expiry gives a fresh period.
- Section 4: a suit may be filed on the day the court re-opens if the last day fell when it was closed.
- Section 5 does not help a suit. It applies to appeals and applications only.
Special laws
Section 29(2) provides that where a special or local law prescribes a different period, that period applies, and sections 4 to 24 apply to it only so far as that law does not expressly exclude them. Commercial disputes, tax matters, arbitration and insolvency each have their own rules; see our posts on what counts as a commercial dispute and pre-institution mediation. This article states none of those periods.
Need help finding the right Article for a commercial claim?
Picking the right Article, and the right starting date, is the first step in any suit. We can help you map the claim to the Schedule and plan a commercial suit with the dates and documents set out.
Key takeaways
- Article 111 (local authority, public street or road): thirty years from dispossession or discontinuance.
- Article 112 (Central or State Government): thirty years from when the period would begin against a like suit by a private person.
- Article 113 (residuary): three years from when the right to sue accrues, for any suit with no period elsewhere in the Schedule.
- Article 112 names the State of Jammu and Kashmir as printed; check the current law.
- Section 5 does not extend the time to file a suit; a special or local law may fix a different period; later amendments should be checked.
Read next
- Articles 106–110: legacy, hereditary office and joint family property
- Articles 114–117: appeals under the criminal and civil procedure codes
- The Schedule to the Limitation Act, 1963: how it is laid out
- Section 2 of the Commercial Courts Act: meaning of commercial dispute
Disclaimer: Based on a consolidated text of the Limitation Act, 1963 and its Schedule whose latest amendment shown is Act 46 of 1999, as consulted on 2 October 2026. A special or local law may fix a different period; later amendments and the current procedural law should be checked. This article is general information, not legal advice; check the official text before acting.