Articles 68 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.
Goods, machinery, vehicles, jewellery and documents are movable property. When they are stolen, misappropriated, wrongly taken, or not given back by a person who held them for safekeeping or as a pledge, the owner may sue to recover them. Articles 68 to 71 of the Schedule to the Limitation Act, 1963 give three years for each case. Two of them start only when the owner learns something, and one starts on a refusal after demand.
The text below follows the consolidated text of the Act consulted (latest amendment shown: Act 46 of 1999). Later amendments should be checked.
A suit for specific movable property lost or acquired by theft, dishonest misappropriation or conversion (Article 68) has three years from when the person entitled to possession first learns in whose possession it is. A suit for other specific movable property (Article 69) has three years from when it is wrongfully taken. A suit to recover property deposited or pawned (Article 70) runs from the date of refusal after demand, and one against a buyer from the depositary or pawnee (Article 71) from when the sale becomes known to the plaintiff.
Where these Articles sit
Articles 68 to 71 are in the First Division (suits), Part VI (suits relating to movable property). A recovery suit for goods, as opposed to money, is a suit for "specific movable property": the thing itself. 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 68 | For specific movable property lost, or acquired by theft, or dishonest misappropriation or conversion. | Three years. | When the person having the right to the possession of the property first learns in whose possession it is. |
| 69 | For other specific movable property. | Three years. | When the property is wrongfully taken. |
| 70 | To recover movable property deposited or pawned from a depositary or pawnee. | Three years. | The date of refusal after demand. |
| 71 | To recover movable property deposited or pawned, and afterwards bought from the depository or pawnee for a valuable consideration. | Three years. | When the sale becomes known to the plaintiff. |
The print spells the holder "depositary" in Article 70 and "depository" in Article 71. Read both as the person with whom the property was deposited.
Article by Article with dates
Under section 12(1), the day from which the period is reckoned is excluded. Three years from a date end on the same date three years later.
Article 68: lost, stolen, misappropriated or converted property. A courier company's laptop is stolen on 3 January 2024, but the owner learns who holds it only on 19 August 2024, when the laptop turns up with a dealer. The period starts "when the person having the right to the possession of the property first learns in whose possession it is". On those facts, the three years end on 19 August 2027. The word "first" is in the print. The starting point is not the date of the theft or loss; it is the date the owner first learns who has the property, so the owner's records of how and when this was learned matter.
Article 69: other specific movable property. The second entry applies to "other specific movable property", that is, property not lost or acquired by theft, misappropriation or conversion. A contractor's machinery is wrongfully taken from a site on 11 November 2023. The period starts "when the property is wrongfully taken", so the three years end on 11 November 2026. Compare Article 68: here the date of taking counts, whether or not the owner then knew who had it.
Article 70: deposited or pawned property. The owner left goods with a warehouse keeper, or pawned them, and wants them back. The period starts on "the date of refusal after demand". The owner demands the goods on 7 April 2024 and the holder refuses on 20 April 2024. The three years end on 20 April 2027. The Article does not start from the date of deposit or pawning; without a demand and a refusal the starting point is not reached on the print's words. Keep the written demand and the reply. For the law of bailment and pledge, see our posts on bailment, return of goods bailed, pledge and the pawnee's rights on default, and the overview on bailment and pledge.
Article 71: goods deposited or pawned and later bought from the holder. The pawnee or depositary sells the property to a buyer for valuable consideration. The owner's suit to recover it has three years "when the sale becomes known to the plaintiff". If the owner learns of the sale on 6 June 2024, the three years end on 6 June 2027.
Which Article fits?
| Situation | Article |
|---|---|
| Property stolen, lost or dishonestly misappropriated or converted | 68 |
| Property wrongfully taken (not within Article 68) | 69 |
| Property with a depositary or pawnee who refuses on demand | 70 |
| Property sold by the depositary or pawnee to a buyer for value | 71 |
A claim for money damages for wrongfully taking or detaining movable property is a different suit, dealt with in Article 91; see our article on Articles 85 to 91. The Specific Relief Act, 1963 separately sets out when a court may order delivery of specific movable property; see our post on recovery of specific movable property. Limitation under this Schedule does not decide that question.
What can change the count
- Section 6: a legal disability when the period starts can postpone the count. See section 6.
- Section 17: fraud or mistake can delay the start. See section 17.
- Section 14: time spent bona fide in a court without jurisdiction may be excluded. See section 14.
- 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
Under section 29(2), where a special or local law prescribes a different period, that period applies. Seizure under a secured-lending law, goods held in transit, and similar proceedings may follow their own rules; this article states none of those periods.
Checklist
- Ask what happened to the goods: lost, stolen, taken, or left with a holder.
- For Article 68, record the date you first learned who has the property.
- For Article 70, send a written demand and keep the refusal.
- For Article 71, record when the sale became known to you.
- Compute the end date with section 12(1) in mind.
Need help getting goods back?
Movable property cases turn on who held the goods and when the owner knew. We can help you gather the dates and documents and prepare a recovery suit so that you know where you stand before the three years run out.
Key takeaways
- Articles 68 to 71 each give three years.
- Lost, stolen, misappropriated or converted goods: from when you first learn in whose possession they are (Article 68).
- Other goods wrongfully taken: from the date of taking (Article 69).
- Deposited or pawned goods: from refusal after demand (Article 70); if later sold to a buyer for value, from when the sale becomes known (Article 71).
- 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 64–67: possession of immovable property, adverse possession and landlord and tenant
- Articles 72–84: torts with one-year and two-year periods
- Articles 85–91: torts with a three-year period
- Bailment and pledge under the Indian Contract Act
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.