| Category of Bare Act | Name of the Act | Year of Promulgation |
|---|---|---|
| Civil Laws | Indian Contract Act, 1872 | 1872 |
| Act Number | Enactment Date | Chapter Number |
| 9 | 1872-04-25 | 2 |
| Chapter Title | Ministry | Department |
| Of Contracts, Violable, Contracts and Void Agreements | Ministry of Law and Justice, Legislative Department | Department of Law and Legislative Affairs |
If any part of a single consideration for one or more objects, or any one or any part of any one of several consideration of a single object, is unlawful, the agreement is void.
Illustration
A promises to superintend, on behalf of B, a legal manufacturer of indigo, and an illegal traffic in other articles. B promises to pay to A a salary of 10,000 rupees a year. The agreement is void, the object of A’s promise, and the consideration for B’s promise, being in part unlawful.
COMMENTS
General Rule
Non-compoundable offences, which are a matter of public concern, cannot be subject matter of private bargains and administration of criminal justice should not be allowed to pass from the hands of judges to private individuals. Where the offence is of public nature, no agreement can be valid that is founded on the consideration of stifling of a prosecution for it. The payment of 470 million US dollars by the Union Carbide Corporation to Union of India was held not to be stifling of prosecution and the payment not unlawful; Union Carbide Corporation v. Union of India, AIR 1992 SC 248.
