Moneylenders Act, 1933

Limitation of time for proceedings in respect of money lent by moneylenders.

19.—(1) No proceedings shall lie for the recovery by a moneylender of any money lent by him after the commencement of this Act or of any interest in respect thereof, or for the enforcement of any agreement made or security taken after the commencement of this Act in respect of any loan made by him, unless the proceedings are commenced before the expiration of three years from the date on which the cause of action accrued:

Provided that—

(a) if during the period of three years aforesaid or at any time within any subsequent period during which proceedings may by virtue of this proviso be brought, the debtor acknowledges in writing the amount due and gives a written undertaking to the moneylender to pay that amount, proceedings for the recovery of the amount due may be brought at any time within a period of three years from the date of the acknowledgment and undertaking;

(b) the time limited by the foregoing provisions of this section for the commencement of proceedings shall not begin to run in respect of any payments from time to time becoming due to a moneylender under a contract for the loan of money until a cause of action accrues in respect of the last payment becoming due under the contract;

(c) if at the date on which the cause of action accrues or on which any such acknowledgment and undertaking as aforesaid is given by the debtor, the person entitled to take the proceedings is non compos mentis, the time limited by the foregoing provisions of this section for the commencement of proceedings shall not begin to run until that person ceases to be non compos mentis or dies, whichever first occurs; and

(d) if at the date on which the cause of action accrues or on which any such acknowledgment and undertaking as aforesaid is given by the debtor, the debtor is beyond the seas, the time limited by the foregoing provisions of this section for the commencement of proceedings shall not begin to run until he returns from beyond the seas, so however, that section 11 of the Mercantile Law Amendment Act, 1856, (which relates to the limitation of actions against joint debtors where some are beyond seas) shall have effect as if this section were included among the enactments therein referred to as fixing a period of limitation.