• Can I get interest on money loaned to a relative

Dear Sir, I lended money to a relative as he asked in an treatment. After that he asked more money and told me he will give land. I transfered around 23lakh rupies in multiple transections. There is no agreement for giving the land. Whenever I used to ask he use to tell me he will give the land. I made the paper ready for land registry and inform him but he did not come to registry office. Then I sent him notice through advocate to return my money with interest or register the land. In reply of the notice he refused that if there is any conversation for giving land, he has told he will only return the principle amount in simple Instalments. It is written in the notice that claiming interest without having lending licence is illegal. Also there is no time line of returning money. What should I do. Kindly advice.
Asked 1 day ago in Property Law
Religion: Hindu

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7 Answers

since he has acknowledeged his liability to repay the principal amount and has failed to pay inspuite of notice you can file suit to recover sum of Rs 23 lakhs with interest at the rate mentioned in the legal notice 

Ajay Sethi
Advocate, Mumbai
100684 Answers
8233 Consultations

If you have demanded return of the loan amount with interest and if has acknowledged the receipt of the loan amount, then there's no necessity to panic about his reply notice.

It is usual and common that the lawyer will deny the averments made in the legal notice through their reply notice.

You can proceed to file a money recovery suit to recover the principal and interest amount through court.

In the meantime you can file a petition along with the suit to attach the property on his name for the purpose of security to the suit amount by getting an order for attachment of his property before judgment.

You can discuss with your advocate and proceed as suggested.

T Kalaiselvan
Advocate, Vellore
90892 Answers
2524 Consultations

Dear Sir/Madam,

Yes, you can file a money-recovery suit for ₹23 lakh and also claim reasonable interest. The objection regarding a money-lending licence is generally not applicable to a one-time friendly loan to a relative, unless you regularly conduct money-lending business.

His written reply admitting liability for the principal amount, along with your bank-transfer records and legal notice, is important evidence. However, without a written agreement for sale, compelling him to register the land may be difficult.

File the recovery suit promptly, as limitation must be calculated separately from the dates of payment and any valid written acknowledgment.

Advocate Saurabh Agrawal

Saurabh Agrawal
Advocate, Greater Noida
215 Answers

based on the facts, you should consider instituting a civil suit for recovery of money and, if the evidence indicates that the relative never intended to honour his assurances and induced the client to part with the money through false representations, explore the possibility of initiating appropriate criminal proceedings for cheating and criminal breach of trust, subject to the evidence available.

Pranay Mehta
Advocate, Noida
40 Answers

Dear Client, The relatives argument that you cannot claim in trust without a money lending license is a common defense but it is often misleading in India the Moneylenders Act is generally intended to regulate professional moneylenders who make a business out of lending It does not usually bar a private individual from claiming interest on a one time friendly loan or an advance payment Since you have a record of transferring a substantial amount of 23 lakhs you have strong evidence of a debt his refusal to register the land combined with his written admission in the notice reply that he owes you the principal amount is a powerful acknowledgement of his liability this admission can be used in court as evidence to prove that the money was indeed a loan or an advance not a gift.

To recover your funds you should immediately file a summary suite for recovery under Order 37 of the Code of Civil Procedure 19 08 A summary suit is a faster legal process specifically designed for cases involving liquidated claims such as the recovery of money where there is a clear documentary evidence like bank transfer records By filing this you shift the burden to your relative to provide a valid legal defense for why he should not be ordered to pay you back immediately Because he has already admitted to owing you the principle in his reply notice he will find it very difficult to deny the debt before a judge.

Do not wait for him to voluntarily provide an instalment plan as his current stance lacks a firm timeline and suggests an attempt to delay payment indefinitely Since he has already shown he is unreliable by failing to appear at the registry office you should move for an order of attachment before judgment This is a powerful legal step that allows the court to temporarily freeze his assets including the very land he promised you to ensure he does not sell or transfer it to someone else while your lawsuit is pending. I hope this answer helps, if you have any further query kindly do not hesitate to contact us. Thankyou

Anik Miu
Advocate, Bangalore
11376 Answers
126 Consultations

From the facts stated by you, your case appears to be one for recovery of money, not for specific performance of an agreement to sell, because you have stated that there was no written agreement for transfer of the land. Since the other party has expressly denied any agreement to sell and has admitted only that he received the money and is willing to return the principal amount, that admission itself can be an important piece of evidence in your favour.

As regards interest, the contention in the reply notice that you cannot claim interest because you do not possess a money-lending licence is not entirely correct. If you are not carrying on the business of money lending and this was merely a personal loan advanced to a relative, the requirement of a money-lending licence under the relevant State Money Lenders Act may not apply. The absence of such a licence does not automatically disentitle you from claiming interest in a civil suit.

Even if there was no agreement regarding interest or the time for repayment, the civil court has the discretion under Section 34 of the Code of Civil Procedure to award reasonable interest for the period after institution of the suit and, in appropriate cases, for the period prior to the suit as well, depending upon the facts and the conduct of the parties. Therefore, while you may not be entitled to claim any arbitrary rate of interest, you can certainly seek reasonable interest from the date the amount became repayable.

Since the borrower has now refused to transfer the land and has admitted only the liability to repay the principal amount, you should not wait indefinitely for payment in instalments unless the terms are acceptable to you. You may institute a civil suit for recovery of ₹23 lakhs along with interest, relying upon the bank transfer records, your legal notice, and most importantly, the reply notice containing the admission that the money was received. If there are WhatsApp messages, emails, SMSs or call recordings showing that the money was advanced and that the land was promised, those should also be preserved and produced.

If the evidence further shows that, from the very beginning, the relative never intended either to transfer the land or return the money and induced you to part with the funds by making false promises, you may also examine the possibility of initiating appropriate criminal proceedings for cheating. However, such action should be taken only if the facts genuinely disclose fraudulent intention from the inception and not merely a subsequent failure to honour the promise.

In summary, you have a reasonably strong civil claim for recovery of the money. The reply notice admitting receipt of the amount substantially strengthens your case, and you can also seek reasonable interest notwithstanding the objection raised regarding the money-lending licence, provided this was a personal loan and not part of a money-lending business.

 

 

 

Yuganshu Sharma
Advocate, Delhi
1503 Answers
5 Consultations

In above case you can’t legally claim it but if it’s mutual understanding you can do the same 

Prashant Nayak
Advocate, Mumbai
35163 Answers
256 Consultations

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