FIRM
There are many different types of partnerships, ranging from informal alliances between two individuals engaging in a short-term profit-making venture without any explicit partnership agreement, to small family partnerships to large professional or company partnerships with many participants, a comprehensive partnership agreement and a management structure as complex as that of most corporations like in UK, USA”. This paper deals with the contractual liability and rights of minors with respect to partnership under S.30 of partnership act and S.11 of contracts act.
A minor, while not being a full- fledged partner in the company can only avail the benefits and get his share in the profits with the consent of the partners. The position of law stand- Minors have no liability and they don’t have to give any share in the loss suffered by the company. In Shivgouda Rajiv Patil v. Chandrakant Neelkanth Sedalge the question arose as to whether the minor partner who had attained majority subsequent to commitment of acts of insolvency by the other partners could be held to be personally liable for the debts of the firm. A guardian can contract on the behalf of the minors as minors are incompetent to enter in a contract- as long as it is not detriment to the minor’s interest. These law are made to safe the interests of minors and for their protection as it was thought minors was immature in both mind and experience.
COMPETENT TO CONTRACT
Section 11 of Indian contract Act 1872 read as, “That every person is competent to contract who is of the age of majority according to law to which is subject and who is sound mind and not disqualified from contracting by any law to which he is subject”. The following persons are competent to contract namely i) “Who is major; ii) Who is of sound mind. It is obvious that minors and unsound mind person cannot make a contract. A Major person means a person who has attained the age of 18 years. The age of majority has been decided by Indian Majority Act 1875. In case of guardian appointed by the court, the age shall be 21 years”.
CONCEPT OF MINOR
A person who has not attained the age of majority is a minor. “The term minor/minors is no where defined in the contract . But if anyone read the wording of Section 11 which spells
a minor is a person who has not attained the age of 18 years. The age of majority is defined in Section 3 of Majority Act. A person who is of 17 years old and 364 days old, he will be called as a minor in the eyes of law. Minors interest is protected by the law. Minor should not enter into the contract so as to provide a protection to the minor so that nobody can take advantage of his minority. Because law presumes that minor mind is not mature enough to understand the nature of agreements. It means what is fair, what is unfair, what is true, what is false, what is genuine and what is dupe. So in a way by debarring or by disqualifying a person who is a minor to enter into the contract, it is all in the interest of the minor. Minor age is understood in different legislations in India different age groups which are discussed under the side heading minors in trade union members and labour laws.
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