In Brief
Bank of Baroda obtained a decree from a London court in 1995 against Vysya Bank and sought to execute it in India in 2009, over 14 years later. The question was whether the execution petition was barred by limitation. The Supreme Court held that the limitation period for executing a foreign decree from a reciprocating country is governed by the law of the country where the decree was passed, not Indian law. Rejecting the traditional view that limitation is merely procedural, the Court determined that when no steps to execute the decree are taken in the cause country within its prescribed period, limitation runs from the decree date; otherwise, execution can be sought in India within 3 years of finalising execution proceedings in the cause country.
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