CHAPTER
IV
PERFORMANCE OF THE CONTRACT
31.
Duties of seller and buyer. - It is duty of the seller to deliver
the goods of the buyer to accept and pay for them, in accordance with
the terms of the contract of sale.
32.
Payment and delivery are concurrent conditions. - Unless otherwise
agreed, delivery of the goods and payment of the price are concurrent
conditions, that is to say, the seller shall be ready and wiling to
give possession of the goods to the buyer in exchange for the price,
and the buyer shall be ready and willing to pay the price in exchange
for possession of the goods.
33.
Delivery. - Delivery of goods sold may be made by doing anything
which the parties agree shall be treated as delivery or which has the
effect of putting the goods in the possession of the buyer or of any
person authorised to hold them on his behalf.
34.
Effect of part delivery. - A delivery of party of goods, in progress
of the delivery of the whole, has the same effect, for the purpose of
passing the property in such goods, as a delivery of the whole;
but a delivery of part of the goods, with an intention of severing it
from the whole, does not operate as a delivery of the remainder.
35.
Buyer to apply for delivery - Apart from any express contract, the
seller of goods is not bound to deliver them until the buyer applies
for delivery.
36.
Rules as to delivery. (1) Whether it is for the buyer to take possession
of the goods or for the seller to send them to the buyer is a question
depending in each case on the contract, express or implied, between
the parties. Apart from any such contract, goods sold are to be delivered
at the place at which they are at the time of the sale, and goods agreed
to be sold are to be delivered at the place at which they are at the
time of the agreement to sell, or if not them in existence, at the place
at which they are manufactured or produced.
(2)
Where under the contract of sale the seller is bound to send the goods
to the buyer, but no time for sending them is fixed, the seller is bound
to send them within a reasonable time.
(3)
Where the goods at the time of sale are in the possession of a third
person, there is no delivery by seller to buyer unless and until such
third person acknowledges to the buyer that he holds the goods on his
behalf:
Provided
that nothing in this section shall affect the operation of the issue
or transfer of any document of title to goods.
(4)
Demand or tender of delivery may be treated as ineffectual unless made
at a reasonable hour. What is a reasonable hour is a question of fact.
(5)
Unless otherwise agreed, the expenses of and incidental to putting the
goods into a deliverable state shall be borne by the seller.
37.
Delivery of wrong quantity. - (1) Where the seller delivers to the
buyer a quantity of goods less than he contracted to sell, the buyer
may reject them, but if the buyer accept the goods so delivered he shall
pay for them at the contract rate.
(2)
Where the seller delivers to the buyer a quantity of goods larger than
he contracted to sell, the buyer may accept the goods included in the
contract and reject the rest, or 11[if the goods delivered are such
that it is difficult or time consuming to separate the quantity contracted
for,] he may reject the whole. If the buyer accept the whole of the
goods so delivered, he shall pay for them at the contract rate.
(3)
Where the seller delivers to the buyer the goods he contracted to sell
mixed with goods of a different description not included in the contract,
the buyer may accept the goods which are in accordance with the contract
and reject the rest, or may reject the whole.
(4)
The provisions of this section are subject to any usage of trade, special
agreement or course of dealing between the parties.
38.
Instalment delivers. - (1) Unless otherwise agreed, the buyer of
goods is not bound to accept delivery thereof by instalments.
(2)
Where there is a contract for the sale of goods to be delivered by stated
instalments which are to be separately paid for and the seller makes
no delivery or defective delivery in respect of one or more instalments,
or the buyer neglects or reduces to take delivery of or pay for one
or more instalments, it is a question in each case depending on the
terms of the contract and the circumstances of the case, whether the
breach of contract is a repudiation of the whole contract, or
whether it is a severable breach giving rise to a claim for compensation,
but not to a right to treat the whole contract as repudiated.
39.
Delivery to carrier or wharfinger. - (1) Where, in pursuance of
a contract of sale, the seller is authorised or required to send the
goods to the buyer, delivery of the goods to a carrier, whether named
by the buyer or not, for the purpose of transmission to the buyer or
delivery of the goods to a wharfinger for sale custody, is a prima facie
deemed to be delivery of the goods to the buyer.
(2)
Unless otherwise authorised by the buyer, the seller shall make such
contract with the carrier or wharfinger on behalf of the buyer as may
be reasonable having regard to the nature of the goods and the other
circumstances of the case. If the seller omits so to do and the goods
are lost or damaged in course of transit or whilst in the custody of
the wharfinger, the buyer may decline to treat the delivery to the carrier
or wharfinger as a delivery to himself, or may hold the seller responsible
in damages.
(3)
Unless otherwise agreed, where goods are sent by the seller to the buyer
by a route involving sea transit, in circumstances in which it is usual
to insure, the seller shall such notice to the buyer as may enable him
to insure them during their sea transit, and if the seller fails so
to do, the goods shall be deemed to be at his risk during such sea transit.
11.
Inserted by Sale of Goods (Amendment) Act (XVIII of 1994), S.3 w.e.f.
23-10-1994.
40.
Risk where goods are delivered at distant place. - Where the seller
of goods agrees to deliver them at his own risk at a place other than
where they, are when sold, the buyer shall, nevertheless, unless otherwise
agreed, take any risk of deterioration in the goods necessarily incident
to the course of transit.
41.
Buyer's right of examining the goods. - (1) Where goods are delivered
to the buyer which he has not previously examined, he is not deemed
to have accepted them unless and until he has had a reasonable opportunity
of examining them for the purpose of ascertaining whether they are conformity
with the contract.
(2)
Unless otherwise agreed, when the seller tenders delivery of goods to
the buyer, he is bound, on request, to afford the buyer a reasonable
opportunity of examining the goods for the purpose of ascertaining
whether they are in conformity with the contract.
42.
Acceptance. - The buyer is deemed to have accepted the goods when
he intimates to the seller, that he has accepted them, or when the goods
have been delivered to him and he does any act in relation to them which
is inconsistent with the ownership of the seller, or when, after the
lapse of a reasonable time he retains the goods without intimating to
the seller that he has rejected them.
43.
Buyer not bound to return rejected goods. - Unless otherwise agreed,
where goods are delivered to the buyer and he refuses to accept them,
having the right so to do, he is not bound to return them to the seller,
but it is sufficient if he intimates to the seller that he refuses to
accept them.
44.
Liability of buyer for neglecting or refusing delivery of goods.
- When the seller is ready and willing to deliver the goods and requests
the buyer to take delivery, and the buyer does not within a reasonable
time after such request take delivery of the goods, he is liable to
the seller for any loss occasioned by his neglect or refusal to take
delivery, and also for a reasonable charge for the care and custody
of the goods:
Provided
that nothing in this section shall affect the rights of the seller where
the neglect or refusal of the buyer to take delivery amounts to a repudiation
of the contract.
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