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CA Intermediate · Corporate and Other Laws · Interpretation of Statutes

Under the General Clauses Act, 1897, a central statute passed in 2022 requires an applicant to file a form 'within 30 days from the date of the notice'. The notice is issued to Kavya on Monday, 3 March 2025. How is the 30-day period computed?

The period ends on 2 April 2025. Where a period is counted 'from' a date, the General Clauses Act excludes the first day, so counting starts on 4 March. Twenty-eight days remain in March and two more in April, which completes the 30 days on 2 April.

  1. AThe day of the notice is included, so the period ends on 1 April 2025
  2. BThe day of the notice is excluded, so counting begins on 4 March 2025 and the period ends on 2 April 2025Correct
  3. CThe period ends on 3 April 2025, because a month is always taken as 31 days
  4. DThe period is computed in calendar months, so it ends on 3 April 2025

Explanation

Under the General Clauses Act, in computing a period 'from' a date, the first day is excluded. Counting starts on 4 March. March has 31 days, so 4 March to 31 March is 28 days, and 2 more days (1 and 2 April) complete 30 days. The period therefore ends on 2 April 2025. Including the first day would wrongly give 1 April.

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