For a specific performance of a contract of sale of immovable property, there must be certainty with respect to the property to be sold. And the relinquishment has to be unambiguous " SC

While adjudicating some important issues of laws, with respect to the specific performance of a contract,in the matters of Civil Appeal No. 3249 OF 2005, The Hon Supreme Court of India has recently observed that " Damages and specific performance are both remedies available upon breach of obligations by a party to the contract. The former is considered to be a substantial remedy, whereas the latter is of course a specific remedy. It is true that explanation (i) to Section 10 of the Act provides that unless and until the contrary is proved, the Court shall presume that breach of contract to transfer immovable property cannot be adequately relieved by compensation in money. However, this presumption is not an irrebuttable one. That apart, for a specific performance of a contract of sale of immovable property, there must be certainty with respect to the property to be sold. As held by this Court in para 18 of Mayawanti Vs. Kaushalya Devi reported in 1990 (3) SCC 1 :-"18. The specific performance of a contract is the actual execution of the contract according to its stipulations and terms, and the courts direct the party in default to do the very thing which he contracted to do. The stipulations and terms of the contract have, therefore, to be certain and the parties must have been consensus ad idem. The burden of showing the stipulations and terms of the contract and that the minds were ad idem is, of course, on the plaintiff. If the stipulations and terms are uncertain, and the parties are not ad idem, there can be no specific performance, for there was no contract at all............." As far as the propositions of law concerning relinquishment as canvassed by the respondents are concerned, there is no difficulty in accepting the same. However, the relinquishment has to be unambiguous. As held by this Court in Surjit Kaur Vs. Naurata Singh reported in 2000 (7) SCC 379, the party seeking part performance must unambiguously relinquish all claims to performance of remaining part of the contract. "