{"id":1654,"date":"2026-10-21T06:45:22","date_gmt":"2026-10-21T06:45:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/vidhigya.com\/blog\/?p=1654"},"modified":"2026-10-21T06:46:49","modified_gmt":"2026-10-21T06:46:49","slug":"consideration-the-price-of-a-promise","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/vidhigya.com\/blog\/consideration-the-price-of-a-promise\/","title":{"rendered":"Consideration: The Price of a Promise"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Why does the law enforce some promises but not others? One important reason is <strong>consideration<\/strong>\u2014the value exchanged between the parties.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>What Is Consideration?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Consideration means <strong>something of value given in return for a promise<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In simple terms:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>\u201cSomething in return for something.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It may be an act, a promise to do something, or a promise not to do something.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Example<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A agrees to design a website for B for \u20b915,000.<br>A&#8217;s service is the consideration for B&#8217;s promise to pay \u20b915,000, and B&#8217;s payment is the consideration for A&#8217;s promise to provide the service.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Essentials of Consideration<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>1. It Must Move at the Desire of the Promisor<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The act or promise must be done <strong>at the request of the person making the promise<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>2. It May Be Past, Present or Future<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Under Indian law, consideration may relate to:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Past<\/strong> \u2013 an act already performed.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Present<\/strong> \u2013 an act performed at the time of the promise.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Future<\/strong> \u2013 a promise to perform something later.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>3. It Must Be Lawful<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Consideration cannot involve something <strong>illegal or against public policy<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>4. It Need Not Be Adequate<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The law generally does not require consideration to be equal in value to the promise, as long as it has some legal value.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For example, a person may sell a \u20b910,000 item for \u20b92,000 if the agreement is otherwise valid.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Is an Agreement Without Consideration Valid?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The general rule is:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>An agreement without consideration is void.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">However, the Indian Contract Act provides certain <strong>exceptions<\/strong>, such as certain promises made out of natural love and affection, promises to compensate for a past voluntary act, and certain written promises to pay a time-barred debt.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For exam, focus on the <strong>exception specifically provided in the question or passage<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Why Is This Important?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Consideration questions often test whether you can identify:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>What each party is giving or promising.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Whether the consideration is lawful.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Whether it was given at the promisor&#8217;s desire.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Whether an exception applies.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Ask:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>What is being promised? \u2192 What is being given in return? \u2192 Is it lawful? \u2192 Is it at the promisor&#8217;s desire? \u2192 Does an exception apply?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Practice Question<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Principle:<\/strong> An agreement without consideration is generally void. However, an agreement may be enforceable where a person promises to compensate another for something that the latter has voluntarily done for them in the circumstances recognised by law.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Facts:<\/strong><br>During a heavy storm, Arjun finds his neighbour&#8217;s lost dog and safely returns it to her. A week later, the neighbour promises to pay Arjun \u20b92,000 for his effort. She later refuses to pay, arguing that Arjun had found the dog before she made the promise.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Which is the most appropriate conclusion?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>A.<\/strong> The promise can never be enforced because the act occurred before the promise.<br><strong>B.<\/strong> The promise may be enforceable as a promise to compensate for a past voluntary act.<br><strong>C.<\/strong> The promise is automatically enforceable because every promise creates a contract.<br><strong>D.<\/strong> The promise is void because finding a lost dog can never constitute consideration.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Answer: B<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Explanation:<\/strong><br>The act was voluntarily performed before the promise. Under the recognised exception relating to compensation for a past voluntary act, such a promise <strong>may be enforceable<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Consideration = Something of value in return for a promise.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Remember:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Must be at the <strong>desire of the promisor<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Must be <strong>lawful<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Need not be <strong>adequate<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Agreement without consideration is <strong>generally void<\/strong>, subject to exceptions<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Whenever you see a promise, ask: \u201cWhat is being given in return?\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Why does the law enforce some promises but not others? One important reason is consideration\u2014the value exchanged between the parties. What Is Consideration? Consideration means&hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":1656,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[5,3,859],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1654","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-civil-judge","category-clat","category-clat-pg"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.0 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Consideration: The Price of a Promise - Vidhigya<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/vidhigya.com\/blog\/consideration-the-price-of-a-promise\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Consideration: The Price of a Promise - Vidhigya\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Why does the law enforce some promises but not others? 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