Indian Contract Act Section 7 — Acceptance must be absolute

CHAPTER I OF THE COMMUNICATION, ACCEPTANCE AND REVOCATION OF PROPOSALS

Commercial / Corporate

Summary

Sub-section (1) states that for a proposal to become a promise, the acceptance must be absolute and unqualified. This means the person accepting must agree to the proposal exactly as it is, without adding conditions or changes.

Sub-section (2) states that the acceptance must be expressed in some usual and reasonable manner, unless the proposal itself specifies how it should be accepted. If the proposal does specify a particular manner of acceptance, and the acceptance is not made in that manner, the person who made the proposal may, within a reasonable time after the acceptance is communicated to them, insist that the proposal be accepted in the prescribed manner and not otherwise. However, if that person fails to make such an insistence within a reasonable time, they are treated as having accepted the acceptance as it was made.

Official Text

In order to convert a proposal into a promise, the acceptance must—

(1) be absolute and unqualified;

(2) be expressed in some usual and reasonable manner, unless the proposal prescribes the manner in which it is to be accepted. If the proposal prescribes a manner in which it is to be accepted, and the acceptance is not made in such manner, the proposer may, within a reasonable time after the acceptance is communicated to him, insist that his proposal shall be accepted in the prescribed manner, and not otherwise; but if he fails to do so, he accepts the acceptance.