Execution petition
An application to the court to enforce a decree or order that the losing party has not obeyed, for example by attaching property or ordering possession.
Winning a case does not by itself put money in your hand or give you possession. If the losing party (the judgment debtor) does not comply, the winning party (the decree holder) files an execution petition asking the court to enforce the decree.
The law behind it
Order XXI of the Code of Civil Procedure, 1908 governs execution. Rule 11 sets out what an application for execution must contain. The court can enforce a decree by delivery of property, attachment and sale of property, arrest and detention in civil prison in limited cases, appointment of a receiver, or other modes the decree requires.
Time limit
An application to execute a decree (other than a decree for a mandatory injunction) must be made within 12 years from when it becomes enforceable (Article 136 of the Limitation Act, 1963).
- Attach a copy of the decree and give the amount due, with interest calculated.
- List the judgment debtor's property you want attached, if known.
- Ask for the mode of execution you want.
Objections
The judgment debtor may file objections. Third parties who claim the attached property can also object under Order XXI Rule 58.
Draft an execution petition, or for consumer orders a consumer order execution application.
Checked against the sources below on 7 November 2026 IST. General information about Indian law, not legal advice for your case.