Special provision in respect of decrees

Special provision in respect of decrees

1. (1) Where a decree for the recovery of a debt has been passed against a debtor before the commencement of this Act, and the debtor is unable to pay the amount of the decree, the court may, upon an application made by the debtor in that behalf and after such inquiry as it thinks fit, order that the amount of the decree shall be paid in such number of annual instalments not exceeding five, as the court may think fit.
2. (2) Where a court passes an order under sub-section (1), it shall record a finding to that effect and the decree shall be deemed to have been modified in accordance with such order.
3. (3) Nothing in this section shall apply to a decree for the recovery of a debt passed against a debtor who is a person other than a small farmer or a rural artisan or a rural labourer.