The Code of Civil Procedure, 1908 is the principal procedural statute governing civil litigation in India. Unlike its criminal counterpart, which was replaced by the BNSS in 2024, the CPC remains in force and continues to govern every civil suit, appeal, revision, review, and execution proceeding in the country.
**Structure.** The CPC is organized into two parts: Sections (1-158) lay out the main procedural framework, and Schedules + Orders (Orders I through LI in the First Schedule) provide the detailed rules for specific stages — pleadings (Order VI, VII, VIII), parties and causes of action (Order I, II), interim reliefs (Orders XXXVIII, XXXIX, XL), evidence and witnesses (Orders XVI-XX), decrees and orders (Order XX), appeals (Orders XLI-XLV), execution (Order XXI), and so on.
**Major amendments.** The CPC has been amended several times — notably the 1976 amendment, the 1999 and 2002 amendments (which brought significant changes including time limits on written statements, mandatory verification affidavits, and restructured interim relief), and the Commercial Courts Act amendments (2015 and 2018) which added Order XXIIIA for commercial disputes and introduced mandatory pre-institution mediation under Section 12A.
**Core concepts.** Plaint (Order VII), written statement (Order VIII), issues framing (Order XIV), evidence (Orders XVI-XX), judgment and decree (Order XX), appeals and their limitation (Order XLI + Limitation Act Article 116/117), execution (Order XXI), and the rejection-of-plaint grounds in Order VII Rule 11.
Fluency with the CPC — specifically Orders VI, VII, VIII, XI (discovery), XXXIX (injunctions), XLI (appeals), XLVII (review) — is the foundation of civil practice.