A decree is the formal expression of a court's adjudication of the rights of parties in a civil suit. Defined in Section 2(2) of the Code of Civil Procedure, 1908, a decree conclusively determines the rights of the parties with regard to all or any of the matters in controversy in the suit — and, crucially, is the document against which appellate remedies lie.
Decrees differ from mere orders: an "order" under the CPC is the formal expression of any decision that is not a decree. Not every court pronouncement is a decree. A judgment is the statement by the judge of the grounds of the decree; the decree is the formal order that follows from the judgment.
Decrees are classified as: — Preliminary (determining rights but leaving further proceedings, e.g. in a partition suit) — Final (fully disposing of the suit) — Partly preliminary and partly final
For execution purposes, only a decree (not an order) is executable under Order XXI of the CPC. This is why distinguishing decree from order matters: some interlocutory reliefs that look decree-like are technically orders, and execution requires the decree.
Drawing up the decree — the formal paperwork after judgment — is a registry task that can take weeks. Advocates should follow up actively; execution cannot begin until the decree is formally drawn.