Section 32

Section 32 of the Indian Contract Act, 1872, deals with the performance of reciprocal promises. It states: "Mutual promises are, in the absence of an express provision to the contrary, to be performed simultaneously, unless the nature of the contract or the circumstances under which it was made are such that the performance of one of the promises, in a reasonable sense, requires that the other should be performed first." This implies that when two parties make reciprocal promises, they are expected to perform their promises simultaneously, unless the contract or the circumstances suggest that one promise should be performed before the other. The section further explains that if one party fails to perform their promise, the other party is not bound to perform their promise. The Indian courts have interpreted this section to mean that the performance of reciprocal promises must be simultaneous, unless the contract or the circumstances suggest otherwise.