धारा 131

This section defines consideration under the Indian Contract Act, 1872. According to Section 131, 'When, at the desire of the promisor, the promisee or any other person has done or abstained from doing, or does or abstains from doing, or promises to do or to abstain from doing, something, such act or abstinence or promise is called a consideration for the promise.' The consideration must be something which the promisor desires, and it may be an act, abstinence, or a return promise. The consideration must also be real and not illusory. The Supreme Court in the case of Chidambaranathan v. K. R. Ramakrishnan, (1999) 3 SCC 454, held that consideration is a fundamental aspect of a contract and must be real and not illusory.