Age of majority of persons domiciled in India
Section 3 of the Majority Act, 1875 deals with age of majority of persons domiciled in India. [3. Age of majority of persons domiciled in India.(1) Every person domiciled in India shall attain the age of majority on his completing the age of eighteen years and not before. The Act came into force on 02 Mar 1875.
1[3. Age of majority of persons domiciled in India.(1) Every person domiciled in India shall attain the age of majority on his completing the age of eighteen years and not before.
(2) In computing the age of any person, the day on which he was born is to be included as a whole day and he shall be deemed to have attained majority at the beginning of the eighteenth anniversary of that day.]
Section 3, The Majority Act, 1875 (Act 9 of 1875).
Related judgements & precedents
These are some judgments that construed this section, and hold precedence value. They hold authority on how to read, interpret and use this section.
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Mujamil Abdulsattar Mansuri v. State of Gujarat
Court's Decision & Legal Precedent
Judgment order-1.pdf 2014-12-01 DATE VERIFIED (Pardiwala J.). Quashes kidnapping FIR: Muslim girl who attained puberty may marry under personal law; Majority Act s.2(a) saving for marriage/dower/divorce means minority under s.3 (age 18) does not control capacity to marry; voluntary departure is not kidnapping under IPC 361/363. Map Majority 2, 3.
On this section: s.3 age-18 majority does not control capacity to marry because of s.2(a) personal-law saving — kidnapping FIR quashed.
The holding above is the ratio decidendi as extracted from the judgment by eCourts India, reproduced unaltered — it is a rendering of the court's reasoning, not a substitute for its words. Read the order itself before relying on it.
Questions about Section 3
What have the courts held on Section 3 of the Majority Act?
Mujamil Abdulsattar Mansuri v. State of Gujarat (01 Dec 2014) is the leading judgment on this section among those set out below: s.3 age-18 majority does not control capacity to marry because of s.2(a) personal-law saving — kidnapping FIR quashed.
How do I find court cases under Section 3 of the Majority Act?
In judgments and charge sheets this section is written several ways, and each form finds a different set of orders. These search the full text of every order eCourtsIndia holds, best matches first: Majority Act 1875 3, section 3 Majority Act 1875, section 3 of the Majority Act. People searching for it also type majority act 1875 section 3. Each opens the full list of orders on eCourtsIndia, where it can be narrowed by court, year and outcome. 1 reported judgment on this section is set out on this page, beginning with Mujamil Abdulsattar Mansuri v. State of Gujarat (01 Dec 2014).
When did Section 3 of the Majority Act come into force?
Section 3 of the Majority Act, cited as Majority Act 1875 3, came into force on 02 Mar 1875, having been enacted on 02 Mar 1875. It is in force as at the date shown on this page.
Other sections of this Act
- 2. Saving62 words
Source and method. Compiled from the enactments of Parliament and of the State legislatures as published on India Code, and republished together with commentary and other original matter under section 52(1)(q)(ii) of the Copyright Act, 1957. Structured, cross-referenced and maintained by eCourtsIndia. Text as in force on 15 Oct 2026. This page is not a substitute for legal advice.