To Forfeit - Definition - Law Dictionary Home Dictionary Definition to-forfeit

Definition :

To forfeit, Black's Legal Dictionary states that 'to forfeit' is 'to lose, or lose the right to, by some error, fault, offence or crime', 'to incur a penalty'. 'Forfei-ture', as judicially annotated, is 'a punishment annexed by law to some illegal act or negligence', something imposed as a punishment for an offence or delinquency'. The word, in this sense, is frequently associated with the word 'penalty'. According to Black's Legal Dictionary, The terms 'fine', 'forfeiture', and 'penalty', are often used loosely, and even confusedly; but when a discrimination is made, the word 'penalty' is found to be generic in its character, including both fine and forfeiture. A 'fine' is a pecuniary penalty, and is commonly (perhaps always) to be collected by suit in some form. A 'forfeiture' is a penalty by which one loses in rights and interest in his property, R.S. Joshi v. Ajit Mills Limited, AIR 1977 SC 2279: (1977) 4 SCC 98: (1978) 1 SCR 338.