Earnest [fr. eornest, Sax.], the sum paid by the buyer of goods in order to bind the seller to the terms of the agreement. It is enacted by the 4th s. of the Sale of Goods Act, 1893, re-enacting, but not quite in the same words, the 17th section of the Statute of Frauds, 29 Car. 2, c. 3, that 'a contract for the sale of any goods, for the price of 10l. or upwards, shall not be enforceable by action, unless the buyer accept part of the goods or give something in earnest to bind the contract, or in part payment,' or some note in writing of the bargain be made and signed by the parties to be charged or their agents.
As to what amount is sufficient earnest, Blackstone lays it down (Bk. II. p. 447) that 'if any part of the price is paid down, if it be but a penny, or any portion of the goods is delivered by way of earnest,' it is binding. To constitute earnest the thing must be given as a token of ratification of the contract, and it should be expressly stated so by the giver.
The following principles emerge regarding 'earnest': (1) It must be given at the moment at which the contract is concluded. (2) It represents a guarantee that the contract will be fulfilled or, in other words, 'earnest' is given to bind the contract. (3) It is part of the purchase price when the transaction is carried out. (4) It is forfeited when the transaction falls through by reason of the default or failure of the purchaser. (5) Unless there is anything to the contrary in the terms of the contract, on default committed by the buyer, the seller is entitled to forfeit the earnest, Shri Hanuman Cotton Mills v. Tata Air Craft Limited, (1969) 3 SCC 522: AIR 1970 SC 1986: (1970) 3 SCR 127.
A nominal payment or taken act that serve as a pledge or a sign of good faith esp. as the partial purchase price of property, Black's Law Dictionary, 7th Edn., p. 525.