Section 8 in The Hyderabad Agricultural Debtors Relief Act, 1956
8. Application for recording settlement.
(1)If any debtor and any or all of his creditors arrive at a settlement in respect of any debt due by the debtor to the creditor, the debtor or any of the creditors may, within thirty days from the date of such settlement, make an application to the Court for recording such settlement.(2)Every such application shall be in the prescribed form and shall be signed and verified in the prescribed manner.(3)On receipt of such application the Court shall, after giving notice to the creditor or the debtor, as the case may be, and after making such enquiry as it thinks fit, if it is satisfied that the settlement arrived at is bona fide and voluntary and is not made with intent to defeat or delay any of the creditors or the debtor, and is in the interest of the debtor, and that the debtor is a person who fulfills the conditions referred to in clauses (a) and (b) of sub-section (1) of section 18, record such settlement and certify the same. Every such settlement so recorded and certified shall be binding upon the parties thereto and shall not, save as otherwise hereinafter provided, be re-opened.(4)In considering whether the settlement arrived at is bona fide and voluntary and is not made with intent to defeat or delay any of the creditors or the debtor and is in the interest of the debtor, the Court shall have regard also to the provisions of section 22 and such other matters as may be prescribed.(5)After the Court has recorded and certified a settlement under sub-section (3), the Court shall call upon the debtor to make a declaration whether there are any other debts due by the debtor which are not included in the settlement. If the debtor makes a declaration that there are no such debts, the Court shall make an award in terms of such settlement.(6)If the Court is satisfied, after recording such settlement, that there are other debts due from the debtor which are not included in the settlement, the Court shall treat the application made under sub-section (1) as an application for adjustment of debts under section 4.
