Relations of Partners to one another

9. General duties of partners – Partners are bound to carry on the business of the firm to the greatest common advantage, to be just and faithful to each other, and to render true accounts and full information of all things affecting the firm to any partner or his legal representative.

10. Duty to indemnify for loss caused by fraud- Every partner shall indemnify the firm for any loss caused to it by his fraud in the conduct of the business of the firm.

11. Determination of rights and duties of partners by contract between the partners- (1) subject to the provisions of this Act, the mutual rights and duties of the partners of a firm may be determined by contract between the partners, and such contract may be expressed or may be implied by a course of dealing.

Such contract may be varied by consent of all the partners, and such consent may be expressed or may be implied by a course of dealing.

(2) Agreements in restraints of trade- Notwithstanding anything contained in section 27 of the Indian Contract Act, 1872 (9 of 1872), such contracts may provide that a partner shall not carry on any business other than that of the firm while he is a partner.

12. The conduct of the business-Subject to contract between the partners-

(a) every partner has a right to take part in the conduct of the business.

(b) Every partner is bound to attend diligently to his duties in the conduct of the business;

(c) Any difference arising as to ordinary matters connected with the business may be decided by a majority of the partners, and every partner shall have the right to express his opinion, before the matters decided, but no change may be made in the nature of the business without the consent of all the partners; and

(d) Every partner has a right to have access to and to inspect and copy any of the books of the firm.

13. Mutual rights and liabilities- Subject to contract between the partners-

(a) a partner is not entitled to receive remuneration for taking part in the conduct of the business.

(b) The partners are entitled to share equally in the profits earned, and shall contribute equally to the losses sustained by the firm;

(c) Where a partner is entitled to interest on the capital subscribed by him, such interest shall be payable only out of profits.

(d) A partner making , for the purposes of the business, any payment or advance beyond the amount of capital he has agreed to subscribe, is entitled to interest thereon at the rate of six per cent per annum;

(e) The firm shall indemnify a partner in respect of payments made and liabilities incurred by him-

(i) in the ordinary and proper conduct of the business, and

(ii) in doing such act, in an emergency, for the purpose of protecting the firm from loss, as would be done by a person of ordinary prudence, in his own case, under similar circumstances, and

(f) a partner shall indemnify the firm for any loss caused to it by his willful neglect in the conduct of the business of the firm.

14. The property of the firm- Subject to contract between the partners, the property of the firm includes all property and rights and interests in property originally brought into the stock of the firm, or acquired, by purchase of otherwise, by or for the firm, or for the purposes and in the course of the business of the firm and includes also the goodwill of the business.

Unless the contrary intention appears, property and rights and interest in property acquired with money belonging to the firm are deemed to have been acquired for the firm.

15. Application of the property of the firm- Subject to contract between the partners, the property of the firm shall be held and used by the partners exclusively for the purposes of the business.

16. Personal profits earned by partners- Subject to contract between the partners-

(a) if a partner derives any profit for himself from any transaction of the firm or from the use of the property or business connection of the firm or the firm name, he shall account for the profit and pay it to the firm;

(b) if partner carries on any business of the same nature as and competing with that of the firm, he shall account for and pay to the firm all profits made by him in that business.

17. Rights and duties of partners -

(a) After a change in the firm. – Where a change occurs in the constitution of a firm, the mutual rights and duties of the partners in the reconstituted firm remain the same as they were immediately before the change, as far as may be;

(b) After the expiry of the term of the firm, and- Where a firm constituted for a fixed term continues to carry on business after the expiry of that term, the mutual rights and duties of the partners remain the same as they were before the expiry, so far as they may be consistent with the incidents of partnership at will; and

(c) Where additional undertakings are carried out. – Where a firm constituted to carry out one or more adventures or undertakings carries out other adventures or undertakings, are the same as those in respect of the original adventures or undertakings.