09 January 2012
A firm is strictly not a person; It is an association of persons and the agreement by which a firm purports to enter into a partnership with an individual or another firm merely makes the partners of that firm individual partners of the larger partnership. A firm as such cannot enter into an agreement as a partner with another firm or individuals.
Therefore, when one partnership enters into a partnership agreement with another partnership firm, the partnership is in fact between all the partners of both the firms.
The Supreme Court has observed that a partnership agreement creates and defines the relation of partnership and, therefore, identifies the firm. if that conclusion is correct, it is only a further step to hold that each partnership agreement may constitute a distinct and separate partnership and, therefore, a distinct and separate firm.
CAclubindia
