Category: C P C

“Supreme Court Remands Title Suit Substitution Dispute: Procedural Errors Found in High Court’s Order on Legal Representative” Title Suit – The case involves a title suit regarding property in Bihar, with ‘S1’ as one of the defendants – After his death, two claimants sought substitution in the Second Appeal pending before the Patna High Court – The main issue was determining the legal representative (LR) for substitution in the Second Appeal after Swami ‘S1’s death – The appellant, argued for substitution in place of ‘S2’, whose claim was previously dismissed by the High Court – The respondent, was upheld as the LR by the High Court based on the Trial Court’s report – The Supreme Court set aside the High Court’s orders and remanded the matter for a fresh decision on substitution, emphasizing the correct procedure for determining LRs – The Supreme Court found procedural errors in the High Court’s decision-making process regarding the substitution of LRs – The Court referenced Order 22 Rule 5 of the CPC, which outlines the procedure for determining LRs and the appellate court’s role in considering the subordinate court’s report and objections – The Supreme Court directed the High Court to make a fresh decision on substitution, without commenting on the merits of the claimants’ rights – Appeal was disposed of, and Sadhavi Sarojanand now seeks substitution as the appellant in the pending Second Appeal.

2024 INSC 352 SUPREME COURT OF INDIA DIVISION BENCH SWAMI VEDVYASANAND JI MAHARAJ (D) THR LRS. — Appellant Vs. SHYAM LAL CHAUHAN AND OTHERS — Respondent ( Before : A.S.…

Civil Procedure Code, 1908 (CPC) – Section 47 – Questions to be determined by the Court executing decree –Property Dispute – Suit for specific performance – A compromise was reached in 1978, and a decree was passed in 1979 – The main issue is the executability of the 1979 decree, challenged by the respondents claiming it to be a nullity and questioning the jurisdiction – The petitioner, as the decree holder, argues that the decree is executable and that the objections under Section 47 CPC by the respondents are not maintainable – The respondents contend that the decree is without jurisdiction and a nullity, and that the property was jointly owned, thus the compromise with only one defendant is invalid – The Supreme Court allowed the appeal, set aside the High Court’s judgment, and restored the Executing Court’s order, rejecting the objections under Section 47 CPC – The Court found that the property was solely owned by Defendant No. 1, and the compromise was valid – The procedural requirements were met, and the objections by the respondents were an abuse of the legal process – The Court reasoned that the compromise was properly recorded and verified, fulfilling the requirements of Order XXIII, Rule 3 of the CPC, and the execution of the decree was contingent upon the fulfillment of conditions by Defendant No. 1. – The Supreme Court concluded that the Executing Court was correct in rejecting the objections and that the decree dated 09.05.1979 was based on a valid compromise – The opinion by Justice Vikram Nath emphasized the validity of the compromise and the decree, and the need to prevent abuse of the legal process by the respondents.

2024 INSC 329 SUPREME COURT OF INDIA DIVISION BENCH REHAN AHMED (D) THR. LRS. — Appellant Vs. AKHTAR UN NISA (D) THR. LRS. — Respondent ( Before : Vikram Nath…

Civil Procedure Code, 1908 – Section 96 – Appeal from original decree -The core issue revolves around the validity of the agreement and the Arbitrator’s award, given that the original ex-parte decree in favor of the plaintiff was set aside and the suit was to proceed from the stage of the State filing its written statement – The Supreme Court allowed the appeal, set aside the High Court’s order, and directed the Trial Court to proceed with the suit on merits based on evidence – The Court reasoned that the agreement dated 30.07.1991 lost its credibility as the basis of the agreement, the ex-parte decree, was set aside, and the suit was to be continued from a specific stage.

(2024) INSC 315 SUPREME COURT OF INDIA DIVISION BENCH THE STATE OF MADHYA PRADESH — Appellant Vs. SATISH JAIN (DEAD) BY LRS AND OTHERS — Respondent ( Before : Vikram…

Easements Act, 1882 – Sections 4, 13 and 15 – Easements of necessity and quasi-easements – The court reasons that the Appellant ‘s failed to prove uninterrupted use of the road for over 20 years and that there is an alternative way to access their land – The court examines the Indian Easements Act, 1882, and relevant case law to determine the absence of easementary rights by prescription, necessity, or agreement – The court concludes that the Appellant ‘s have not acquired any easementary rights over the disputed road and upholds the decisions of the appellate courts and the High Court.

SUPREME COURT OF INDIA DIVISION BENCH MANISHA MAHENDRA GALA AND OTHERS — Appellant Vs. SHALINI BHAGWAN AVATRAMANI AND OTHERS — Respondent ( Before : Pankaj Mithal and Prashant Kumar Mishra,…

Civil Procedure Code, 1908 – Sections 10, 16 and 20 – Suits to be instituted where subject-matter situate – The court refers to Section 16 and Section 20 of the CPC, emphasizing that suits related to immovable property should be instituted where the property is located – The court analyzes the provisions of the CPC and prior case law to determine jurisdiction and the applicability of Section 10 of the CPC – The court dismisses the petitioner’s transfer petition and allows the respondent’s petition, ordering the transfer of the petitioner’s suit to Sehore, Madhya Pradesh.

SUPREME COURT OF INDIA DIVISION BENCH M/S ACME PAPERS LTD. AND OTHERS — Appellant Vs. M/S. CHINTAMAN DEVELOPERS PVT. LTD. AND OTHERS — Respondent ( Before : Sudhanshu Dhulia and…

The court dismissed the appeal and held that the filing of the suit for asserting the rights of the plaintiffs/respondents did not amount to contempt of court – The court distinguished the case of Skipper Construction and observed that the facts were totally different – The court also stated that its observations were only restricted to the maintainability of the contempt proceedings and would have no bearing on the merits of the suit.

SUPREME COURT OF INDIA FULL BENCH M/S SHAH ENTERPRISES THR. PADMABEN MANSUKHBHAI MODI — Appellant Vs. VAIJAYANTIBEN RANJITSINGH SAWANT AND OTHERS — Respondent ( Before : B.R. Gavai, Rajesh Bindal…

Civil Procedure Code, 1908 (CPC) – Order 8 Rule 10 – Failure to file written statement – Provision of Rule 10 of Order VIII, CPC is by no means mandatory in the sense that a court has no alternative but to pass a judgment in favour of the plaintiff – Since facts are required to be pleaded in a plaint and not the evidence, which can be adduced in course of examination of witnesses, mere failure or neglect of a defendant to file a written statement controverting the pleaded facts in the plaint, in all cases, may not entitle him to a judgment in his favour unless by adducing evidence he proves his case/claim.

SUPREME COURT OF INDIA FULL BENCH ASMA LATEEF AND ANOTHER — Appellant Vs. SHABBIR AHMAD AND OTHERS — Respondent ( Before : B.R. Gavai, Dipankar Datta and Aravind Kumar, JJ.…

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Temple Bye Laws — Oachira Parabrahma Temple — Ancient structure without a building or deity, governed by Bye-laws with three-tier elected committees — Appellants, elected Secretary and President, challenged two High Court orders (2020 and 2023) that removed their committee and appointed an unelected one under an Administrative Head, citing violations of the temple’s Bye-laws and customs —Legality of appointing an unelected committee and removing the elected one contrary to the temple’s Bye-laws — Petitioner argues that the High Court overstepped its jurisdiction and violated the temple’s governance structure by appointing an unelected committee and removing the elected one without proper legal basis — The High Court’s actions were necessary for the efficient administration of the temple until a scheme could be framed and new elections held — The Supreme Court modified the High Court orders, appointing a new retired Judge as Administrative Head to conduct fair elections within four months, while directing all parties to cooperate — The Court emphasized the need to preserve temple properties and governance as per established customs and laws — The Supreme Court struck down the High Court’s order appointing an unelected committee, appointed a new Administrative Head to conduct elections, and directed all parties to cooperate, emphasizing the importance of adhering to the temple’s established governance structure and Bye-laws.