SUPREME COURT OF INDIA
K.S. HEGDE AND A.N. GROVER, JJ.
Ch. Surat Singh (dead) and others, Appellants
Versus
Manohar Lal and others, Respondents.
Civil Appeals Nos. 610 and 611 of 1966, D/- 25-8-1970.
Suit premises - Possession - Permanent injunction - Plaintiffs therein claimed a permanent injunction restraining defendants from interfering with their possession of suit premises – That suit was substantially dismissed in trial Court - As against that decision plaintiffs went up in appeal to Senior Sub-Judge - In appellate Court plaintiffs prayed for an amendment of plaint - They sought to include therein a prayer seeking a mandatory injunction requiring defendants to vacate building - As against that decision defendants-respondents went up in appeal to High Court - During pendency of appeal in High Court died and his legal representatives including Lt. Col. Yadav, his son were brought on record - In High Court Lt. Col. Yadav was represented by a counsel - High Court allowed that appeal and dismissed suit - Civil Appeal No. was brought against that decision of High Court – Held, Court were told that after some evidence was led on that issue some of appellants herein made an application to implead Lt. Col. Yadav at same time reserving their right to dispute Lt. Col. Yadav s right to suit premises - That application was accepted by first appellate Court and Lt. Col. Yadav was impleaded as a party-respondent in that appeal - Ultimately appeal failed and it was dismissed - High Court dismissed that appeal on merits - only reason given for not impleading him is decree prepared by High Court did not show Lt. Col. Yadav as on parties to appeal - This plea has no substance – Appellant knew that Lt. Col. Yadav had beer impleaded as party in first appeal - They cannot take advantage of their own omission in High Court - It is clear that appellants have been callous in conducting afore-mentioned cases - It is a highly belated application – Court see no reason to allow same - Contention that Lt. Col. Yadav has no interest in suit premises cannot be gone into in his absence or in these proceedings - Appeals dismissed.
Judgment
HEGDE, J.:- In these appeals a preliminary objection has been taken to the effect that these appeals are not maintainable as one Lt. Col. G. S. Yadav one of the parties to these cases at an earlier stage had not been impleaded. After hearing the counsel for the parties we accept this preliminary objection and dismiss these appeals as having been not properly instituted. We shall now proceed to give our reasons in support of that conclusion.
2. We shall first take up Civil Appeal No. 610 of 1966. This appeal arises from a suit instituted by one Surat Singh and others. In that suit Surat Singh was the first plaintiff. The plaintiffs therein claimed a permanent in junction restraining the defendants from interfering with their possession of the suit premises. That suit was substantially dismissed in the trial Court. As against that decision the plaintiffs went up in appeal to the Senior Sub-Judge. Delhi. In the appellate Court the plaintiffs prayed for an amendment of the plaint They sought to include therein a prayer seeking a mandatory injunction requiring the defendants to vacate the building. The learned appellate Judge allowed that application and remanded the suit to the trial Court for a fresh trial.
3. As against that decision defendants-respondents went up in appeal to the High Court. During the pendency of the appeal in the High Court Surat Singh died and his legal representatives including Lt. Col. Yadav, his son were brought on record. In the High Court Lt. Col. Yadav was represented by a counsel. The High Court allowed that appeal and dismissed the suit. Civil Appeal No. 610 of 1966 was brought against that decision of the High Court. In this appeal Lt. Col. Yadav has not been made a party. The only explanation offered for not making him a party is that the judgment of the High Court did not show clearly that Lt. Col. Yadav was a party to the appeal. The fact that he was impleaded as party in the appeal was undoubtedly within the knowledge of the appellants. That fact is not denied. Further the certified copy of the order of the High Court, produced along with the appeal memo, clearly shows that Lt. Col. Yadav was represented by a counsel. The appellants have not shown any good ground for not impleading Lt. Col. Yadav as a party in the appeal. He is a necessary party to the appeal. Today an application has been filed for impleading him as a party-respondent in the appeal. It is a highly belated application. On their own showing it is clear that the appellant did not act with due diligence. We do not think that we should entertain that application. In the result Civil Appeal No. 610 of 1966 is dismissed for the reasons mentioned above.
4. Now. coming to Civil Appeal No. 611 of 1966, this appeal arises from a suit filed by the respondent. No. 1 in this appeal. In the suit he prayed for a permanent injunction restraining Surat Singh and others from interfering with his possession of the suit premises. His case was that the suit premises had been leased to him and that he had paid a substantial sum as a construction loan. The trial Court accepted his plea and granted a decree in his favour. As against that Surat Singh and others went up in appeal. During the pendency of the appeal Surat Singh died. Some of the legal representatives of Surat Singh applied for being impleaded in the appeal as appellants. To that an objection was taken by respondent No. 1 herein to the effect that the estate of Surat Singh will not be fully represented unless Lt. Col. Yadav is also made a party. The contention of the opposite party was that Lt. Col. Yadav had no right in the suit premises as the same had been bequeathed by Surat Singh to some of his sons. The appellate Court framed an issue as to whether Lt. Col. Yadav was a necessary party to the appeal.
5. We were told that after some evidence was led on that issue some of the appellants herein made an application to implead Lt. Col. Yadav at the same time reserving their right to dis
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