ORDER :

S.N. Variava, J.

These Appeals are against the Judgment of the High Court of Kerala dated 5th January, 1998.

2. Briefly stated the facts are as follows:-

The 1st Respondent filed, against the Appellants, two suits being Original Suit No. 6 of 1982 and Original Suit No. 48 of 1982 for recovery of a sum of Rs. 2,56,000/- with interest thereon. These two suits were filed on the basis of five promissory notes which are dated 17.12.1979, 16.1.1980, 14.2.1980, 17.3.1980 and 10.4.1980. These promissory notes were for sums of Rs. 56,000/-, 50,000/-, 50,000/-, 50,000/- and 50,000/- respectively.

3. The Appellants claimed that there were chit fund transactions between them and the Respondents. The Appellants claimed that in respect of the chit fund transactions, a large number of blank documents were got signed from them. Their defence was that apart from monies received under the chit fund transactions no other amounts were received by the Appellants. The Appellants admitted that in the chit fund transactions a sum of approximately Rs. 25,000/- remained to be paid. The Appellants claimed that as the amount was not repaid, the 1st Respondent had misused the blank documents and filed suit