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2025 Supreme(SC) 1280

VIKRAM NATH, SANDEEP MEHTA
Tahir V. Isani – Appellant
Versus
Madan Waman Chodankar (Since Deceased) Now through His Legal Representatives – Respondent


Advocates appeared:
For the Appellant(s) : Mr. Ninad Laud, Adv. Mr. Ivo Dcosta, Adv. Mr. Guruprasad Naik, Adv. Ms. Ishani Shekhar, Adv. Mr. Sahil Tagotra, AOR
For the Respondent(s): Mr. Yashraj Singh Deora, Sr. Adv. Mr. Priyesh Mohan Srivastava, Adv. M/S. Mitter & Mitter Co., AOR

Judgement Key Points

Certainly. Here's a summary of the key legal principles and findings from the provided document:

  1. The Court emphasized that a transferee who purchases property from a third party, not a party to the original suit, retains the right to object to the execution of a decree under Order XXI Rules 97 and 101 of the Civil Procedure Code (CPC). This is because such a transferee is not protected by the bar of Rule 102, which applies only to transferees pendente lite who trace their title directly from the judgment debtor during the pendency of the suit (!) (!) .

  2. The doctrine of lis pendens, as embedded in the Transfer of Property Act, ensures finality in legal proceedings by binding not only the parties involved but also those who acquire rights under them during the pendency of a suit. However, this doctrine does not extend to third-party transferees who are not directly linked to the judgment debtor, especially if they purchased the property from a non-party to the suit (!) (!) .

  3. The scheme of Rule 102 of Order XXI aims to prevent perpetual litigation by restricting the rights of transferees pendente lite to obstruct or resist execution, thereby safeguarding the finality of judicial decisions. It explicitly excludes such transferees from the protections granted under Rules 98 and 100 (!) (!) .

  4. The Court clarified that the applicability of Rule 102 is conditional upon certain criteria: there must be a decree for possession, resistance or obstruction must be made by a transferee who traces their title from the judgment debtor, and the transfer must occur during the pendency of the suit. If any of these conditions are not met, the bar of Rule 102 does not apply, and the transferee can raise objections under Rules 97 and 101 (!) (!) .

  5. It was held that a bona fide purchaser from a third party, who has acquired ownership rights from the original owner or a non-party to the suit, is entitled to raise objections to execution proceedings, even if the transfer occurred during the pendency of the litigation. Such a purchaser is not a transferee pendente lite of the judgment debtor (!) .

  6. The Court stressed the importance of procedural diligence, noting that delays in raising objections or filing applications after a significant period are viewed with suspicion and may be deemed mala fide. The timing and manner of raising objections are crucial in assessing their validity (!) .

  7. The Court directed the executing court to proceed with the pending objections, conclude the inquiry, and decide on the merits without influence from prior observations. This underscores the principle that objections based on ownership rights from a bona fide purchaser are valid and must be adjudicated fairly (!) (!) .

In summary, the legal framework prioritizes finality and fairness, allowing bona fide third-party purchasers to contest execution proceedings and emphasizing that protections under Rule 102 are limited to transferees who trace their rights directly from the judgment debtor during the pendency of the suit.


Table of Content
1. factual background regarding property ownership and legal proceedings. (Para 2 , 3)
2. court observations on lower court proceedings. (Para 5 , 8)
3. arguments from both sides regarding rights under existing laws. (Para 6 , 7)
4. significance of rule 102 of order xxi cpc regarding decree enforcement. (Para 9 , 10 , 11)
5. court's reasoning on applicability of rule 102 to the parties involved. (Para 12 , 13 , 14 , 15)
6. conclusion directing the executing court to proceed with the case. (Para 16 , 17 , 18)

ORDER :

1. Leave granted.

2. This appeal assails the correctness of judgment and order dated 25th July, 2022, passed by the High Court of Bombay at Goa1 [Hereinafter, referred to as ‘High Court’] in Writ Petition No. 86 of 2022, whereby the learned Single Judge allowed the writ petition, and after setting aside the order dated 17th September, 2021, passed by the Executing Court, allowed the application Ext.D-100 dated 22nd October, 2019, and thereby discontinued the enquiry under Order XXI Rules 97 and 101 of the Code of Civil Procedure, 1908.2 [In short “CPC”] The above impugned order was passed placing reliance upon the provisions contained in Order XXI Rule 102 of th

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