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2005 Supreme(AP) 556

Andhra Pradesh High Court
Judges : L.NARSIMHA REDDY
D.Sujata - Appellant
Versus
Revoorl Vasantha - Respondent
C.R.P.No.838/05
Decided On : 06-28-05
Advocates Appeared :
Mr.P.S.Murthy,Mr.P.Giri Krishna

Headnote:CIVIL PROCEDURE CODE, Or13, R6 - INDIAN STAMP ACT, Sec36 & 61 - REGISTRATION ACT, Sec16 - Suit for recovery of certain amount - Trial Court marking documents filed by plaintiff along with chief-examination affidavit - Defendants filing application with prayer to reject documents on ground that they required registration - Court passing order rejecting application, taking view that once a document is admitted, Sec36 of Indian Stamp Act prohibits rejection of same - Even assuming that objection raised by petitioners/defendants is as regards adequacy of stamp duty, it cannot be said that Sec36 operates as a bar

       Occasion to raise objection, as to admissibility of document, does arise at a stage, when documents are filed along with affidavit, in lieu of chief-examination - Mere giving of identi-fication marks to document, at that stage, cannot constitute admission of instrument, as contemplated u/Sec36 of Stamp Act - When there was no admission of document, as provided for in law, question of there being any bar from raising objection as to admissibility does not arise

       Trial Court directed to examine admissibility of documents marked earlier, afresh by taking into account objection that may be raised by petitioners/defendants - CRP, allowed

( 1 ) THE defendants is O. S. No. 67 of 2003 on the file of the Senior Civil Judge, Kamareddy filed this revision aggrieved by the order dated 15-12-2004 passed in I. A. No. 193 of 2004.

( 2 ) THE respondents filed the suit for recovery of certain amounts from the petitioners. The trial of the suit commenced. On behalf of P. W. 1, an affidavit in lieu of chief-examination was filed, on 15-4-2004, along with two documents, dated 9-5-1997 and 9-4-2000, respectively, titled as agreements. The trial Court marked them as exs. A-3 and A-4.

( 3 ) ON 29-6-2004, the petitioners are said to have been furnished copies of the affidavit as well as documents. They filed I. A. No. 193 of 2004, on 2-7-2004, under Order 13 Rule 6 of C. P. C. , with a prayer to reject the documents marked as Exs. A-3 and A-4. Their contention was that the documents have the effect of creating interest in immovable property, and as such, they were required to be registered under Section 17 of the Registration Act, 1908. An objection was raised as to the amount of stamp duty, to be paid thereon. The I. A. , was resisted by the respondents. Through its order under revision, the trial Court rejected the I. A. , on taking the view that once a document is admitted, Section 36 of the Indian Stamp Act, 1899, prohibits the rejection of the same.

( 4 ) SRI P. S. Murthy, learned counsel for the petitioners, submits that the Court cannot be said to have applied its mind as to the admissibility or proof of that document at a stage when such document is enclosed to an affidavit filed in lieu of chief-examination of a witness. According to him, the occasion to consider these questions would arise only when the witness is cross-examined. He submits that in the context of submission of affidavit in lieu of chief-examination, the other party does not have an occasion to raise an objection to the documents and unless the objections are considered at an appropriate stage, the documents cannot become part of the record. He places reliance upon a judgment of this Court in Setti Siddamma v. S. Ramulu.

( 5 ) SRI P. Giri Krishna, learned counsel for the respondents, on the other hand, submits that the respondents paid stamp duty as well as impounding fee on Exs. A-3 and A-4 and no prejudice, as such, would be caused if the documents continue to be on record. Placing reliance upon the judgment of the Supreme court in R. V. E. Venkatachala Sounder v. Arulmigu Visweswaraswami, learned counsel submits that the objection as to admissibility of the document can be raised even at the stage of hearing.

( 6 ) THE short question that arises for consideration, in this revision, is as to whether a document can be said to have been admitted and received in evidence where it is filed along with an affidavit in lieu of chiefexamination. This contingency arose on account of the recent amendments caused to C. P. C. Earlier whenever a document was being introduced through a witness, during the course of chief-examination, the counsel for the opposite party used to have an opportunity to raise objections as to the admissibility of such document and the courts were dealing with the same. If a document is filed along with an affidavit in lieu of chiefexamination, such an opportunity is not available eitherfor the Court orforthe counsel appearing for the other party. This very question was dealt with, by this Court in Setti siddamma s case. After examining the relevant provisions as well as the judgment of the Supreme Court in R. V. E. Venkatachala gounder s case this Court held as under: "in view of the amendment to the Code, a witness is entitled to file an affidavit in lieu of his chief-examination. In the affidavit, the documents, which he intends to rely upon, are invariably referred to. In such a case, there would not be any occasion either for the Court orfortheopposite party to scrutinize the admissibility or proof of a document. This, however, does not mean that every document, which is referred to





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