SupremeToday Landscape Ad
Back
Next
Judicial Analysis Court Copy Headnote Facts Arguments Court observation
Listen Audio Icon Pause Audio Icon
judgment-img

1981 Supreme(AP) 62

Andhra Pradesh High Court
Judges : P.A.CHOUDHARY
Reserve Bank of India Employees Association - Appellant
Versus
Reserve Bank of India - Respondent
C.R.P. No. 5994/80
Decided On : 03-12-81
Advocates Appeared :
Mr. K. G. Kannabiram,Mr. C. Poornaiah

Headnote:CIVIL PROCEDURE CODE. Sec. 148 A (3) as amended and Sec.115 - Scope of - Court has a duty to give a specified date to the caveators for hearing an interlocutory application - Mere furnishing of copies of documents and informing caveators of the date of plaintiff s moving an interlocutory application - Not a sufficient compliance of Sec.148-A(3) - Failure to follow procedure under Section by the Court - Order of injunction granted by Court is not a nullity but only an irregularity - Revision under Sec.115 C. P. C. against that order - Not maintainable.

       HELD: It is the duty of the Court under Sec. 148-A to give sufficiently reasonable and definite time to the Caveators and also to oppose the interlocutory application intended to be moved by the Plaintiffs-applicants and the Court should give a specified date for hearing of the interlocutory application. This duty of the Court is clearly different and distinct from the duty of the parties described in sub-section (2) and (4) of that Section. The duty of the Court under sub-section (3) in addition to the other parts assigned to the other parties in the drama of litigation. The furnishing of copies of documents by the plaintiffs to the Caveators and informing them of the date of their moving their interlocutory application cannot be taken as acts constituting compliance with the specific duty assigned to the Court under Sub-section (3) of Section 148-A. The duty of the applicants under sub-section (4) of Sec.148-A is different and distinct from the duty of the Court under subsection (3).

       The Order passed by a Court without giving a notice to the Caveator cannot be treated as a nullity. There is no specific provision declaring any action taken by the Court contrary to its mandatory duty under sub-section (3) to give a notice would be void.

       The mere lodgement of a caveat would not deprive the Court of its power to pass an order even if the Caveator was not informed of the date of hearing of the matter. As the lodgment of a Caveat is merely a right to be informed of the bearing date, it has no effect by way of curtailing the powers of a Civil Court to pass an appropriate order on the rnerits of the Case.

       Against an order of injunction passed by the Court below under Order 39, Rule 1 C. P.C. the Petitioners have a statutory right of appeal under Order 43, Rule 1, Clause (v) of Civil Procedure Code. Under Sec. 115(2) C. P. C., the High Court is debarred from varying or reversing any decree or order against which an appeal lies to the High Court or to any Court Subordinate to it.

P. A. CHOUDHARY, J.

( 1 ) THE two petitioners before me are defendants 5 and 6 in O. S. No. 3623 of 1980 on the file of the Second Assistant Judge, City Civil Court, Hyderabad. They along with some others, apprehending that the plaintiffs in the aforesaid suit might apply for grant of an injunction against them re-straining them from holding any meeting on Staging any demonstration or resorting to any other form of direct action by playing musical instruments, beating of drums, using microphones, etc. , within the premises of the Reserve Bank of India, Hyderabad branch, lodged a Caveat under Section 148-A of the Civil Procedure Code with the City Civil Court. This lodgment was done on 1st Oct. , 1980. The caveat so lodged was numbered as 47 of 1980. Thereafter, the two petitioners gave notice on 8-10-1980 to the plaintiffs informing them that a Caveat had been entered against any application that the plaintiffs might move affecting the petitioners. On 27-10-1980, the plaintiffs served the two Caveators copies of their intended application for the grant of interim relief and also copies of other relevant papers and documents. The plaintiffs also informed the Caveators that they were moving their application for grant of an injunction on 28-10-1980 and the matter would be heard by the Court on that day. But on 28-10-1980 the plaintiff s I. A. No. 1303 of 1980 filed for the purpose of obtaining interim relief was not heard. On that day the I. A. was merely allotted to the second Assistant Judge. Thereafter the second Assistant Judge without giving any notice to the Cavealors, passed an order of injunction as prayed for on the 30th October, 1980 restraining the respondents to the I. A. from holding any meeting or staging any demonstrations or resorting to any other form of direction, etc. , in the premises of the Reserve Bank of India, Hyderabad branch, pending further orders on that application. Against this order of the second Assistant Judge, City Civil Court, Hyderabad, the Cavealors filed the present C. R. P.

( 2 ) THE contention of the petitioners is that the interim orders of injunction passed by the second Assistant Judge on 30th Oct. , 1980 was null and void as it was passed without jurisdiction because it was passed contrary to the newly added provisions of Section 148-A of the Code of Civil Procedure and more particularly Sub-section (3) of that section. Section 148-A of the Code of Civil Procedure, which was inserted into the Civil Procedure Code by a recent enactment of the Parliament reads as follows :"148-A. Right to lodge a caveat: (1) Where an application is expected to be made, or has been made, in a suit or proceeding instituted, or about to be instituted, in a Court, any person claiming a right to appear before the Court on the hearing of such application may lodge a caveat in respect thereof. (2) Where a caveat has been lodged under Sub-section (1), the person by whom the caveat has been lodged (hereinafter referred to as the caveator) shall serve a notice of the caveat by registered post, acknowledgment due, on the person by whom the application has been, or is expected to be made, under Sub-section (1 ). (3) Where, after a caveat has been lodged under Sub-section (1) any application is filed in any suit or proceeding, the Court shall serve a notice of the application on the cavea-low. (4) Where a notice of any caveat has been served on the applicant, he shall forthwith furnish the caveator, at the caveator s expense, with a copy of the application made by him and also with copies of any paper or document which has been, or may be, filed by him in support of the application. (5) Where a caveat has been lodged under Sub-section (1), such caveat shall not remain in force after the expiry of ninety days from the date on which it was lodged unless the application referred to in Sub-section (1) has been made before the expiry of the said period. "

( 3 ) SUB-SECTION (1) of Section 148-A provides for the lodging of a










Click Here to Read the rest of this document

1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
SupremeToday Portrait Ad
supreme today icon
logo-black

An indispensable Tool for Legal Professionals, Endorsed by Various High Court and Judicial Officers

Please visit our Training & Support
Center or Contact Us for assistance

qr

Scan Me!

India’s Legal research and Law Firm App, Download now!

For Daily Legal Updates, Join us on :

whatsapp-icon Back to top