2006 (5) ALT 683
L. NARASIMHA REDDY, J.
C.R.P. Nos.1227 and 1260 of 2006
Decided on 10-8-2006.
T. Srinivasa Rao
vs.
T. Venkata Rangaiah arid another
Advocate Appeared
Mr. B. Narayana Reddy, Counsel for the Petitioner.
Mr. S. Balchand, Counsel for the Respondents.
Trial Court also allowing another Application of plaintiff with prayer to record admission of defendants about documents which were kept with a common friend and elderly person with understanding that same may be delivered to parties only after settlement finalised, but were given to plaintiff by playing fraud.
Petitioners/defendants contend that trial Court deviated from settled procedure in adjudication of suit and orders passed by it have effect of putting premium on fraud played by respondent/plaintiff - Court could have taken notice of only such settlement, as was arrived at between parties, and there was no justification on its part, in acting upon one sided version, put forward by plaintiff.
In this case, plaintiff is 42 years old, hale and healthy and inspite Court had chosen to appoint Commissioner to record his cross-examination without any Application - Amendment made to Rule 4 of 18 C.P.C, providing for appointment of Commissioner for recording cross examination, resorted to as a matter of course - In fact amendment of Or.18, R.4 to effect that only mode of chief examination shall be through filing of affidavits and Parliament did not intend appointment of Commissioner for recording cross -examination, as a matter of course.
Appointment of Commissioners to record cross-examination of an otherwise able witness, is prone to weaken very adjudicatory process, and it would naturally tell upon quality of adjudication - It must not be forgotten that adjudication by Courts is respected, on account of various stages involved in it and with deletion of one or more of such steps, credibility of entire system would receive a dent.
In this case, as many as 19 documents filed by defendant
along with affidavit, ought to have persuaded Court, to take trouble of recording cross-examination in Court itself and several questions relating to admissibility and relevance of such documents would crop up - Plaintiff intended to take full advantage of appointment of Commissioner for cross-examination.
Trial Court ought not to have appointed Commissioner for recording of evidence of such hale and healthy witness, particularly, when relevance and admissibility of several documents involved - Trial Court directed to continue cross-examination of P.W.1 in Court itself and it shall not restrict scope of cross-examination except to extent provided for, under Evidence Act - CRPs, allowed.
The 1st respondent filed O.S.No.231 of 2002 in the Court of IX Additional Chief Judge, City Civil Court (Fast Track Court), Hyderabad, against his brother, the petitioner herein, and their mother, the 2nd respondent, for the relief of partition and separate possession of the suit schedule property. The trial of the suit commenced. The 1st respondent filed an affidavit, in lieu of chief-examination as P.W.1, and filed Exs.A-1 to A-19 as documents. An Advocate Commissioner was appointed to record his cross-examination. On behalf of the 1st respondent herein, it was urged that a compromise had emerged between the parties and the cross-examination of P.W.1 must be restricted only to the contents and outcome of such compromise, and not to other aspects. The petitioner objected to the same. The trial Court overruled the objection and accepted the contention of the 1st respondent herein, through its order dated 09-01-2006. C.R.P.No.1227 of 2006 is filed against the said order.
2. The 1st respondent has also filed I.A. No.490 of 2005 under Order 12 Rule 3-A C.P.C., with a prayer to record the admission of the petitioner and the 2nd respondent herein, about the documents said to have been signed on 04-07-2005. It was alleged that a settlement, in relation to the suit schedule property has been arrived at, and that the same was reduced into writing. The petitioner filed a counter affidavit stating that though an effort was made in the direction of bringing about a settlement, it did not fructify. It was urged that the documents relied upon by the 151 respondent were kept with a common friend and elderly person, with a specific understanding that the same can be delivered to the parties only after the settlement is finalised, and contrary to the same, the said elderly man colluded with the 151 respondent, and gave the documents to the latter, by playing fraud. The trial Court allowed the I.A. through a separate order dated 16-09-2005. C.R.P.No.1260 of 2006 is filed against the said order.
3. Sri B. Narayana Reddy, learned counsel for the petitioner submits that the trial Court had deviated from the settled procedure in the adjudication of the suit, and the orders passed by it, have the effect of putting premium on the fraud played by the 1st respondent. He contends that the Court could have taken notice of only such settlement, as was arrived at between the parties, and there was no justification on its part, in acting upon the one sided version, put forward by the 1st respondent.
4. Sri S. Balachand, learned counsel for the 1st respondent, on the other hand, submits that the effort of his client was, only to apprise the Court, of the developments, that have taken place subsequent to the filing of the suit. He contends that when the petitioner himself agreed for a particular course of action, for resolving the disputes between himself and the 1st respondent, he was not entitled to resile from the same.
5. The 1st respondent filed the suit for partition against his mother and brother, the petitioner herein. The nature and contents of the pleadings, by the respective parties, is not before this Court. Obviously, because there was triable issue in the matter, the trial Court proceeded with the recording of evidence. The 1st respondent filed an affidavit, in lieu of chief examination. He has also filed certain documents. The record discloses that the 1st respondent is just 42 years old, hale and healthy. Even then, the trial Court had chosen to appoint a Commissioner to record his cross-examination. The interesting part of the matter is that the respondents did not apply for appointment of commissioner. The amendment made to Rule 4 of Order 18 C.P.C., providing for appointment of Commissioners, for recording of cross-examination, was resorted to, almost as a matter of course. Obviously, taking advantage of the fact that the cross-examination was being recorded by the Commissioner, the 1st respondent started dictating terms, as to what qu
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