The court emphasized that non-compliance with caveat procedures under Section 148-A C.P.C. violates natural justice, necessitating recall of any adverse interim orders.

JUDGMENT :

1. The copy of the C.R.P., was not served to the learned Counsel for the respondent/caveator. Such objection was raised, upon which vide order dated 20.12.2024 Registry was directed to submit the report, that once there was caveat, how could the CRP be numbered without serving the copies of the petition to the caveator.

2. The Registry submitted a report as follow :

"It is respectfully submitted the learned Counsel for the petitioner filed CRP (SR) without copy of the Caveat petition and did not make any endorsement regarding service to the other side Counsel. And the Counsel for the petitioner paid batta at the time of filing the above CRP (SR).

Hence, the Registry has processed the CRP and numbered and posted without having the knowledge about the caveat petition. After numbering the CRP No.3145 of 2024 was sent to CRP Section, and the CRP Section has put up the caveat in the bundle".

3. Not being satisfied with the office report by order dated 27.12.2024, the Registrar (Judicial) was directed to submit the report "clearly pointing out the procedure for filing the Caveat; as also its intimation to CRP Section and to Registry. It shall be indicated if the caveat is not reported to the Registry, while processing the CRP".

4. The Registrar (Judicial) has submitted a detailed report dated 02.01.2025, relevant portion, of which reads as under :

"S.O.215-5 : Caveats : Soon after the Cases are received from Scrutiny Officers, it shall be verified whether the Departments mentioned in the Cases are as per the existing provisions, and then, the Cases be handed over to the Caveats Seat, for verification.

The Assistant, who looks after Caveats, as soon as he receives them daily from the Scrutiny Officers in the evening, shall make necessary entries in the Caveats Register (J.R.11) to be maintained, District-wise. Immediately after receipt of fresh Cases during the day, the Caveats Assistant has to verify each and every Case and find out whether any Caveats are pending in respect of Case on hand from the Caveats Register (J.R.11). In case, any Caveat entry is found in the concerned Caveat Register (J.R.11), he has to make necessary entries with regard to the particulars of such fresh Cases in the Caveat Register (J.R.11) as well as in the concerned Case Ledgers (J.R.45). He shall, then, put up the Caveat in the said Case and feed the Name of the Counsel who filed the Caveat in the computer. In Case of non-availability of the Caveat, he has to endorse on the docket of such Cases about the non-availability of the Caveat as "No Caveat".

It is also his duty to verify the expiry of "time limit", as envisaged in Section 148-A C.P.C. and he has to make necessary entries in the Caveat Register (J.R.11) to that effect. Then, the Cases will pass on for recording Case particulars.

Register of Caveats (District-Wise) (J.R.11)
S.R. No.	Date of presentation	Date of filing	Appellant/ Respondents	Lower Court details	No of the Appeal
(1)	(2)	(3)	(4)	(5)	(6)

The Cases, in which Lunch Motion permissions are obtained, shall be filed by 11.30 a.m., after obtaining the initials from the Deputy Registrar concerned for being placed before the Hon'ble Court by 02.15 p.m., on the same day. Papers filed after 11.30 a.m., will be treated as "Motions" and, if found in order, w