1964 Supreme(Kar) 89
Karnataka High Court
Judges : G.K.Govinda Bhat
MATHEW PHILIPS - Appellant
Versus
P.O.KOSHY - Respondent
Civil Revn. Petn. 826 Of 1963
Decided On : 11/10/1964
To obtain a temporary injunction, the plaintiff must establish a prima facie case of legal injury or infringement of legal rights.
Headnote:
Injunction - Construction Dispute - City of Bangalore Municipal Corporation Act, 1949 - S. 264 - The court held that the plaintiff failed to establish a prima facie case of legal injury or infringement of legal rights, and therefore, the interim injunction was vacated.
Fact of the Case:
The plaintiff sought a permanent injunction to restrain the defendants from constructing a building without leaving a 4 feet clear space between the edge of the plaintiff's premises and the northern extremity of the construction. The defendants had obtained a building license from the Corporation of Bangalore and started construction, which led to the plaintiff filing a suit for injunction.
Finding of the Court:
The court found that the plaintiff did not establish a prima facie case of legal injury or infringement of legal rights. It emphasized that the City of Bangalore Municipal Corporation Act, 1949, provides a remedy for contravention of its provisions, and the plaintiff failed to demonstrate any violation of his legal rights.
Issues: The main issue was whether the plaintiff had a prima facie case of legal injury or infringement of legal rights to warrant a temporary injunction.
Ratio Decidendi: The court held that the plaintiff must demonstrate a prima facie case of legal injury to obtain a temporary injunction. It emphasized that the City of Bangalore Municipal Corporation Act, 1949, provides a remedy for contravention of its provisions and that the plaintiff failed to establish any violation of his legal rights.
Final Decision: The civil revision petition was allowed, the interim injunction was vacated, and costs were awarded to the defendants.
( 2 ) THE plaintiff and the defendants are owners of adjacent sites in the City of Bangalore. Pursuant to a building licence issued by the Corporation of Bangalore on 28-2-1962, defendant 2, who had purchased the site from defendant 1, started construction of the building marked 'x' and 'y' in the plaint plan. The plaintiff made representation to the Corporation of the City of bangalore, alleging that the defendants have violated the terms and conditions of the licence granted by the Corporation of that they have not left the clear space of 4 feet between the edge of the plaintiff's premises as required by the Bye-laws of the Corporation. On the basis of the said representation, the Corporation appears to have issued to Show cause notice to the defendants and defendant 2 made representations that he had not violated any term of condition of the licence issued. After inspection by the Corporation Engineer, the show can notice was withdrawn as per endorsement of the Corporation Engineer dated 27-9-62. On 1-10-1962 when the construction of the buildings by defendant 2 had progressed for several months, plaintiff filed O. S. No. 61/62 in the Court of the Subordinate Judge, Civil Station, bangalore for a permanent injunction. On the same date, the plaintiff filed I. A. No. I for a temporary injunction restraining the defendants, their servants and agents from proceeding 4 feet clear space between the edge of the plaintiff's premises and the northern extremity of the said construction. The Subordinate Judge, on the same date, made an interim order of injunction as prayed for. On 15-10-1962, defendant 2 filed I. A. No. II to vacate the interim order of injunction, and in the affidavit filed in support of that application, the facts above mentioned, viz. , that on the complaint of the plaintiff, the Corporation had issued a Show Cause Notice to defendant 2 and that after inspection of the spot by the Corporation Engineer, the show cause notice had been withdrawn as per endorsement dated 24-9-62 and further that the construction has been going on for several months and that plaintiff had stood by and filed a suit just before the Court closed for dasara vacation, were affirmed on oath. It was also stated in that affidavit that no legal rights of the plaintiff had been infrigned by any of the defendants. In the counter--affidavit filed by the plaintiff to I. A. No. II, the fact that the Corporation had withdrawn the Show-Cause notice was not disputed. After hearing the parties, the Subordinate Judge made the interim order of injunction absolute on 19-11-1962. Against that order, the defendants preferred Miscellaneous appeal No. 3/62 in the Court of the District Judge, Civil Station, Bangalore, and that appeal was dismissed. It is against that decision, the above Civil Revision Petition has been preferred by the 2nd defendant.
( 3 ) THE order under revision granting a temporary injunction was made on an application filed by the plaintiff under Rule 2 of Order 39 of the Code of Civil Procedure. In order to entitle a party to obtain an order of temporary injunction, the applicant has to make out a prima facie case that the defendant was committing a breach of contract or other injury of any kind. It is not the case of the plaintiff that the defendant was committing any breach of contract; it is also not the case of the plaintiff that the defendant had encroached on the plaintiff's lands or infringed any of his legal rights to the property. The case of the plaintiff, as stated in his affidavit in support of i. A. No. 1, was that the defendant