IN THE HIGH COURT OF BOMBAY
Kotval S.P. and Raju V.B. JJ.
Appellants: Fulchand Hirchand
Vs.
Respondent: N.B. Chandurkar and Ors.
Appeal No. 156 of 1955 under the Letters Patent
Decided On: 02.12.1959
Counsels:
For Appellant/Petitioner/Plaintiff: W.B. Pendharkar and R.N. Shrivastava, Advs.
For Respondents/Defendant: M.R. Bobde, J.N. Chandurkar and M.N. Chandurkar, Advs.
EXECUTION OF DECREE - LIMITATION - APPLICATION FOR EXECUTION - MATERIAL DEFECTS - DATE OF DECREE INCORRECTLY STATED - WHETHER APPLICATION IN ACCORDANCE WITH LAW - CIVIL PROCEDURE CODE (V OF 1908), ORDER 21, RULE 11.
Fact of the Case:
The appellant, a second mortgagee, challenged the validity of an execution application filed by the first mortgagee on the ground that the date of the decree was incorrectly stated in the application. The appellant argued that this error rendered the application not in accordance with law and, therefore, did not save limitation.
Finding of the Court:
The court held that the error in stating the date of the decree in the execution application was not a material defect that would vitiate the application. The court reasoned that the number of the suit was correctly stated in the application, which allowed the court to easily retrieve the decree sought to be executed. The court also noted that the judge had checked and found the application to be correct and had registered it.
Issues: Whether an error in stating the date of the decree in an execution application is a material defect that renders the application not in accordance with law and, therefore, does not save limitation.
Ratio Decidendi: The court relied on the principle that only material defects in an execution application would vitiate the application. The court held that a trivial defect of form, such as an error in stating the date of the decree, would not fail to save limitation. The court also noted that the object of an execution application is to enable the court to take the necessary steps, and that all the particulars necessary for this purpose must be stated in the application. However, the court held that the date of the decree is not a material particular, as the court can always refer to the decree in the suit to ascertain its date.
Final Decision: The court dismissed the appeal, holding that the execution application dated 9-12-1950 was in accordance with law and that, therefore, the execution application dated 12-7-1952 was in time.
2. The learned Single Judge held that the execution application filed on 9-12-1950 was according to law, that as it was dismissed as in fructuous on 31-8-1951, the third execution application filed on 12-7-1952 was within time. The learned Single Judge therefore dismissed the Miscellaneous First Appeal and it is against that judgment that the second mortgagee Fulchand has now come up in Letters Patent Appeal.
3. The only point urged for the appellant is that admittedly the date of the decree was incorrectly stated in the execution application dated 9-12-1950 and that therefore the execution application is not in accordance with law and does not save limitation. We reject this contention and agree, with respect, with the view taken by the learned Single Judge for the following reasons. As observed in Govind v. Malhar, AIR 1954 Bom 410, the question whether any application in execution is in accordance with law or not must depend on the facts and circumstances of that application. No doubt, every application for execution must satisfy the requirements of Order 21, Rule 11, Civil Procedure Code, in addition to the other requirements of law, if any. Order 21, Rule 11, provides that written applications for execution should contain in a tabular form certain particulars, namely, the number of the suit, the names of the parties, the date of the decree etc. It does not necessarily follow that all these particulars are material particulars and that the omission or inaccuracy in stating any of them would have the result of vitiating the execution application. The object of an execution application is to enable the Court to take the necessary steps and all the particulars must be stated in the application which are necessary to enable the Court to take the necessary steps. If the number of the suit in which the decree has been passed is not stated, the Court would not be able to ascertain to what matter the execution application related, and therefore the number of the suit is one of the essential particulars in an execution application as decided in Satyanarayana v. Kajireddi, ILR 1946 Mad 542. An omission to give the number of the suit or even a mistake in the number of the suit as stated in the execution application would therefore make the application an application not in accordance with law. But if a mistake is made in the date of the decree it cannot be said that it is a material irregularity or defect in the execution application. Once the number of the suit is given, the Court can always refer to the decree in that suit, and if a mistake is made in the date of the decree, that is a
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