2011 Supreme(Bom) 843
2012 (1) ALL MR 812
In the High Court of Bombay at Aurangabad
S.S. SHINDE
Gorakh Hilal Patil & Another
Versus
Parit Samaj Seva Mandal & Another
CIVIL REVISION APPLICATION NO.202 OF 2007
Decided on : 21-07-2011
For the Petitioners:S.P. Shah, Advocate.
For the Respondents:S.P. Brahme, Advocate.
Headnote:Bombay Rents, Hotel and Lodging House Rates Control Act , 1947---Section 13(1) - Civil Procedure Code , 1908---Order 1 Rule 8---Tenancy---Representative suit for eviction---Necessary party must appear before Court---Suit instituted in name of unregistered Mandal through its President and 5 persons who are Panchas of Mandal instead of all members---Defect in institution of suit is fatal to maintainability of suit itself. (Paras 25 and 26)
1. This revision application is directed against the judgment and order dated 21st September, 2007 passed by the Ad-hoc District Judge-1, Dhule in Regular Civil Appeal No.26/2006 dismissing the appeal and confirming the judgment and decree dated 7th February, 2006 passed by the C.J.J.D., Shirpur in RCS No.263 of 1992.
2. The facts of the case, in brief, are as follows:
The respondent No.1 Parit Seva Samaj Mandal, Shirpur through its President and panchas filed R.C.S. No.263 of 1992 against deceased Hilal Natthu Patil - tenant, father of the present petitioner No.1 and husband of petitioner No.2 in the Court of Jt. C.J.J.D., Shirpur for recovery of arrears of rent and possession of residential premises bearing CTS No.1420 (for short, referred to as "the suit property"), on the ground of default and bona fide and reasonable use under the provisions of the Bombay Rents, Hotel and Lodging House Rates Control Act, 1947 (for short, referred to as the said Act). The trial Court on completion of the trial, decreed the suit vide judgment and decree dated 7th February, 2006 only on the ground of bona fide and reasonable use but refused decree on the ground of default.
This judgment and decree came to be challenged by filing Regular Civil Appeal No.26 of 2006 before the Ad-hoc District Judge-1, Dhule, which was dismissed by the said Court after hearing the parties vide its judgment dated 21st September, 2007. Hence, the present civil revision application.
3. The learned Counsel for the petitioners -original defendants submitted that the trial Court has decreed the suit of the respondents -plaintiffs on the ground of bona fide and reasonable use. However, the ground of default in payment of rent has been rejected by the trial Court. The lower Appellate Court has also confirmed the decree of eviction on the ground of bona fide requirements.
4. The learned Counsel for the petitioners further submitted that unregistered society or association of persons or a group of persons is not a legal entity which can institute a suit in its own name. Only a natural person or a juristic person can sue or be sued in its own name. The provisions of Section 36 of the Maharashtra Cooperative Societies Act, Section 34 of the Companies Act, Order 30 of the Civil Procedure Code are the illustrative instances of the provisions of law under which the status of a legal entity is conferred respectively on the Cooperative Society, registered company and the partnership firms. In his submission, the provisions of section 6 of the Societies Registration Act, 1806 also confers such status on a society only after its registration. An unregistered society or an association of persons is not conferred with the status of legal entity under any statute. As such, an unregistered society cannot sue in its own name. The Counsel for petitioners further submitted that in a lis, by or against an unregistered society, all the members are necessary parties.
5. In the submission of the learned Counsel for the petitioners, undisputedly the suit property is of the ownership of one "Parit Samaj Seva Mandal", as stated in paragraphs 1 and 2 of the plaint. Undisputedly, the Mandal is unregistered. Neither the Mandal is registered under the Societies Registration Act nor under the Cooperative Societies Act or as a Trust. It is claimed by the plaintiff that the Mandal has around 262 members, vide para 16 of the trial Court's judgment. He further submitted that all the members of the Mandal were necessary parties to the suit and the only alternative is to institute a representative suit after following a procedure prescribed under Order 1 Rule 8 of the Civil Procedure Code. In the present case, the suit was instituted in the name of Mandal itself and five other plaintiffs who are alleged to be the panchas of Mandal. He, therefore, submitted that the suit so instituted suffers from non-joinder of necessary parties. The defect in the institution of the suit is fatal to the main