SupremeToday Landscape Ad
Back
Next
Judicial Analysis Court Copy Headnote Facts Arguments Court observation
Listen Audio Icon Pause Audio Icon
judgment-img

1956 Supreme(Pat) 28

PATNA HIGH COURT
V.Ramaswami, Banerji and Choudhary JJ.
Birendra Prasad Sukul
Versus
Surendra Prasad Sukul
Appeal From Original Order No. 99 of 1949 ; 34 of 1950 ; 11 of 1951 ;
A.F.A.O. No. 247 of 1952 ;
Decided On : FEBRUARY 06, 1956

An executing court does not lose jurisdiction over an execution case after passing an order for payment of the decree in instalments. The court can proceed with the execution without a fresh application for execution after default in payment of the instalments.

Headnote:

EXECUTION OF DECREE - JURISDICTION OF EXECUTING COURT - EFFECT OF ORDER FOR PAYMENT OF DECREE IN INSTALMENTS - NECESSITY FOR FRESH APPLICATION FOR EXECUTION AFTER DEFAULT IN PAYMENT OF INSTALMENTS - SALE OF PROPERTIES AFTER DEFAULT - VALIDITY.

Fact of the Case:

A final mortgage decree was passed in 1940. An application for instalment under the Bihar Money Lenders Act was made in 1938, and the decree was directed to be paid by instalments. The judgment-debtor defaulted in paying the instalments. The decree-holder proceeded with the execution without making a fresh application. The judgment-debtor objected to the execution on the ground that it could not proceed without a fresh application. The executing court overruled the objection and the judgment-debtor filed an appeal.

Finding of the Court:

The court held that the executing court did not lose jurisdiction over the execution case after passing an order for payment of the decree in instalments. The court also held that the sale of the properties after default in payment of the instalments was not a nullity for want of a fresh application for execution.

Issues: 1. Whether after an order for payment of a decree in instalments is passed by the executing court, that court loses jurisdiction over the execution case and can only assume jurisdiction after the filing of a fresh application for execution? 2. Whether the sale of the properties which took place in this case on 7-9-1950, after the issue of a fresh sale proclamation should be considered to be a nullity because there was no fresh application for execution by the decree-holder after default in the payment of the first two instalments?

Ratio Decidendi: 1. An order for payment of a decree in instalments does not terminate the execution proceeding started by the decree-holder. The effect of the instalment order is only to keep the execution proceeding in abeyance till the satisfaction of the decree by payments in instalments or by proceeding with execution on default of such payments. 2. The executing court does not lose jurisdiction to proceed with the execution without a fresh application for execution after default in payment of the instalments.

Final Decision: The court answered the questions referred to it as follows: (1) After an order for payment of a decree in instalment is passed by the executing court, that court does not lose Jurisdiction over the execution case and it cannot be said that it can only assume Jurisdiction after the filing of a fresh application for execution, and, (2) the sale of the properties which took place in this case on. 7-9-1950, after the issue of a fresh sale proclamation could not be considtered to be a nullity for want of fresh application for execution by the decree-holder after default in the payment of the first two instalments.

Judgment

Choudhary, J.

1. These are four Miscellaneous Appeals and they raise a common question of law. The first three appeals, namely, Miscellaneous Appeals Nos. 99 of 1949, 364 of 1950 and 11 of 1951 are miscellaneous First Appeals and they arise out of an execution proceeding. The fourth one, namely, Miscellaneous Appeal No. 247 of 1952 is a miscellaneous Second Appeal and arises out of an entirely different execution proceeding and is absolutely unconnected with the first three appeals.

2. The facts giving rise to the first three appeals, stated shortly, are as follows:

3. On 20-1-1940, Surendra Prasad Sukul Bhupendra Prasad Sukul and Raghabendra Prasad Sukul, obtained a final mortgage decree for sale for Rs. 50,028/3/6 against Birendra Prasad Subul and his two sons, Bijendra Prasad Sukul and Dhirendra Prasad Sukul, in mortgage suit No. 32 of 1929. This final decree was signed on 12-24940 and was put in execution on 23-1-1941, in execution case No. 9 of 1941, in the court of Subordinate Judge of Muzaffarpur by Surendra Prasad Sukul, one of the decree-holders, under Order 21, Rule 15, Civil P. C. The question of valuation under Sec.13, Bihar Money Lenders Act was raised in the execution case and was finally decided by this court on appeal from the order passed by the executing court. Thereafter, an application was made under Sec.11, Bihar Money Lenders Act for permitting the judgment-debtors to pay the decretal dues by instalments. After certain other miscellaneous proceedings in the execution case, the matter again came to this court on appeal in Miscellaneous Appeal No. 379 of 1944. By that time the decretal dues came to be about Rs. 60,000/-.

It appears that the judgment-debtor, Birendra Prasad Sukul, had also a decree for Rs. 25,000/-against Surendra Prasad Sukul, one of the three decree-holders. This court, on 4-2-1946, in the above miscellaneous appeal, directed that the decretal dues of the judgment-debtor Birendra Prasad Sukul, amounting to Rs. 25,000.00 should be set off and the balance of the decree money should be paid by him in seven yearly instalments. It was further directed that the first two of these instalments will be of Rs. 6,000.00 each payable on 15-7-1946 and 15-7-1947. The third instalment was fixed at Rs. 4,0007-payable on 15-7-1948. The remaining instalments were to be of Rs. 5,000.00 each payable on 15th July of each year, excepting the last instalment, by which the whole outstanding amount under the decree was to be paid on 15-7-1952. The further direction of this court was that the first three instalments will be appropriated by the other two decree-holders, namely, Bhupendra Prasad Sukul and Baghavendra Prasad Sukul and that after the three instalments were paid, the matter was to be placed before this court for further orders.

It was also directed that in case of default of any instalment, the decree was to be executable at once and the matter was to be placed before this court for suitable orders. There was, however, default in paying certain instalment and this court, on 10-9-1948, passed an order to the following effect: "There having been a default in payment of an instalment, the decree has become executable under the orders of this court, dated the 4th February, 1946."

The decree-holder, Surendra Prasad Sukul, thereafter proceeded with the execution. An objection was filed on behalf of the judgment-debtor under Section 47, Civil P. C. on 24-3-1949, and the main contention that was raised in that objection, with which alone we are concerned in these appeals, was that the execution could not proceed without a fresh application haying been made by the decree-holders. This objection was overruled by the executing court by its order dated the 31st March, 1949, and against that order the judgment-debtor has preferred Miscellaneous Appeal No. 99 of 1949 in this court. On 10-8-1950, Dhirendra Prasad Sukul, one of the sons of Birendra Prasad Sukul, filed an application under Sec. 47, Civil P. C. a

































Click Here to Read the rest of this document
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
SupremeToday Portrait Ad
supreme today icon
logo-black

An indispensable Tool for Legal Professionals, Endorsed by Various High Court and Judicial Officers

Please visit our Training & Support
Center or Contact Us for assistance

qr

Scan Me!

India’s Legal research and Law Firm App, Download now!

For Daily Legal Updates, Join us on :

whatsapp-icon Back to top