High Court Of Calcutta
D. K. SETH, RAJENDRA NATH SINHA
MANOJ DEVI - Appellant
Versus
MUNICIPAL COMMISSIONER, C.M.C - Respondent
FIRST APPEAL 437 Of 2003
Decided On : 02/20/2004
CONSTRUCTION LAW - UNAUTHORIZED CONSTRUCTION DEMOLITION - CALCUTTA MUNICIPAL CORPORATION ACT, 1980 - SECTION 400(8) - SUIT AGAINST CORPORATION - NON-JOINDER OF PARTIES - ADVERSE PRESUMPTION - BURDEN OF PROOF - SCOPE OF JURISDICTION - DEFECT IN PRAYER - INJUNCTION.
Fact of the Case:
Plaintiff-appellant filed a suit against the corporation challenging the demolition of a portion of his building under Section 400(8) of the Calcutta Municipal Corporation Act, 1980, on the ground of unauthorized construction. The plaintiff contended that the action taken by the corporation breached the provisions of Section 400(8) and that the non-joinder of his sister, who had a moiety share in the property, did not render the suit unsustainable.
Finding of the Court:
The court held that the burden of proof lay on the plaintiff to establish his case and that the adverse presumption under Section 114(g) of the Evidence Act could not be drawn against the corporation since the plaintiff had not called upon the corporation to produce the order passed under Section 400(8). The court further held that the suit was bad for non-joinder of the plaintiff's sister as a necessary party and that the principle of implied representation under Order 1 Rule 9 of the Civil Procedure Code could not be applied in the present case.
Issues: 1. Whether the non-joinder of the plaintiff's sister rendered the suit unsustainable? 2. Whether the adverse presumption under Section 114(g) of the Evidence Act could be drawn against the corporation? 3. Whether the action taken by the corporation under Section 400(8) was within the scope and ambit of the jurisdiction conferred upon the Commissioner?
Ratio Decidendi: 1. The court held that the sister of the plaintiff was a necessary party to the suit and that her non-joinder rendered the suit unsustainable. The court observed that the principle of implied representation under Order 1 Rule 9 of the Civil Procedure Code could not be applied in the present case as there was no material to show that the sister's interest would not be adversely affected by the suit. 2. The court held that the adverse presumption under Section 114(g) of the Evidence Act could not be drawn against the corporation since the plaintiff had not called upon the corporation to produce the order passed under Section 400(8). The court observed that the burden of proof lay on the plaintiff to establish his case and that the onus would not shift to the corporation until the plaintiff had initially discharged his onus.
Final Decision: The court dismissed the appeal and held that the suit was not maintainable due to the non-joinder of the plaintiff's sister and that the adverse presumption under Section 114(g) of the Evidence Act could not be drawn against the corporation.
( 1 ) IN exercise of power under Section 400 sub-section (8) of the Calcutta Municipal Corporation Act, 1980, a portion of the building was demolished on the ground of undertaking unauthorized construction. Challenging this action, the plaintiff-appellant had filed a suit against the corporation contending that the Municipality be restrained from demolishing other portion of the building and had assailed the action taken under Section 400 sub-section (8) of the Act on the ground that it had breached the provisions contained in the sub-section itself. In the plaint, it has been averred that the property was purchased by the plaintiffs and his sister having moiety share. The learned Trial Court had dismissed the suit. The non-joinder of the sister in the suit is one of the grounds on which relief was denied. The second ground was that the date and particulars of the order passed under Section 400 sub-section (8) was not available from the pleading amounting to vagueness. The other ground is that the suit is otherwise barred under the provisions of the Act.
( 2 ) WHILE supporting and opposing the application for injunction, both the learned Counsel had addressed the Court on merit of the appeal. We, therefore, propose to dispose of the appeal and application together. By consent of the parties, the appeal is treated as on day's list for hearing. "the appeal and the application are disposed of as hereafter. Appellant's submission :
( 3 ) MR. Arindam Banerjee, learned Advocate for the appellant, points out that non-joinder of parties would not be fatal since the interest of the sister was being represented on the concept that both plaintiff and his sister were entitled to each particle of the property and that his sister had implicitly and impliedly consented to the representation of the estate by him since she did not raise any objection. On the question of bar of suit, he had pointed out that the principle is an accepted and settled proposition of law that when there is a prohibition from invoking the Civil Court's jurisdiction, the same does not exclude the Civil Court's jurisdiction altogether. It may prevent the Civil Court from questioning the justification or the validity of the order on merit but it does not take away the jurisdiction of the Civil Court to look into and examine the scope as to whether the jurisdiction, the action whereof is barred, was properly, validly and bona fide exercised without any breach of the provision. According to him, in this case the recording of the reasons in writing, which is mandatory under sub-section (8) of Section 400, had been infringed in the absence of any service of notice upon him and despite having admitted in the written statement the Corporation never referred to the particulars of the order nor disclosed the said order nor had produced anything to show the order before the Court and as such an adverse presumption was to be drawn with regard to breach and infringement of the process for exercising power under sub-section (8) of Section 400. His alternative argument was that no appeal is provided for under sub-section (3) of Section 400, which does not include an appeal from an action taken under sub-section (8) of Section 400 despite Section 415, inasmuch as this provision does not provide for appeal against such an order. Respondents' submission :
( 4 ) MR. Roy, learned Advocate for the Corporation, on the other hand, pointed out that the question of representation of estate is something different as was claimed in the present context of the suit. It was a right in respect of the property, which was to be exercised by the owner who cannot be treated to be common but joint. That apart, the Order 1 Rule 9 of the civil Procedure Code (CPC) applies in case of a necessary party. According to him, the sister of the plaintiff was a necessary party. Therefore, the suit cannot be maintained. Secondly, he contends that the question of adverse presumption can arise against a pe
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