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1986 Supreme(Cal) 455

HIGH COURT OF CALCUTTA
Nirendra Krishna Mitra, J.
Corporation of Calcutta
v.
Dhanapati Banerjee
CIVIL REVISION NO. 2457 of 1982
Decided On: December 4, 1986

Advocates Appeared:
P. K. Ghosh, Barin Banerjee for petitioner
B. C. Dutt, Arun Prokash Sarkar, Miss Manjushree Dutta, Mrs. Archana Manna for opposite party.

A suit challenging a demolition order passed by the Deputy Commissioner of the Calcutta Municipal Corporation is not maintainable in the Civil Court unless the plaintiff makes specific averments in the plaint regarding non-compliance of any statutory provisions by the Corporation.

Headnote:

CIVIL PROCEDURE - MAINTAINABILITY OF SUIT - SUIT CHALLENGING A DEMOLITION ORDER - JURISDICTION OF CIVIL COURT - BAR UNDER STATUTE - SPECIFIC PLEADING OF NON-COMPLIANCE OF STATUTORY PROVISIONS NECESSARY - CALCUTTA MUNICIPAL CORPORATION ACT, 1951 (WEST BENGAL ACT XXXIII OF 1951), SS. 391(G), 414A.

Fact of the Case:

The plaintiff filed a suit challenging a demolition order passed by the Deputy Commissioner of the Calcutta Municipal Corporation. The Corporation filed a preliminary objection to the maintainability of the suit, arguing that the plaintiff should have filed an appeal before the Building Tribunal under s. 414A of the Calcutta Municipal Act, 1951.

Finding of the Court:

The court held that the suit was not maintainable in the Civil Court. It held that the plaintiff had not made any specific averments in the plaint regarding non-compliance of any statutory provisions by the Corporation. The court also held that the plaintiff had an alternative remedy of filing an appeal before the Building Tribunal.

Issues: Whether the suit was maintainable in the Civil Court.

Ratio Decidendi: The court held that a suit challenging a demolition order passed by the Deputy Commissioner of the Calcutta Municipal Corporation was not maintainable in the Civil Court. It held that the plaintiff had not made any specific averments in the plaint regarding non-compliance of any statutory provisions by the Corporation. The court also held that the plaintiff had an alternative remedy of filing an appeal before the Building Tribunal.

Final Decision: The court allowed the revision petition and set aside the order of the lower appellate court. It held that the suit was not maintainable in the Civil Court.

ORDER:

After hearing the learned Advocates for the parties I think that the learned Lower Appellate Court did wrong in holding that the suit as framed by the opposite party in this Rule was maintainable before a Civil Court. The petitioner gave a demolition notice to the opposite party alleging that they had made some unauthorised constructions Against the said notice the opposite party made objection and the Deputy Commissioner by his order dated 19.2.1976 held that the alleged constructions were unauthorised and also directed the opposite party that such unauthorised construction should be demolished Against the said order passed by the Deputy Commissioner the opposite party filed Title Suit No. 168 of 1976 before the 4th Court of learned Munsi at Alipore, 24 Parganas challenging the said demolition order. A preliminary objection was taken by the Corporation of Calcutta in the said suit regarding the maintainability of the suit and the learned Munsif by his order dated 10th of August, 1981 held that he had no jurisdiction to try the suit and ordered that the plaint be returned to the filing lawyer for presentation to the proper forum Against the said order an appeal being Misc Appeal No. 512 of 1981 was preferred by the opposite parties before the learned Additional District Judge, 14th Court, at Alipore, 24 Parganas which was ultimately allowed by the learned Additional District Judge on 24.4.1982 holding that Civil Court had jurisdiction to entertain the suit as filed by the plaintiff Against the said order by the appellate Court the Corporation of Calcutta has moved this Court in revision and obtained the present Civil Rule.

2. Mr. P. K. Ghose, learned Advocate appearing on behalf of the Corporation of Calcutta with Mr. Barin Banerjee, learned Advocate has submitted before me that in view of the provisions of s. 414A of the Calcutta Municipal Act, 1951 an appeal lay before the Building Tribunal against the said order of demolition passed by the Deputy Commissioner and there was an express bar provided under the said Act regarding the jurisdiction of the Civil Court to try suit of the present nature under s. 391(g) of the said Act and as such the opposite parties should have preferred an appeal instead of filing a suit and Mr. Ghose also submitted a written argument in support of his contentions Mr. Ghose in his said written argument contended inter alia, that where the statute has provided a remedy and a forum in respect of grievances arising out of the rights and liabilities created by or under the stature, the party aggrieved must first exhaust the statutory remedy. After doing that he may challenge the order of the statutory Tribunal in the Civil Court on the ground that the said Tribunal has acted illegally or in excess of its jurisdiction or in abuse of its jurisdiction. In a sense, the principles which govern the writ of Certiorari would be applicable in such cases for Invoking the limited Jurisdiction or Civil Court. Mr. Ghose further contended in his said written argument that in the absence of any pleading in the plaint as to the non compliance of any fundamental provision of statute which renders the demolition order illegal the instant suit is not maintainable in law. The learned Additional District Judge wrongly held that the Civil Court had jurisdiction to try the instant suit. At this state for considering the question of maintainability of the suit, the court can only look into the pleadings and nothing else. The question whether the alleged demolition notice had been served upon the opposite party or not, is a question of fact which could be well agitated before the statutory Tribunal and that question could be decided by the said Tribunal as well. The learned Additional District Judge should not have assumed jurisdiction in such a case where the party sought to by-pass the statutory Tribunal in Order to agitate a question of fact in a civil suit.

3. Mr. Ghose further contended in his written argument that th








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