Advocates Appeared:
A.K.SINGH, amicus curiae, I.S.MATHUR, Ritu Bhalla, SANAT KUMAR BISWAS, SUDHA SRIVASTAVA

Based on the provided legal document, here are the key points regarding pleadings, replications, and rejoinders:

• Nature of Procedure: Procedure is the machinery of law intended to facilitate justice, not obstruct it; practices that delay justice without legal sanction should be done away with (!) (!) .
• Definition of Pleadings: Pleadings generally refer to the plaint and the written statement; subsequent pleadings (like rejoinders or replications) are not statutorily contemplated under the Civil Procedure Code (CPC) except by leave of the court (!) (!) (!) .
• Implied Traverse: A plaintiff does not need to file a replication to merely deny averments in a defendant's written statement; such denial is presumed, and the plaintiff can rely on the rule of assumed traverse or joinder of issue (!) (!) (!) (!) .
• Permissible Situations for Replication: A replication is only permissible in three specific situations: (1) when required by law, (2) when a counter-claim or set-off is raised by the defendant, or (3) when the court directs or permits it (!) (!) (!) .
• Leave of Court: Any replication filed must be confined to the specific plea requiring a reply (usually a confession and avoidance) and requires the leave of the court, which may grant or refuse it after scrutiny (!) (!) (!) .
• Inconsistency and Foundation of Claim: A plea inconsistent with the original plaint or a plea that forms the foundation of the plaintiff's cause of action cannot be introduced for the first time in a replication; such matters require amendment of the original pleading (!) (!) (!) .
• Impact on Trial: Filing replications and rejoinders routinely leads to avoidable adjournments, increases the bulk of files, confuses the trial, and deprives defendants of the opportunity to counter new pleas introduced in a replication (!) (!) (!) .
• Distinction from Amendment: Subsequent pleadings are not a substitute for amending the original pleadings; if a new ground of claim is needed, the original pleading must be amended to allow the opposite party to respond (!) (!) (!) .
• Interlocutory Applications: Interlocutory applications (e.g., under Order 6 Rule 17) should generally be disposed of on the first hearing without requiring a written reply or replication unless necessary (!) (!) (!) .
• Practice Directions: Existing Practice Directions in the Delhi High Court do not confer a right to file replications as a matter of course or insist on adjournments for their filing (!) (!) (!) .