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1992 Supreme(Del) 528

High Court Of Delhi
AVIJIT BAR - Appellant
Versus
B.K DEY - Respondent
Interim Application 9252 of 1992
Decided On : 11/03/1992

Advocates Appeared:
G.N.AGGARWAL, Girdhar Govind

A consent decree is binding on all parties to the proceedings, including those who are not named as parties.

Headnote:

LANDLORD AND TENANT - EVICTION - CONSENT DECREE - BINDING ON TENANT'S SON - SECTION 14 (C) OF DELHI RENT CONTROL ACT, 1958 - SUIT FOR INJUNCTION BY SON - DISMISSED FOR NON-PROSECUTION - SUBSEQUENT SUIT BY ANOTHER SON CLAIMING TENANCY RIGHTS - NOT MAINTAINABLE.

Fact of the Case:

The plaintiff, the son of the tenant, filed a suit for injunction claiming that he was a tenant of the suit premises and that the eviction decree obtained by the landlord was not binding on him. The plaintiff's mother had given an undertaking to vacate the premises by a certain date, and the plaintiff claimed that he was not bound by this undertaking as he was not a party to the eviction proceedings.

Finding of the Court:

The court found that the plaintiff's suit was an abuse of the process of court and that the plaintiff was liable to be punished for contempt. The court also found that the plaintiff's mother had acted on behalf of the plaintiff and his brother in the eviction proceedings, and that the plaintiff was therefore bound by the consent decree.

Issues: Whether the eviction decree obtained by the landlord was binding on the plaintiff, who was not a party to the eviction proceedings.

Ratio Decidendi: The court held that the plaintiff was bound by the consent decree entered into by his mother, as she had acted on his behalf in the eviction proceedings. The court also found that the plaintiff's suit was an abuse of the process of court, as it was an attempt to defeat the legal rights that had accrued to the landlord as a result of the consent decree.

Final Decision: The court dismissed the plaintiff's suit.

C. M. Nayar

( 1 ) [ed. facts : Husband of Deft. no. 2 became tenant in suit premisesou 29. 12. 79. He died on 17. 3. 85 and Deft. No. 2 became tenant. Deft. no. 1, landlord sued her for eviction u/s. 14 (c) of D. R. C. Act on 23. 7. 90 and a consent decree was passed on 28. 8. 91 under which Deft. no. 2 agreed to vacate by 15. 8. 92. Her one son, Deft. no. 3 soon after filed a suit for injunction that they were not liable to vacate suit premises. This suit was dismissed on 8. 1. 91 for non prosecution. Plaintiff is her 2nd son. He filed instant suit claiming that he, Deft. no. 3 and their mother are tenants-in- common and were necessary parties in eviction case and as they were not impleaded eviction decree was not binding on them. Plaintiff applied for interim injunction and relied upon. Textile Asso. (I) Bom. Unit vs. Balmohan AIR. 1990. S. C. 20;:3==1991. Raj. L. R. 305. ] After detailing above, judgment is :

( 2 ) (B ). The judgment of the Supreme Court in Textile Asso. (supra) is also of no application. The premises in question in that case was under the occupation of a tenant who left behind his widow, two sons and daughters. After the death of the tenant, the landlord filed an eviction petition on the ground of bonafide requirement and default in payment of rent. The mother and brother alone were impleaded as parties and the suit was decreed ex parte on the ground of failure to pay the arrears. The decree was put into execution and the possession was recovered by the landlord. Thereafter, the respondent therein filed a suit and claimed that he was one of the tenant living in the premises at the time of death of his father and ex parte decree obtained by his landlord, therefore, was not binding upon him. The ex parte decree was accordingly set aside on the facts of that case.

( 3 ) ADVERTING back to the facts of the present case, it may be stated that the mother of the plaintiff and deft. no. 2, Mrs Renuka Barat had been pursuing the petition for eviction in respect of the suit premises and had willingly made a compromise to vacate the same on or before 15,8. 92. She has now filed the w/s in this Court, reiterating the cause of the plaintiff and deft. no. 3, that her two sons have also inherited the tenancy rights after the death of her husband and, therefore, she could not have given nor had given an undertaking on their behalf as the deft. no. 1 knew it very well that all the legal heirs of Lt. Gen. A K. Barat have inherited the tenancy rights. She has accordingly asked to be released from the undertaking recorded by Shri S. M. Gupta, Rent Controller. She has therefore, done the somersault to support the claim of her sons, who is the plaintiff and deft, no. 3 in the present proceedings. The obvious conclusion is that the entire family has come together now to save themselves from eviction by taking pleas, which cannot be sustained either on facts or in law. The plaintiff is also wanting to take advantage of the fact that her mother alone had given an undertaking to vacate the suit premises on or before 15. 8. 92. The other son was represented in this Court for a while and has suddenly withdrawn from the proceedings and used this intervening period to file a suit in the court of Sub Judge Delhi (suit No. 329 of 1992 titled samarjit Barat vs. B. K. Dey) , interalia claiming the same relief which his brother, the plaintiff in the present application has sought.

( 4 ) LEARNED counsel for the defendant no. 1 has argued that the present suit, as well as, the application is an abuse of the process of court and the plaintiff is liable to be punished for contempt. The plaintiff s suit is the result of collusion and connivance with defts. no. 2 and 3 to defeat the eviction order passed by the court of competent jurisdiction. He has further submitted that deft. no. 3, who is the real brother of the plaintiff and son of defen- dant no. 2 in 1990 had filed a suit for permanent injunction alleging therein that be was the tenant of th


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