High Court Of Delhi
MUNNI/JASWANT KAUR - Appellant
Versus
BHONRL DEVI - Respondent
Civil 695 of 1973
Decided On : 04/30/1974
INJUNCTION - ORDER 39 RULES 1 AND 2, CIVIL PROCEDURE CODE - SUIT FOR SETTING ASIDE EX PARTE DECREE - INTERIM INJUNCTION - PRINCIPLES FOR GRANT OF TEMPORARY INJUNCTION - BALANCE OF CONVENIENCE - EXECUTION OF DECREE - LEGAL INJURY - INHERENT JURISDICTION OF COURT TO ISSUE INJUNCTION.
Fact of the Case:
Petitioner filed a suit for setting aside an ex parte decree passed against her mother and applied for an interim injunction to restrain the execution of the decree. The trial court held that the petitioner had no prima facie case and dismissed the application. The first appellate court held that the order appealed against was made under Section 151 of the Code of Civil Procedure and was not appealable. The petitioner then moved the High Court.
Finding of the Court:
The High Court held that the petitioner did not have a prima facie case and that the balance of convenience lay in refusing the injunction. The court also held that the execution of a decree by a court does not constitute a legal injury within the meaning of the expression "injury" used in rule 2 of Order 39 of the Code of Civil Procedure, but that the court possesses inherent jurisdiction to issue an injunction in circumstances which are not covered by the provisions of Order 39 of the Code of Civil Procedure.
Issues: Whether the petitioner had a prima facie case for grant of injunction.
Ratio Decidendi: The court held that the petitioner did not have a prima facie case for grant of injunction as the decree against her mother had become final and executable and her application for setting aside the decree had been dismissed. The court also held that the execution of a decree by a court does not constitute a legal injury within the meaning of the expression "injury" used in rule 2 of Order 39 of the Code of Civil Procedure, but that the court possesses inherent jurisdiction to issue an injunction in circumstances which are not covered by the provisions of Order 39 of the Code of Civil Procedure.
Final Decision: The High Court dismissed the petition.
( 1 ) [one Mohanlal took on lease plot of land for 15 years w. e. f. 1. 9. 49. He put up structures on the same. On the expiry of 15 years, Respondent I sued him for eviction on 26. 5. 69. He died on 3-1-70 and all his LRS from 2 widows were brought an record. Report of service of the petitioner was refusal. It was deemed a sufficient service. Some L. R s appeared and suit was decreed on 15-5-71. Petitioner s mother then made an application for setting aside of exparte decree. Petitioner did not join her. Application was dismissed. Petitioner then filed instant suit for setting aside of the decree and applied for interim injunction under 0. 39 Rules 1and2 and S. 151, Civil Procedure Code. Trial Court held that plaintiff had no prima facie case. 1st appellate Court held that order appealed against was made u/s 151 and was not appealable. Petitioner moved High Court. ]. Para 6 onwards, judgement is ,-
( 2 ) THE principles for the grant of temporary injunction are well-settled. In order to obtain the interim relief, the plaintiff must show :- (i) That he has a prima-facie case ; (ii) that he is likely to suffer an irreparable injury if the injunction is not granted ; (iii) that the balance of convenience lies in his favour. The prima-facie nature of the case means that on a perusal of the plaint, the Court is satisfied that there is a serious question to be tried at the hearing and that the suit is not barred by any principles of law and on the allegations made between the parties, there is a probability that on the facts before it, the plaintiff is entitled to the relief. It may be noticed that at the stage of interlocutory application, the plaintiff is not required to make out a complete legal right, but has to satisfy the Court that he has a prima-facie case to raise and a mere existence of a doubt as to the plaintiff s right does not itself constitute a sufficient ground for refusing the injunction, although it is always a circumstance which calls for the attention of the Court. As far as the irreparable injury is concerned, the plaintiff is not required to show that the injury is not physically capable of being remedied, but the inadequacy of remedy by damages for the legal injury would be sufficient to constitute an irreparable injury. As regards balance of convenience, the plaintiff has to show that the inconvenience resulting to him in the event of withholding relief of temporary injunction is likely to exceed the inconvenience to the defendants which he would suffer by grant of injunction. It must also be borne in mind that the grant of injunction rests in the judicial discretion of the Court and so all the " circumstances which may disentitle a party to the exercise of discretion in his favour would disentitle the plaintiff to the injunction.
( 3 ) IN the instant case, the petitioner is not in possession of the premises in dispute. The decree against Shanti Devi, her mother, has become final and executable and her application for setting aside the decree has finally been dismissed. Sita Devi, the other wife of Mohan Lal, appeared in the suit and contested it. There is a rule of law, the application of which will require consideration by the Court below at the trial of the suit that where a decree has become final against one of the legal representatives of the deceased, whether the estate of the deceased was sufficiently represented and the decree would bind all the other represented to unrepresented legal representative?. The petitioner admittedly came to know of the passing of t ha decree against her in December, 197; and she did not take any steps to have the same set aside by an appropriate application or even by the institution of the present suit till after 16 months had passed and then she had waited until the dismissal of the application of Shanti Devi for setting aside the decree. This would show that the petitioner herself is not interested in the suit property but she is really trying to fight a
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