2015 Supreme(Ker) 915
IN THE HIGH COURT OF KERALA
V. Chitambaresh, J.
Srimad Sudhindra Thirtha Swamiji - Appellant
Vs.
Raghavendra Thirtha Swami and Ors. - Respondents
Tr. P. (C) No. 496 of 2014 and I.A. No. 17447 of 2013 in O.P. (C) No. 256/2013
Decided On: 12.08.2015
For the Appellant:R.D. Shenoy, R. Venkataramani, Senior Advocates, R. Lakshmi Narayan and R. Ranjini, Advocates
For the Respondents:T. Asaf Ali, Director General of Prosecution, T. Krishnan Unni, Senior Advocate, P. Chandrasekhara Pillai, Standing Counsel and B. Krishnamani and G. Rajagopal, Advocates
Headnote:
Constitution of India, 1950 - Article 227 - Civil Procedure Code,1908 - Sections 151, 39(4) - Judgment debtor - Missing - Jurisdiction - Execution petition - Withdrawal of - Findings of - Held, This is evidently a fit case where the investigation has to be entrusted to the Central Bureau of Investigation 'to trace, arrest and produce' the second plaintiff - Local limits of the jurisdiction of the executing court cannot be enlarged by withdrawing the execution petition pending in the court below to this court - This is done in exercise of the powers under Section 151 of the C.P.C. and Article 227 of the Constitution of India to do complete justice lest the credibility of this system is lost
V. Chitambaresh, J.
1. An elusive 'Swamiji' literally makes the decree-holder run from pillar to post. He remains invisible to the Amin and the State Police. The entire machinery of the State is at crossroads. The dispute between two pontiffs of Shri. Kashi Math Samsthan to wrest its control and administration could not be amicably settled despite intervention by devotees. This lead to filing of a suit numbered as OS No. 34/2000 on the file of the Court of the IV Additional District Judge, Tirupati wherein the junior pontiff was camping. The junior pontiff was the second plaintiff and the senior pontiff was the first defendant of the first plaintiff Samsthan in the suit wherein a counterclaim was laid. The suit for declaration that the second plaintiff is the Madathipathi of the first plaintiff Samsthan and for consequential injunction was dismissed. The counter-claim was decreed restraining the second plaintiff by an injunction from interfering with the administration of the Samsthan by the first defendant. The second plaintiff was further directed therein to hand over all the deities and other articles belonging to the Samsthan to the first defendant. The deities and articles were specified by amending the decree by order in IA No. 168/2010 on the basis of an inventory report of the Advocate Commissioner. It is this amended decree in the counter-claim in OS No. 34/2000 that is put into execution by the first defendant to which one objection after another is being raised.
2. EP No. 18/2009 was first filed on the file of the Court of the IV Additional District Judge, Tirupati whereupon the second plaintiff contended that he has shifted his camp to Ernakulam. The decree was therefore transmitted to the Court of the District Judge, Ernakulam and later made over to the Court of the I Additional District Judge, Ernakulam. EP No. 167/2011 was accordingly filed in the transferee Court to get back the deities and other articles comprising of gold jewellery studded with diamonds, emeralds, blue sapphire etc. The objection as regards the jurisdiction of the transferee Court was turned down in Srimad Raghavendra Thirtha Swamy v. Srimad Sudhindra Thirtha Swamiji, 2011 KHC 2926 : 2011 (4) KLT 265 : 2011 (4) KLJ 421. The objection as regards the executability of the decree was turned down in Srimad Raghavendra Thirtha Swamy v. Srimad Sudhindra Thirtha Swamiji, 2012 (1) KHC 449 : 2012 (2) KLT 444 : ILR 2012 (1) Ker. 560 : 2012 (1) KLJ 694. The grant of police aid to execute the decree in EP No. 167/2011 is concluded by Srimad Sudhindra Thirtha Swamiji v. Raghavendra Thirtha Swamiji, 2013 (2) KHC 554 : 2013 (2) KLT 203 : 2013 (2) KLJ 611. The operative part of the judgment is extracted hereunder:
a) The IG of Police, Central Range is directed to constitute a team of Police Officers who shall render necessary assistance to the Amin appointed by the learned I Additional District Judge, Ernakulam to trace, arrest and produce the respondent before the said Court.
b) Such police team shall assist the Amin appointed by the learned Additional District Judge to trace the paraphernalia and other items which are required to be delivered over to the petitioner as per the decree in the case and to produce the same in the said Court.
c) It is made clear that the above order is only to the effect that the police shall assist the Amin in discharge of his duties as aforesaid, within the local limits of the territorial jurisdiction of learned I Additional District Court, Ernakulam. (emphasis supplied)
3. It has inter alia been stated in the penultimate paragraph of the judgment afore-quoted in disposal of OP (C) No. 256/2013 as follows:
Having regard to the manner in which respondent has conducted himself with respect to the orders passed by the executing Court, there is no reasonable possibility of the Amin executing that warrant of arrest.
This was precisely why the Inspector General of Police, Central Range was directed to constitute a team of Police Officer