Chitambaresh, J.

This is an appeal suit not properly constituted and hence forbidden by law to be reckoned on merits despite the remand in the case titled Cochin Frozen Food Exports (P) Ltd. Vs. Vanchinad Agencies and others [(2004) 13 SCC 434].

2. The first defendant Agent in India on behalf of the second defendant Principal in France entered into a contract with the plaintiff who processed frozen sea food in India. The plaintiff accordingly exported 700 cartons of frozen sea food pursuant to Ext.A2 purchase order as amended by Ext.A3 purchase order issued by the first defendant. Defendants 4 and 5 are the partners of the first defendant and the third defendant is the negotiating bank of the second defendant at France through whom the letter of credit was to be encashed. The cargo shipped from Kochi in India on 30.06.1994 on the basis of an irrevocable letter of credit reached the destination at Marceille in France on 16.08.1994. But the payment towards the value of the cargo was not effected to the plaintiff and hence the suit was laid for realisation of a sum of Rs. 16,22,766.50 with interest.

3. The status of the first defendant as the agent of the second defendant was seriously disputed in the separate written statement filed by the first and the second defendant. It was contended that the first defendant was only an intermediary between the foreign buyer and the Indian exporter entitled only to a commission for the cargo shipped. The first and second defendants also contended that the cargo was seized by the French sanitary services on 19.08.1994 as it was unfit for human consumption. The second defendant pleaded that it had obtained a favourable order from the Commercial Court Records of Marseille cancelling the letter of credit. The second defendant contended that it had sustained loss on account of the fraud committed and that the offer to send back the goods was not responded to by the plaintiff. The first defendant added that it had at any rate no personal liability for the value of the goods exported by the plaintiff to the second defendant as claimed.

4. The trial court by judgment dated 14.01.1999 decreed the suit as against defendants 2 and 3 for a sum of Rs. 14,66,278/- with interest and dismissed the suit as against defendants 1, 4 and 5. The trial court found that the plaintiff had exported frozen sea food which was taken delivery of by the second defendant and that the letter of credit issued for its value was dishonoured. The trial court however held that no personal liability could be fastened on the second defendant or on defendants 4 and 5 as per the terms of Ext.A3 amended purchase order. A.S. No. 152/1999 filed by the plaintiff to extend the liability to defendants 1, 4 and 5 was dismissed by this court by judgment dated 10.02.2003. This court opined that a personal liability could be fastened on the Agent only if the Principal is undisclosed or cannot be sued even if disclosed. This court relied on Exceptions (2) and (3) of Section 230 of the Indian Contract Act, 1872 (the 'Act' for short) to hold that the Agent is not personally liable. The plaintiff pursued the matter in Civil Appeal No. 635/2005 whereupon the Supreme Court by order dated 20.01.2005 remanded the case to this court for decision on merits. The Supreme Court in Cochin Frozen Food Exports (P) Ltd.'s case (supra) directed the consideration of the applicability of Exception (1) to Section 230 of the Act. This is how the appeal suit impugning the decree to the extent prejudicial to the plaintiff comes up for hearing eleven years after the remand by the Supreme Court.

5. We heard Mr.G. Keerthivas, Advocate on behalf of the appellant and Mr. Sunil Shankar, Advocate on behalf of the respondents.

6. Let us at the outset recapitulate Section 230 of the Act which reads as follows:

"230. Agent cannot personally enforce, nor be bound by, contracts on behalf of principal - In the absence of any contract to that effect an agent cannot personally