2010 Supreme(Raj) 961
AIR 2011 Raj 22
IN THE HIGH COURT OF RAJASTHAN
Mahesh Bhagwati, J.
Thakur Pehp Singh – Appellant
Vs.
Thakur Prathvi Singh and Ors. – Respondent
Civil Revision Petition No. 174 of 2007
Decided On: 11.11.2010
A plaintiff has a right to withdraw an application for withdrawal of a suit, so long as the withdrawal has not become effective by an order of the court.
Headnote:
WITHDRAWAL OF SUIT - APPLICATION FOR WITHDRAWAL OF SUIT - ORDER 7, RULE 11 OF CODE OF CIVIL PROCEDURE - SUMMARY
Fact of the Case:
The plaintiff filed a suit for declaration and permanent injunction, and the defendant filed a cross-suit for partition. The parties settled their dispute by way of compromise, and the plaintiff filed an application to withdraw the suit. Before the court could pass an order on this application, the plaintiff filed another application to withdraw the application to withdraw the suit.
Finding of the Court:
The court held that the plaintiff had a right to withdraw the application to withdraw the suit, as long as the court had not made an order showing that the withdrawal had become complete or effective. The court also held that the suit could not be dismissed under Order 7, Rule 11 of the Code of Civil Procedure, as there was no application pending under that rule.
Issues: Whether the plaintiff had a right to withdraw the application to withdraw the suit.
Ratio Decidendi: The court relied on the case of Yeshwant Govardhan v. Totaram Avasu (AIR 1958 Bombay 28), in which the Bombay High Court held that a plaintiff has a right to withdraw an application for withdrawal of a suit, so long as the withdrawal has not become effective by an order of the court.
Final Decision: The court dismissed the revision petition and upheld the impugned order of the lower court.
Mahesh Bhagwati, J.
1. Challenge in this civil revision is to the order dated 28th July, 2007 whereby the learned Additional District Judge (Fast Track) No. 6, Jaipur City, Jaipur allowed the application dated 28th February, 2007 filed by the Plaintiff and declined to dismiss the suit on an application dated 21st August, 2006 or under Order 7, Rule 11 of Code of Civil Procedure.
2. Heard the learned Counsel for the parties and perused the relevant material on record.
3. During the arguments it emerged that two cross suits came to be filed by both the parties, one for declaration and permanent injunction and another for partition. It also emerged that the suit for declaration and permanent injunction filed by the Petitioner was decreed by the learned trial Court in favour of the revisionist-Plaintiff and against the non-revisionist. Aggrieved with the judgment and decree, the non-revisionists filed an appeal, which also stood dismissed in accordance with the terms of compromise, as both the parties had settled their dispute by way of compromise. Pursuant to the said compromise, the non-revisionists filed an application dated 21st August, 2006 seeking leave of the Court to withdraw the suit. Before any order could have been passed by the learned trial Court on this application, non-revisionist-Plaintiffs filed another application dated 28th February, 2007 seeking permission to withdraw the application dated 21st August, 2006. The learned trial Court vide impugned order dated 28th July, 2007 allowed the application dated 28th February, 2007 and declined to dismiss the suit on the basis of an application dated 21st August, 2006 or under Order 7, Rule 11 of Code of Civil Procedure. Hence, this revision by revisionist Defendant of suit No. 88/2007 pending in the Court of Additional District Judge (Fast Track) No. 6, Jaipur City, Jaipur.
4. Learned Counsel for the revisionist canvassed that both the parties had entered into a compromise and pursuant to that compromise the appeal of non-revisionist-Plaintiffs stood dismissed. The subject-matter in both the suits of declaration and permanent injunction as also partition was the same. The present suit property fell to the share of the revisionist and the Plaintiff-non-revisionists thus had handed over the possession thereof to the revisionist. The Plaintiff in his application dated 21st August, 2006 distinctly admitted that he had no right to the property in dispute and the property was in the possession of the revisionist Defendant. Hence, he should be allowed to withdraw the suit. When the dispute had been settled by way of compromise and the Plaintiff non-revisionists had filed an application seeking permission to withdraw the suit, there was no reason for the Court to allow the application to withdraw the application relating to withdrawing the suit.
5. Learned Counsel further canvassed that the learned trial Court should not have interfered with the application dated 21st August, 2006 when the parties had entered into compromise and the compromise was substantially acted upon. The learned trial Court ought to have stopped the proceedings and prevented the time of the parties and the Court from being wasted. He cited two judgments, reported in (1998) 3 SCC 573: AIR 1998 SC 1297, K.K. Modi v. K.N. Modi (1998) 3 SCC 573 : AIR 1998 SC 1297 and (2006) 3 SCC 100 : AIR 2006 SC 1828 Mayar (H. K.) Ltd. v. Owners and Parties Vessel M. M. Fortune Express (2006) 3 SCC 100 : AIR 2006 SC 1828, in support of his arguments.
6. E-converso, the learned Counsel for the non-revisionists contended that the application dated 21st August, 2006 relating to seeking permission to withdraw the suit was pending with the Court and the same was not decided. He further contended that the Plaintiff had every right to withdraw the application before any order having been passed by the Court thereupon. He has cited the case of Yeshwant Govardhan v. Totaram Avasu AIR 1958 Bombay 28, to support his argument.
7. The onl