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1951 Supreme(Raj) 175

Rajasthan High Court
Wanchoo C.J. and Bapna, J.
Misrimal - Appellant
Versus
Moda - Respondents
S.B. Civil Revision No, 216 of 1950
Decided On : October 17, 1951

Advocates Appeared:
Chandmal, for Petitioner; Shri Kishan Mal, for Respondents

Headnote:Civil P. C, ss. 19 and 20 — Applicability — Goods entrusted to defendant at B—Plaintiff selling half goods to co-plaintiff at BLT — Munsif BLT whether has jurisdiction.

       The defendant, in payment of his debt, made over a stack of Kay, at B, to the plaintiffs Nos. I to 4 but as it could not be carried away by them he agreed to keep it in his possession and to see that it was safe till they took its delivery. The plaintiffs Nos. 1 to 4 sold half of the stack to the plaintiffs Nos. 5 and 6 at B LT and then demanded delivery of the stack which the defendant failed to make. The plaintiffs therefore brought this suit for damages, on account of, what they alleged to be, the wrongful conversion of goods, in the Munsifs court at BLT.

       Held that the position of the defendant was that of a bailee and the suit was not for damages for wrong done to movable property to which s. 19 C.P.C. could apply, but in fact it was a suit for damages for breach of contract and the place of suing was to be determined with reference to the provisions of sec. 20.

       Further held that the entire cause of action arose at B where the goods were entrusted and where the non-delivery took place.Plain-tiffs Nos. 5 and 6 to whorn half the goods were sold at BLT were mere vendees and not assignees of a debt. Consequently, the Munsifs court at BLT had no jurisdiction to entertain the suit.

Bapna, J.—This is a revision by the plaintiffs against an order of the Civil Judge, Balotra, dismissing an appeal against the order of the Munsif Balotra, directing return of the plaint for presentation to a proper court.

2. The petitioners filed a suit against the opposite party in the court of Munsif Balotra on the allegations that plaintiffs Nos. 1 to 4 had entrusted a certain stack of hay to the defendant on Posh Sudi 12 Smt. 1998 at Baitu under an agreement of that date and later on sold half share of that stack to plaintiffs Nos. 5 and 6 by executing a deed at Balotra on Baisakh Sudi 15 Smt 2002 and thereafter when the plaintiffs asked the defendant to hand back the stack of hay on Baisakh Sudi 15, Smt. 2002, he failed to do so. Plaintiffs claimed Rs. 400/- as damages on account of what they alleged to be the wrongful conversion of goods. The relevant portion of para 3 of the plaint on which the two courts have passed their order is as follows:—

"When the plaintiffs demanded the stack of hay, the defendant neither complied with the terms of his agreement nor handed over the stack of hay and by this committed wrongful conversion for which the defendant is responsible to pay the current price of the goods to the plaintiffs which amounted to Rs. 400/."

The English words wrongful conversion are mentioned in that paragraph of the plaint which is otherwise in Hindi. The relevant portion of the agreement of Smt. 1998 Ex. P- referred to in the plaint is as follows :—

"This document executed by Moda of Baitu in favour of Pratap Mal, Misrimal, Kesrimal and Sohan Raj : whereas I have today given you one stack of hay towards payment of my debt and it is lying to the west of my Dhani, it is (now) yours. But I shall keep watch over it and will cover it. If it is spoiled by rains or eaten away by animals I shall pay its price. I am responsible for it and if any damage occurs,I shall pay it."

3. The defendant contested the suit and pleaded inter alia that the court of Munsif at Balotra where the suit had been instituted had no jurisdiction to entertain it.

4. The learned Munsif accepted the defendants plea on the ground that the suit as framed was one in torts for damages for wrongful conversion of property and could only be instituted under sec. 19 of the Civil Procedure Code in the court which had jurisdiction either at the place where the wrongful conversion took place or where the defendant resided or carried on business or personally worked for gain. It was held that the village Baitu where the conversion took place or where the defendant resided or carried on business or personally worked for gain was not within the jurisdiction of the Balotra court but was within the jurisdiction of the court of Munsif at Barmer. Learned Munsif also held that the assignment of half share alleged to have been made at Balotra was invalid and did not furnish any cause of action as it was a transfer of claim in torts. The learned Munsif ordered that the plaint be returned to the plaintiffs for presentation to the proper court.

5. In appeal it was argued that the suit was for damages for breach of the contract and not in torts, but the learned Civil Judge agreed with the opinion of the lower court and maintained the order of the lower court.

6. In this revision it was contended that the suit as framed was one for damages for breach of contract and it had been wrongly construed as one for damages for wrong done to movable property and that the place of suing should be determined with reference to sec. 20 of the Code of Civil Procedure. This contention is correct. The allegations in the plaint show that the defendant in payment of his debt made over a stack of hay but as it could not be carried away by the plaintiffs, he agreed to keep it in his possession and to see that it was safe till the plaintiffs took its delivery. The position of the defendant was that of a bailee and the allegations in para 3 amounted to a statement that on demand the defendant neither














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