Rajasthan High Court
Sen (Actg.), C.J.
M/s. Nehru Motor Transport Co-operative Society Ltd. - Appellant
Versus
The Deputy Registrar, Co-operative Societies, Jodhpur - Respondents
S.B. Civil Writ Petition No. 1829 of 1976
Decided On : March 01, 1977
But that does not imply that the Court can overlook what is nothing but a printing error. It is well settled that where the literal meaning of the words used in a section would manifestly defeat its object by making it meaningless and in effective, it is legitimate and even necessary to adopt the rule of lite rial construction so as to give it a meaning and make it effective and operative. (Para 10)
The Words section 97 in sec. 123 must therefore, be taken to mean sec. 96% otherwise the provision would become nugatory. The Tribunal was, therefore, right in adopting that construction which was more consonance with a reason or justice. At times the intention of the legislature is clear but the unskilfulness of draftsman in introducing certain words in the statute resuls in apparent ineffectiveness of the language. Since courts strongly lean against reducing a statute to a futility, it is permissible in such cases to reject the surplus words to make the statute effective and workable. (Para 11)
It is true that the Deputy Registrar, while appointing the arbitrator, had directed him to make an award within a period of three months. After the expiry of the stipulated period, the petitioner without any objection continued to participate in the proceedings before the arbitrator. Thus, it must be presumed that the petitioner by his conduct acquiesed in the proceedings before the Arbitrator. It must be presumed to have consented to an extension of time. (Para 13)
2. Respondent No, 4 Ramchandra, who is a member of the petitioner society, raised a dispute under sec. 75 of the Act claiming that a sum of Rs. 16,143.50 p. was due to him from the Society. In his statement of claim, the respondent No. 4 asserted that various sums were deposited by him with the Society in his own name and in the name of his relations. In its written statement, there is an admission by the Society of these allegations, though it pleaded that the claim having been preferred beyond the period of limitation prescribed therefore, the claim should not be entertained. The s>le arbitrator by his award dated 5-1-1976 decreed the claim. The Rajasthan State Co-operative Tribunal Jaipur, by its order dated 29-7 1976 dismissed the appeal filed by the petitioner holding that the award being by consent of the parties, the appeal was not maintainable. Thereupon, the petitioner preferred a review on the ground that Explanation to sec. 1.23 incorporates by reference sec. 97 of the Code of Civil Procedure and not sec. 96 and, therefore, sec. 96(3) of the Code was not applicable, so as to preclude the appeal. The Tribunal by its order dated 12-11-1976, however, rejected the contention.
3. The order of the Tribunal was assailed on several grounds, namely, (i) the Court is not entitled to read words into a section and, therefore, the Tribunal was in error in reading sec 96 in sec. 123, (ii) the jurisdiction of the Arbitrator under sec. 75(1)(b) is confined to settling disputes between a member and Society. Admittedly, some of the amounts claimed belonged to other who were not members of the Society and, therefore, the award was nullity, (iii) the Arbitrator having failed to render the award within the period of three months as fixed in the letter of appointment Ex. 13, the award was illegal and void and, therefore, cannot be acted upon There is, in my view no substance in any of these contentions.
4. None of these points were ever raised at any stage of the proceedings before the Tribunal or the Arbitrator.
5. It is well settled that a question not raised before the Tribunal cannot be taken for the first time in proceedings under Article 226 of the Constitution. It the matter of issue of a writ of Certiorari, the High Court exercises a special jurisdiction and not ordinary jurisdiction and that a question of jurisdiction can not be allowed to be raised on a petition when no objection to the jurisdiction had been taken before the Tribunal whose order or proceedings are being challenged.
6. In the case of the King vs. Williams Exparte Philips (1), where a man applied for a writ of certiorari to quash an order made by Justices on the ground that one of the Justices was an interested party, it was held that the applicant was not entitled to the writ ex debito justitiae because knowing the disqualification he bad chosen to stand by during the hearing before the Justice without taking any objection. Channell J , pointed out—
"No objection was taken to the jurisdiction of the Court below at the hearing before that Court; that being so, it is the rule of this Court not to grant a writ of certiorari except upon an affidavit which negatives knowledge on the part of the applicant when he was before the Court below of the facts on which he bases his objection. That rule is established on good grounds. It applies equally whether the objection is on grounds which make the act of the justices voidable or void."
He then observed at page 614: —
"A party may by his conduct preclude himself from cl
(2) Gandhinagar Motor Transport Society vs. State of Bom (AIR 1954 Bom 202)
(4) Prem Lata Agarwal vs. Lakshman Prasad Gupta (AIR 1970 SC 1525)
(5) Bachan Singh vs. Gauri Shankar Agarwal (AIR 1971 SC 1531)
(10) Nalinakhya Bysack vs. Shyam Sunder Haldar (AIR 1953 SC 148)
(13) Cf Raj. Krushna Bose vs. Vinod Kanungo (AIR 1954 SC 202)
(14) Ramaswamy Nadar vs. The State of Madras (AIR 1958 SC 56)
(15) Siraj-ul-Haq vs. Sunui Central Board of Waqf
(16) Champa Kumari Singhi Vs. The Member, Board of Revenue
(3) Ambaram Kaluram Kulmi vs. Guman Singh Ramji (AIR 1957 MP. 58)
(6) Raghunandanlal vs. State of Rajasthan (AIR 1952 Raj. 184)
(8) Barkatali vs. Custodian General of Evacuee Property of India (1955 RLW 95)
(9) Badridas Kanhaiyalal vs. Appellate Tribunal of State Transport Authority
(12) Ramkishandass Dhanuka vs. Satyacharan Law (AIR 1950 P.C. 81)
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