IN THE HIGH COURT OF JAMMU AND KASHMIR AT JAMMU
S. Murtaza Fazl Ali, J.
Rana Amar Chand - Appellant
Versus
Ram Lal & Ors. - Respondent
CSA No. 47/1972
Decided On : 05 March, 1975
CIVIL PROCEDURE CODE - O.9 R.9 - SUIT FOR EJECTMENT OF TRESPASSER - DISMISSAL OF PREVIOUS SUIT - WHETHER BAR TO SUBSEQUENT SUIT - ACT OF TRESPASS AS CONTINUING WRONG - RIGHT TO EJECT TRESPASSER AS LEGAL INCIDENT OF OWNERSHIP.
Fact of the Case:
Plaintiff filed a suit for possession of land, alleging that the defendants had forcibly dispossessed him in Kharif 2011. The defendants contended that the suit was barred by O.9 R.9 of the Civil Procedure Code, as a previous suit for possession, alleging dispossession in Har 2010, had been dismissed for default. The trial court and the lower appellate court dismissed the suit on this ground.
Finding of the Court:
The High Court held that the causes of action in the two suits were not identical, as the alleged dispossession in the second suit occurred a year after the alleged dispossession in the first suit. The court further held that the act of trespass is a continuing wrong, giving rise to a recurring cause of action, and that the right to eject a trespasser is a legal incident of the right of ownership. Therefore, the second suit was not barred by O.9 R.9 of the Civil Procedure Code.
Issues: 1. Whether the causes of action in the two suits were identical? 2. Whether the act of trespass is a continuing wrong, giving rise to a recurring cause of action? 3. Whether the right to eject a trespasser is a legal incident of the right of ownership?
Ratio Decidendi: 1. The causes of action in the two suits were not identical, as the alleged dispossession in the second suit occurred a year after the alleged dispossession in the first suit. 2. The act of trespass is a continuing wrong, giving rise to a recurring cause of action. 3. The right to eject a trespasser is a legal incident of the right of ownership.
Final Decision: The High Court allowed the appeal, set aside the judgments and decrees of the courts below, and remanded the suit to the trial court for fresh decision.
2. The present suit was brought by the plaintiff on 17-10-C2 in respect of the lands in dispute which comprise survey Nos. 02,34, 184, 226, 354, 362 528, 657, 434, 266, 270 min. 785,770 and 785 min situate in village Khulhand Tehsil Doda on the ground that the plaintiff was the owner of these lands and the defendants had by playing fraud and taking advantage of the absence of the plaintiff got some wrong mutations made and forcibly dispossessed the plaintiff in Kharif 2011. The defendants being trespassers, the plaintiff prayed for a decree for possession by ejecting them from the lands in dispute. It appears that a suit on almost similar allegations was brought by the plaintiff on 1st Phagon 2011 wherein the plaintiff has alleged that in his absence the defendants got some false mutations made in collusion with the Patwari and entered into unlawful possession of the land in Har 2010 and being trespassers they were entitled to be ejected by the court. The previous suit appears to have been dismissed on 10-8-58 for the non-appearance of the plaintiff. No application for setting aside the order dismissing the suit for default was made by the plaintiff under 0.9 r. 9 of the Civil P.C. but instead a fresh suit was filed on 17-10-62 which was dismissed by the Munsiff Doda on the ground that the present suit was barred under 0.9 r. 9. The plaintiff then went up in appeal to the District Judge who dismissed the appeal by his order dated 7-6-72. Hence the second appeal before me.
3. Mr. J.S Kotwal appearing for the appellant has raised a very ingenious and interesting point of law before me. He has submitted that the courts below were wrong in holding that the causes of action for the two suits were identical. Secondly he contended that even if causes of action in the two suits were the same, since the act trespass is a continuing wrong, a fresh suit could not be barred under 0.9 r. 9 of the Civil P.C. The learned Advocate for the respondents, however, submitted that reading the two plaints together, the causes of action in both the suits are substantially the same and therefore the present suit is clearly barred by the express provisions of 0.9 r. 9 of the Civil P. C, The learned counsel for the respondents relied on a decision of the Supreme Court in AIR 1965 SC 295. As the two points raised by the counsel for the appellant are inter-connected, I would like to deal with them together. Before, however, discussing the points raised before me, it will be necessary to examine the provisions of 0.9 r. 9 of the Civil P. C. the relevant part of which runs as follows:
"Where a suit is wholly or partly dismissed under Rule 8, the plaintiff shall be precluded form bringing a fresh suit in respect of the same cause of action. But he may apply for an order to set the dismissal, aside, and if he satisfies the Court that there was sufficient cause for his non-appearance when the suit was called on for hearing, the court shall make an order setting aside the dismissal upon such terms as to costs or otherwise as it thinks fit, and shall appoint a day for proceeding with the suit."
4. It would be seen that the provision uses the words "the same cause of action. Therefore the sine quo non-for the application of this provision is the identify of the causes of action. In the instant case a perusal of the relevant part of the plaints in the two suits would clearly show that the cause of action couldn™t be said to be identical in both the suits on a point of fact. In the previous suit the plaintiff had alleged that during his absence the defendants in collusion with the Patwari got a false mutation made and took unlawful possession of the lands in Har 2010. There is no allegation that the plaintiff was physically or forcibly dispossessed by t
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