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2004 Supreme(J&K) 154

IN THE HIGH COURT OF JAMMU AND KASHMIR AT SRINAGAR
S.N. Jha, J.
State Of J&K & Ors. - Appellant
Versus
Gh. Mohd. Khuroo - Respondent
Civil Revision No. 126/2002
Decided On : 19 May, 2004

Advocates Appeared:
Advocate For Appellant: S.R. Hussain
Advocate For Respondent: Z.A. Qureshi

A decree passed in a time-barred suit may be a bad decree, but it cannot be considered a null and void decree that cannot be executed in an execution proceeding.

Headnote:

Attachment of Accounts - Execution Proceeding - Jammu and Kashmir Limitation Act - Summary Judgment

Fact of the Case:

The judgment debtors appealed against the attachment of their accounts in an execution proceeding initiated by the respondent. The respondent had filed a suit claiming dues from the petitioners for breach of contract and damages. The petitioners failed to file a written statement within the allowed time, and their defense was struck off. Despite being given an opportunity to file a written statement, the petitioners failed to do so within the specified time. The trial court accepted the written statement, but the appeal against the judgment and decree was dismissed on the ground of limitation, rendering the decree virtually ex parte. The respondent then initiated execution proceedings, leading to the impugned order.

Finding of the Court:

The court found that the nature of the suit was for the recovery of money, and the decree declaring the respondent entitled to recovery of money was in accordance with the case of the respondent and not beyond the scope of the suit. The court also held that the decree, having attained finality, could not be questioned at that stage. The court rejected the argument that the suit was time-barred and that the decree passed therein must be treated as a nullity, making the execution case inexecutable.

Issues: The issues involved the attachment of accounts in an execution proceeding, the nature of the suit, the validity of the decree, and the jurisdiction of the court to pass the decree in a time-barred suit.

Ratio Decidendi: The court held that a decree passed in a time-barred suit may be a bad decree, liable to be set aside in appeal or revision, but it cannot be considered a null and void decree that cannot be executed in an execution proceeding. The court emphasized that the executing court cannot go behind the decree unless it is shown that it is passed by a court having inherent lack of jurisdiction, which would make it a nullity.

Final Decision: The civil revision was dismissed without any order as to costs.

This revision by the judgment debtors is directed against an order by which their accounts have been attached in an execution proceeding.

2. The facts of the case are that respondent Ghulam Mohammad Khuroo instituted suit No. 50/Civil of 1983 claiming Rs. 38,175/- as dues from the petitioners on account of execution of certain contract work and damages resulting from breach of contract, and earnest money. The petitioners failed to file written statement within time allowed and in the circumstances on 18-7-1985, order was passed "striking off" defence. The petitioners came to this Court in Civil Revision No. 129/1985 by order dated 17-4-1986, the revision was disposed of with liberty to the petitioners to file written statement on payment of costs imposed by the court, by 30-4-1986 failing which the impugned order striking off the defence was to stand confirmed. Unfortunately, the petitioners failed to file the written statement within time. They did so on 14-6-1986. The written statement was accepted by the trial court against which respondents filed Civil Revision No. 144/1986. By order dated 11-5-1989, this Court set aside the order by which the written statement was accepted on the ground that in terms of the earlier order, the written statement should have been filed by 30-4-1986. At the stage of trial the witnesses of the respondent were cross examined on behalf of the petitioners but they did not examine any witness and thus led no evidence of their own. It is futile to go into the course which the trial of the suit took at this stage. Unfortunately the appeal preferred by the petitioners against the judgment and decree in the suit was dismissed on the ground of limitation with the result that the decree of the trial court rendered virtually ex parte became final. The respondent levied execution in course of which impugned order came to be passed on 27-8-2002.

Mr.S.R.Hussain, learned AAG appearing for the petitioners submitted that the declaratory decree passed by the trial court cannot be executed and, therefore, the execution case is not maintainable. He referred to the relief portion of the plaint and the decree sheet. The relief portion of the plaint reads as under:-

"That the plaintiff prays that the Honble Court declare the defendants have committed a breach of contract and they (defendants) owe to the plaintiff an amount of Rs. 38, 175/-(thirty eight thousand and one hundred and seventy five). The Honble court may also pass any other order and decree for the consequential relief including release of earnest money and decretal amount with interest and costs."

The decree sheet reads as under:

"Suit is decreed with costs and decree in favour of the plaintiff and against the defendants is passed in the following terms: The plaintiff is declared entitled for the recovery of the principal decretal amount of Rs. 38,175/- from the defendants along with the compound of the interest at the rate of 15% P.A. from the date the payment was with-held by the defendant till total amount is recovered from them. The defendants meanwhile are directed to review the contract card of the plaintiff which the plaintiff is entitled to get it released from this Court after the period of appeal in this is over. The plaintiff is also held entitled to the cost of the suit."

3. It is well settled that the nature of the suit has to be gathered on the basis of the averments in the plaint as a whole and not only the relief(s) sought by the plaintiff. Perusal of the plaint as a whole leaves little room for doubt that the suit was for recovery of money. Even if the respondent did not seek such relief in so many words, the court was competent to mould the reliefs claimed and grant appropriate reliefs which the plaintiff was be entitled to. Indeed, the respondent had sought "any other order and decree for the consequential relief. The decree declaring the respondent entitled to recovery of money was thus in accordance with the case of the respondent and not

























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