IN THE HIGH COURT OF JHARKHAND AT RANCHI
Gautam Kumar Choudhary, J.
Kartik Singh Munda - Petitioner
Versus
Lakhimani Devi and ors. – Opposite Parties
C. M. P. No. 39 of 2022
Decided On : 15-12-2022
Constitution of India, 1950 - Article 227 – Code of Civil Procedure, 1908 - Order XLI Rule 27, (aa) & (b), Order 9 Rule 8, 9, Section 151 - Production of certified copy of plaint - Additional evidence - Petition filed whereby appellate court has dismissed petition for production of certified copy of plaint and order sheet of one earlier suit earlier filed by respondent no. 1 against petitioner - Whether document in question can be admitted as additional evidence at appellate stage in view of provision of law as set out under O41 R 27 – Held, General principle is that appellate court should not travel outside record of lower court and cannot take any evidence in appeal - However, as an exception, Order 41 Rule 27 CPC enables appellate court to take additional evidence in exceptional circumstances - Learned court below has dismissed petition for adducing said document as additional evidence for reason that it is an admitted position that earlier suit being T.S. was dismissed for default - Trial court had framed specific issue no.9, whether suit was hopelessly barred by principle of res judicata - This issue was decided against defendant - It was for this reason that learned appellate court rejected petition for additional evidence - From above it is manifest that petitioner had not exercised due diligence to bring it on record said document at stage of trial and further said document had no direct bearing on instant case - It was for these reasons that petition had been rejected - Petition dismissed.
ORDER :
1. The instant civil misc. petition has been filed under Article 227 of the Constitution of India for quashing the order dated 13.03.2020 passed by learned AJC-XV, Ranchi in Civil Appeal No. 103 of 2018 arising out of judgment dated 30.07.2018 and decree dated 14.08.2018 passed in Title Suit No. 90 of 2014 whereby and where under, the appellate court has dismissed the petition filed by the petitioner under Order XLI Rule 27(aa) & (b) read with Section 151 of C.P.C. for production of certified copy of plaint and order sheet of one earlier suit earlier filed by respondent no. 1 against the petitioner.
2. The petitioner Kartik Singh Munda is the defendant no.1in earlier Title Suit No. 90 of 2014 filed by Plaintiff Lakhimani Devi (OP no.1) for cancellation of adoption deed which was decreed in favour of the plaintiff. Against the dismissal of the suit, the petitioner preferred Civil Appeal No. 103 of 2018 in which the petition for adducing additional evidence was filed which has been rejected against which the present petition has been filed.
3. The petitioner sought to adduce into evidence the certified copy of the plaint of earlier Title Suit No. 104 of 2012 filed by the plaintiff-opposite party no. 1 for the same cause of action was dismissed for non-prosecution and had attained finality. These facts had been specifically pleaded in para-21 of the written statement. It was for this reason that the petitioner/appellant filed the petition under Order XLI Rule 27 C.P.C. for adducing into evidence the plaint of the earlier suit filed by the plaintiff which has been rejected. Further, the earlier plaint was also required to bring inconsistency and contradiction in the averment made in both the suits ie TS104/12 and TS 90/12. Reliance has been placed on Jayaramdas & Sons v. Mirza Rafatullah Baig, (2004) 10 SCC 507 :
4. Learned counsel for opposite party no. 1 submits that earlier the suit was dismissed for default and the present case is not maintainable and will be hit by res-judicata. Reliance has been placed on State of U.P. v. Jagdish Sharan Agrawal, (2009) 1 SCC 689 which involved a case where the suit had been dismissed not on merit but on technical ground. So far the suit where the State was a party and amendments were made, the same was dismissed for non-prosecution. But the same was not dismissed under Order 9 Rule 8. Order 9 Rule 8 and Order 9 Rule 9 CPC read as follows:
9. Decree against plaintiff by default bars fresh suit.—(1) Where a suit is wholly or partly dismissed under Rule 8, the plaintiff shall be precluded from 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 wa
Jayaramdas & Sons v. Mirza Rafatullah Baig
The admissibility of additional evidence in appellate proceedings depends on its necessity for the court to pronounce judgment, not on prior opportunities to present it.
The court upheld that additional evidence in appellate proceedings is only admissible under specific conditions, underscoring the importance of judicial discretion and the res-judicata principle.
Additional evidence under Order 41 Rule 27 CPC must be considered at the final hearing of an appeal, not prior.
The appellate court may only admit additional evidence under specific conditions, which were not met by the petitioners, as they failed to demonstrate due diligence in producing the evidence during t....
The admissibility of additional evidence at the appellate stage depends on whether the appellate court requires the evidence to enable it to pronounce judgment or for any other substantial cause.
The court affirmed that additional evidence in appellate proceedings is only permissible if necessary for a just decision, not to remedy deficiencies in the original case.
Login now and unlock free premium legal research
Login to SupremeToday AI and access free legal analysis, AI highlights, and smart tools.
Login
now!
India’s Legal research and Law Firm App, Download now!
Copyright © 2023 Vikas Info Solution Pvt Ltd. All Rights Reserved.