Appeal filed by defendant barred by res judicata.

This second appeal has to be disposed of on a very short ground. The appellant filed O.S. No. 94 of 1976 against one Lakshmana Perumal for declaration of his title and recovery of possession of the suit property. The defendant, Lakshmana Perumal, filed a suit O.S. No. 111 of 1976 for declaration of his title and injunction restraining the appellant from interfering with his possession. Both the suits were tried together. The trial Court by its judgment dated 12th September 1979 upheld the title of the appellant and negatived the claim of the defendant Lakshmana Perumal. He held categorically the appellant had title to the suit property.

2. The aggrieved defendant Lakshmana Perumal filed only one Appeal A.S. No. 161 of 1979 on the file of the Additional Subordinate Judge, Tuticorin against O.S. No. 94 of 1976. He did not file any appeal against O.S. No. 111 of 1976. Thus, the decree and judgment in O.S. No. 111 of 1976 became final.

3. The appellate Court rejected the contention raised by the appellant herein that the appeal was barred by res judicata. According to the appellate Court, as the judgment was a common one, it did not reach finality, with the result the appellate Court went into the question of title and found in favour of Lakshmana Perumal holding against the appellant herein. The aggrieved appellant had preferred this second appeal. Lakshmana Perumal died during the pendency of the appeal and his legal representatives have come on record as respondents 2 to 6.

4. There is no dispute whatever that the appeal filed by Lakshmana Perumal before the Additional Subordinate Judge, Tuticorin was barred by res judicata. The decree in O.S. No. 111 of 1976 has become final. That was on the basis that the appellant herein had title to the property. When there was a decree already by the trial Court, which was final on the footing that the appellant herein had title to the property, it was not open to Lakshmana Perumal to contend in the appeal before the lower appellate Court that the appellant had no title to the property. The lower appellate Court is clearly in error in rejecting the plea of res judicata.

5. The question has been considered by Ratnam J. in Thangavelu Kounder v. Venkatarama Kounder (1988) 2 LW 14 (SN). The relevant passage in the judgment read thus :

"It was pointed out by the Supreme Court that where there are two suits and the decree in one of the suits had become final, the issues decided therein, could not be reopened in the second appeal filed against the decree passed in an appeal arising out of another suit. The Supreme Court had also laid down that even when appeals are disposed of by a common judgment, the decision in that judgment, may amount to two decisions, and the failure of a party to challenge the decision in one, would operate as res judicata as it had not been appealed against. Apart from this, the Supreme Court has also recognised that final decision in a suit, though instituted subsequently, may operate as res judicata in a pending appeal, on the footing of a decision of in a former suit. This principle does not appear to be confined in its application to independently instituted suits, but can be applied even in the case of a common judgment. If two suits are tried together and a common judgment is rendered and separate decree are also drawn up and one of the adjudications is allowed to become final, that adjudication assumes finality on and from the date of its adjudication and in the course of an appeal against the other judgment and decree, the adjudication, which had become final, can be pleaded as res judicata on the ground that the controversy had been finally adjudicated upon" *

6. A similar question arose in M. Subramanian v. C. Chottabhai and Co. (1990) 1 LW 182. Following the judgments of the Supreme Court, I held that the appeals were barred by the principle of res judicata as there was no appeal against one of the suits disposed of by a common judgment in the Trial Cour