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1966 Supreme(Mad) 391

Madras High Court
RAMAPRASADA RAO
Firm of Mahadeva Rice and Oil Mills - Appellant
Versus
Chennimalai Goundar - Respondent
Decided On : 12/16/1966

Advocates:
T.R. Ramachandran, for Petitioners; K. Sarvabhauman, for Respondent.

A proper party is one without whose presence the question in the suit cannot be completely and effectually adjudicated upon. A person can be impleaded as a proper party only if he has a subsisting interest in the subject-matter of the suit and his presence is necessary to decide all questions arising in the suit.

Headnote:

IMPLEADING PARTIES - O. 1, R. 10, CIVIL P.C. - PROPER PARTY - TESTS - INTEREST IN SUBJECT-MATTER - AVOIDANCE OF MULTIPLICITY OF SUITS - RELEVANT CONSIDERATIONS.

Fact of the Case:

The respondent filed a suit for partition of a rice mill, alleging that he was a co-sharer. The petitioners, who were the co-owners of the mill, filed a suit for an injunction restraining the respondent from interfering with their business. The respondent applied to implead his vendor as a party to both suits, contending that he was a necessary and proper party. The lower court allowed the application, holding that the vendor was a proper party under O. 1, R. 10, Civil P.C.

Finding of the Court:

The court held that the vendor was not a proper party to the suits. It held that a proper party is one without whose presence the question in the suit cannot be completely and effectually adjudicated upon. The court held that the vendor had no subsisting interest in the subject-matter of the suits and that his presence was not necessary to decide all questions arising in the suits. The court also held that the impleading of the vendor would not avoid multiplicity of suits.

Issues: Whether the vendor of the respondent was a proper party to the suits.

Ratio Decidendi: The court held that the vendor was not a proper party to the suits because he had no subsisting interest in the subject-matter of the suits and his presence was not necessary to decide all questions arising in the suits. The court also held that the impleading of the vendor would not avoid multiplicity of suits.

Final Decision: The court set aside the order of the lower court which directed that the vendor be added as a regular party to the suits.

ORDER :- The petitioners in both the civil revision petitions are the same. The petitioners were the co-owners of a rice-mill known as Mahadeva Rice and Oil Mills, along with one Palaniappa. The said Palaniappa sold his moiety of his share to the respondent. The respondent alleged that he is a co-sharer in the said mills and on that basis filed O.S. No. 164 of 1963 on the file of the Court of the Subordinate Judge, Erode, for a partition of the mills and for separate possession of his share. The petitioners filed their written statement contending inter alia that the mills is a partnership property and that a suit for partition is not maintainable, during the continuance of the partnership. Whilst this suit was pending, the petitioners filed a suit O.S. No. 520 of 1963 in the District Munsif's Court, Erode, against the respondent and prayed for an injunction restraining the respondent from trespassing into the rice-mill premises and interfering with the business of the petitioners. The suit was transferred to the Subordinate Judge's Court, Erode, and now bears O.S. No. 151 of 1964. After the pleadings in both the suits were complete, the respondent took out an application in each of the suits pending in the Sub-Court, Erode, for impleading his vendor Palaniappa Chettiar as a party to both the suits. His contention was that his vendor was both a necessary and a proper party to the suit having regard to the allegations in the pleadings. This was resisted by the petitioners. The lower Court allowed the application and ordered that Palaniappa Chettiar has to be impleaded though not as a necessary party, but as a proper party under O. 1, R. 10, Civil P.C. The two civil revision petitions are directed against each of such orders in the two suits.

2. A proper party is one without whose presence the question in the suit cannot be completely and effectually adjudicated upon. If he is neither a necessary party nor a proper party, the Court has no jurisdiction to add him as a party. Now that the lower Court has held that the vendor of the plaintiff is not a necessary party, it is for consideration whether he is a proper party. If he is not, the lower Court erred in exercising jurisdiction which it has none by impleading the vendor, and its order would be, therefore, subject to my revisional jurisdiction.

3. It is an essential prerequisite for one to be made a party that he should have a subsisting interest in the subject-matter of the suit. Ramamurti, J., had occasion to consider exhaustively the implications of O. 1 R. 10, Civil P.C. In Krishnamachari v. Dhanalakshmi Animal, (1966) 2 Mad LJ 298 : (AIR 1968 Mad 142). The learned Judge observed that the interest that is necessary to make a person a party is legal interest including equitable interest, that is, an interest which law would recognise and uphold. Thus, the sine qua non for any person being impleaded to an already pending lis is that he or she should have a direct or tangible interest in the subject-matter. A mere convenience or benefit which might possibly result to a party applicant by adding another party to the pending suit is not the test to be applied. Avoidance of multiplicity of legal proceedings is no doubt a salient rule. Such avoidance must begin relation to the lis in question and cannot embarrass all possible conceivable litigation that the parties may indulge in later which are totally unconnected with the main issues in the suit. Another infallible test is that a new party can be added in order to decide all questions arising in the suit or involved in the suit. If, therefore, such questions can be decided without the proposed party, the judicial discretion vested in Court to implead parties under O. 1, R. 10 (2), Civil P.C., ought not to be exercised; if so exercised, it would amount to a patent exercise of jurisdiction when it is not there. In Rasia Begum v. Anwar Begum, 1959 SCR 1111 : (AIR 1958 SC 886), their Lordships of the Supreme Court held that the intere







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