Alfred Henry Lionel Leach, C.J.

1. The question involved in this petition is whether the District Munsif of Calicut exercising small cause jurisdiction was right in entertaining the suit filed by the respondent against the petitioner. The respondent was the agent of a stanam and it was his duty as such to collect the rents due to the stanam and to meet all proper expenses in connection with the estate. He was appointed as the agent on the 17th September, 1931. For reasons which have not been disclosed, and in any event would not be material, he was suspended from his duties on the 21st August, 1932. His suspension was followed by his dismissal on the 17th December, 1932. The respondent filed the suit out of which this petition arises to recover from the petitioner a sum of Rs. 189-9-9. His case was that after taking into account what he had collected by way of rent and what he had expended, and the salary due to him during his period of suspension together with the peons salary which he had himself met, the petitioner was liable in the sum mentioned. The petitioner objected to the jurisdiction of the Court on the ground that this was a suit for an account within the meaning