SupremeToday Landscape Ad
Back
Next
Judicial Analysis Court Copy Headnote Facts Arguments Court observation
Listen Article Pause Article
judgment-img

1929 Supreme(Mad) 242

IN THE HIGH COURT OF MADRAS
A Ayyar
Narayanaswami Udayan
Versus
Mannar
Decided On : 30 July, 1929

The main legal point established is that for a suit to be barred under Order 23, Rule 1 (3) of the Civil Procedure Code, the causes of action and reliefs claimed in the two suits must be substantially the same.

Headnote:

Order 23 - Barred Suit - Civil Procedure Code - [Order 23, Rule 1 (3)]

Fact of the Case:

The plaintiff filed a suit against the defendant to recover possession of properties and for an account of his management as a trustee. The plaintiff later withdrew the suit and filed a second suit claiming that the defendant was a trespasser and seeking possession of the properties and mesne profits.

Finding of the Court:

The court found that the second suit was not barred under Order 23, Rule 1 (3) of the Civil Procedure Code as the causes of action and reliefs claimed in the two suits were substantially different.

Issues: The main issue was whether the present suit was barred under Order 23, Rule 1 (3) of the Civil Procedure Code.

Ratio Decidendi: The court applied the test enunciated by the Full Bench and concluded that the causes of action and reliefs claimed in the two suits were substantially different, thus the present suit was not barred.

Final Decision: The court dismissed the second appeal and granted leave to appeal, holding that the present suit was not barred under Order 23, Rule 1 (3) of the Civil Procedure Code.

JUDGMENT

Ananthakrishna Ayyar, J.

1. The only question that has been argued in this case by the defendant, who is the appellant before me, is whether the present suit is barred under the provisions of Order 23, Rule 1 (3), Civil P.C. The Court of first instance held it was, while the lower appellate Court held it was not.

2. The circumstances under which the plea of bar under Order 23, R 1 (3), Civil P.C. was raised are these : The plaintiffs father, Sabapaths Udayan died in 1913 when plaintiff 1 was a minor. On the allegation that the defendant (the maternal uncle of the plaintiff) was appointed as trustee by the plaintiffs father to manage the suit properties and to render account to the plaintiff on plaintiffs attaining majority, the plaintiff instituted O.S. No. 329, of 1918 on the file of the Ami District Munsifs Court against the defendant to recover possession of the suit properties and for an account of his management of the properties as a trustee of the plaintiff. The defendant denied that he was appointed trustee by the plaintiffs father and also of his liability to account. Before that suit came on for hearing, the plaintiff applied for leave to withdraw the suit and it was ordered that the suit be withdrawn, and that the parties do bear their own costs.

3. No permission of Court was obtained as contemplated by Order 23, Rule 1 00, Civil P.C. Subsequently, the plaintiff brought O.S. No. 476 of 1923, which gave rise to the present second appeal. This second suit is, as I read the plaint, based on the allegation that the defendant is a trespasser, who took possession of the properties on the death of the plaintiffs father without any right to do so, the plaintiff having been a minor at the time. Para. 9 of the plaint alleged that the plaintiff was misled by the representations made by the defendant and hence framed the former suit on the footing that the defendant was a trustee on behalf of the plaintiff, and that it was after the filing of the written statement by the defendant, that the plaintiff found out that the defendant had misled him, and that he accordingly withdrew the prior suit and filed the present suit on the footing that the defendant was a trespasser. Para. 15 stated that the cause of action arose in November 1913, when the defendant trespassed on the suit properties on the death of the plaintiffs father, and the plaint prayed for delivery of possession of the properties and for payment of mesne profits for the three years prior to the date of the suit. The defendant raised the plea of bar under Order 23, Rule 1 (3), Civil P.C. The question for consideration is whether the present suit is so barred.

4. The plaint in the former suit is very material to decide this question, and though it was not filed as an exhibit in the first Court, I am informed by the learned advocate for the parties that the same was filed and marked Ex. 5 by the lower appellate Court. I find that Ex. 5 is referred to in para. 8 of the appellate judgment; but it would be better, if lower appellate Courts would append to their judgments a list of new exhibits filed by parties for the first time in the appellate Court: see Rule 84, Civil Rules of Practice and Circular Order Vol. 1, p. 99. I think this is generally done; but in the present case the appellate judgment contains no such list, and so there was some difficulty in ascertaining the exact facts relating to Ex. 5. But it is clear that the plaint in the prior suit was accepted (and I think rightly) by the lower appellate Court and marked as Ex. 5. Without reference to the plaint in, the prior suit it would he difficult to decide questions of bar under Order 23, R 1 (3), satisfactorily. Though Ex. 5 has not been translated and printed, the same was read out in Court and I have no doubt that it was a suit filed on the basis that the defendant, the maternal uncle of the plaintiff, was shortly before the death of the father of the plaintiff appointed as trustee of the properties (which
















Click Here to Read the rest of this document
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
SupremeToday Portrait Ad
supreme today icon
whatsapp-icon Back to top