IN THE HIGH COURT OF JUDICATURE AT MADRAS
G. Chandrasekharan, J.
Rajendran and ors. – Petitioners
Versus
Jamal Mohammed Fizal, Represented by his Power Agent and ors. – Respondents
C.R.P.(P.D)No.2027 of 2021 and C.M.P.No.15410 of 2021
Decided On : 12-11-2021
Civil Procedure code, 1908 - Order VII Rule 14 and Section 151 - Production of document on which plaintiff sues or relies - Respondents filed O.S. for relief of recovery of possession and for permanent injunction and other reliefs - When suit was pending for examination of respondents/plaintiffs evidence, respondents filed I.A. for production of documents by condoning delay in filing documents - Documents came to possession of respondents only now and these documents could not be filed along with plaint - Petition for condoning delay in filing documents was filed - Main objections raised by learned counsel for petitioners in receiving additional documents filed by respondents is that these documents had not been pleaded in plaint – Held, it is seen that already a petition in I.A. was filed to receive document and was not pressed - Not only that, petition to receive an additional documents have been filed when suit was posted for written submissions of defendants - These two things had also weighed in mind of Court to come to conclusion that petition filed to receive additional documents cannot be entertained - Fact, situation in this case is different - Only now plaintiff side witnesses are being examined - If respondents are denied opportunity to produce documents to prove their case, it is no doubt that their case would be seriously affected - Documents now sought to be produced can be received as additional documents and admitted in evidence subject to admissibility, relevancy and proof - Civil Revision Petition dismissed.
ORDER :
This petition is filed against the order passed in I.A.No.7 of 2021 in O.S.No.298 of 2016 on the file of the learned Additional Subordinate Judge, Mayiladudurai.
2. Respondents filed O.S.No.298 of 2018 for the relief of recovery of possession and for permanent injunction and other reliefs. When the suit was pending for examination of respondents/plaintiffs evidence, respondents filed I.A.No.7 of 2021 for production of the documents by condoning the delay in filing the documents. This application was filed under Order VII Rule 14 and Section 151 C.P.C. It is seen from the affidavit filed in support of this petition that the documents mentioned in I.A.No.7 of 2021 are important documents to prove the case of the respondents. These documents came to the possession of the respondents only now and therefore these documents could not be filed along with the plaint. Thus, the petition for condoning the delay in filing the documents was filed. This contention of the respondents was strongly opposed by the learned counsel for the petitioners alleging that there is absolutely no pleadings with regard to these documents in the plaint. In the absence of any pleadings with regard to these documents, petitioners are denied the opportunity of raising their objection to these documents in their written statement. That opportunity is lost to the petitioners. Moreover, there is no mention in the affidavit as to where these documents during all these times and in whose possessions these documents where. There is also no reference about when these documents came to the possession of the respondents. Some of these documents are required to be registered and therefore they are not admissible in evidence. Some of these documents are xerox copies, therefore they cannot be admitted in evidence. These documents can be marked only through petitioner Jamal Mohammed Fizal and not through Ahamed Ali who filed the petition as a power agent of the plaintiff under Order VII Rule 14 C.P.C. Only the documents are relied in the plaint can be received. Since, these documents are not relied in the plaint they cannot be received. In support of this submission, he pressed into service, the judgment reported in 2021 (4) L.W. 309 (M/s. Vijayalakshmi Palanisamy Charitable Trust Vs. Arulmigu Arunachaleswarar Tirukkoil). Therefore, the learned counsel for the petitioners submitted that the order passed by the learned Additional Sub Judge, Mayiladudurai in allowing the I.A.No.7 of 2021 is not in accordance with law and has to be set aside.
3. In response, the learned counsel for the respondents submitted that the respondents came to possess these documents only recently. There are enough pleadings available in the plaint that these documents are necessary documents to prove the case of the respondents. Merely because these documents are not specifically adverted to in the plaint, respondents cannot be denied the opportunity to produce the material documents before the Trial Court for proving their case. If these documents are not permitted to be produced and marked, respondents would be seriously prejudiced and it would affect the outcome of the case. Thus, he prayed for sustaining the order of the learned Additional Sub Judge, Mayiladudurai and for dismissal of this Civil Revision Petition.
4. Considered rival submissions and perused the records.
5. The main objections raised by the learned counsel for the petitioners in receiving the additional documents filed by the respondents is that these documents had not been pleaded in the plaint. He drew the attention of this Court the provision in Order VII Rule 14 to highlight that only the documents relied in plaint can be received. Order VII Rule 14 reads as follows:
“(1) Where a plaintiff sues upon a document or relies upon document in his possession or power in support of his claim, he shall enter such documents in a list, and shall produce it in Court when the pl
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