HIGH COURT OF ORISSA
G. K. Misra, J.
PARBATI DEI - Appellant
Versus
ALUPATI DUKHISHYAM PATRA - Respondent
Civil Revn. 227 Of 1964
Decided On : MAY 04, 1965
CIVIL PROCEDURE CODE - AMENDMENT OF PLEADINGS - FRESH WRITTEN STATEMENT - SUBSTITUTION OF ONE WRITTEN STATEMENT FOR ANOTHER - CONDITIONS FOR ALLOWANCE - COSTS.
Fact of the Case:
The petitioner, a young lady, filed a fresh written statement in a title suit, claiming title to the suit house on the strength of a registered deed of gift executed by her father in 1955. The original written statement, filed jointly with her mother, denied the plaintiff's title and claimed that the suit house belonged to the mother. The trial court rejected the fresh written statement, holding that it was inconsistent with the previous pleading and would cause prejudice to the plaintiff.
Finding of the Court:
The court held that the fresh written statement should be accepted as it was based on a registered deed of gift of 1955, which could not have been manufactured between the filing of the two written statements. The court also found that the petitioner's story about how she came to know about the deed of gift was believable and that she had asked for permission to file the fresh written statement before the commencement of the trial, so no injury would be caused to the plaintiff.
Issues: 1. Whether the fresh written statement should be accepted despite being inconsistent with the previous pleading? 2. Whether the amendment would cause prejudice to the plaintiff?
Ratio Decidendi: 1. The court held that the provisions of Order VI, Rule 7 of the Civil Procedure Code, which prohibit the raising of new grounds of claim or allegations of fact inconsistent with previous pleadings, are subject to Order VI, Rule 17, which allows amendments to pleadings at any stage of the proceedings. 2. The court found that the real controversy between the parties was whether the petitioner's father had a subsisting title to the suit house in 1961, when he allegedly sold it to the plaintiff. The fresh written statement raised this issue, and the court held that it was necessary to determine the real questions in controversy between the parties. 3. The court also found that the amendment would not cause prejudice to the plaintiff, as the trial had not yet commenced and no evidence had been adduced.
Final Decision: The court allowed the amendment of the written statement without payment of costs, holding that the petitioner had acted in good faith and that the plaintiff had not suffered any prejudice.
G. K. MISRA, J.
( 1 ) PLAINTIFF (opposite party No. 1) filed a title suit No. 75 of 1963 in the Court of the Munsif. Aska for recovery of arrears of "rent and possession of the suit house from defendant No 1 (opposite party No. 2) on the allegation that the house was leased out to him on 10-3-1961. Plaintiff's title to the suit house is based on a registered deed of sale dated 10-3-61 by the defendant No. 2 (opposite party No. 3) in his favour Defendant No. 2 is the father of the fourth defendant (petitioner)and husband of the third defendant The first defendant denied relationship of landlord and tenant and pleaded that nominally he executed a rent deed on the pressing request of the plaintiff and that he was never inducted as a tenant. The petitioner and her mother engaged one Advocate and filed a joint written statement drafted on the instructions of the mother. The petitioner is a young lady twenty years old and knew nothing about the case. In the joint written statement filed on 4th of May 1964 it was pleaded that the suit house belonged to the third defendant; that the site was purchased and the house was constructed with the funds of the third defendant though the title deed stood in the name of the second defendant The lease set up by the plaintiff was challenged as untrue. The petitioner and her mother claimed to be in possession of the suit house. Thus the petitioner claims no title in herself in the original written statement. Her case is that after the joint written statement was filed she learnt from her neighbours that the suit house had been conveyed to her by her father. She made necessary enquiries and applied for a copy of the registered document. The recitals read out to her revealed that the suit house was gifted to the petitioner by her father by a registered deed on 2-6-1955. On further search of her belongings she also traced out the original deed of gift. On 14-9-64, the petitioner filed both the original and the certified copy of the deed of gift, engaged another advocate and asked for permission of the Court to file a separate written statement setting up her title to the suit house on the strength of the deed of gift executed by her father A fresh written statement was filed on her behalf and an amendment of the written statement was not sought for as initially a joint written statement had been filed and her case in the fresh written statement was opposed to the case of her mother in the original written statement. In substance the prayer was for amendment of her own written statement. The learned Munsif did not grant permission and rejected the written statement by his order dated 19-9-1964 against which the civil revision has been filed
( 2 ) TRIAL of the suit has not yet commenced. It is not disputed that the defence in the fresh written statement is contrary to the earlier one in one material aspect. There is no difference in the averments made in the two written statements that plaintiff has no title and is not entitled to recovery of possession or arrears of rent. The change in the defence lies in the fact that initially plaintiff's stand was that the title to the property vested in her mother and not her father By the subsequent written statement, the petitioner accepts the title of the father and claims her independent title even against the mother on the basis of the registered deed of gift. Another important feature to be noticed is that the conduct of the petitioner does not appear to be mala fide. Her subsequent claim is based on a registered deed of gift of the year 1955 which could not be manufactured subsequent to the filing of the original written statement. The trial Court rightly does not discard the petition' version that on enquin she same to kno of the registered document as being untrue. Thus the following features stand in favour of the petitioner in asking for permission of the Court to file a fresh written statement.
(1) The subsequent claim is based on the regd. deed of g
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