PUNJAB & HARYANA HIGH COURT
S.S.Kang, J.
Tarsem Singh
Versus
Daljit Kaur
C.R. No. 2975 of 1984,
Decided On : MAY 27, 1985
CIVIL PROCEDURE CODE - ORDER 6 RULE 17 - AMENDMENT OF PLAINT - LIBERAL APPROACH - AMENDMENT PERMITTED TO INCORPORATE NECESSARY INGREDIENTS FOR SPECIFIC PERFORMANCE OF CONTRACT - NO INJUSTICE CAUSED TO OPPOSITE SIDE - COSTS AWARDED AS COMPENSATION.
Fact of the Case:
Plaintiffs filed a suit for recovery of earnest money and damages for non-performance of an agreement for sale. They sought to amend the plaint to include additional facts and a new relief of specific performance. The trial court rejected the amendment application, holding that it introduced a new cause of action.
Finding of the Court:
The High Court allowed the amendment application, holding that the law regarding amendment of pleadings is liberal and that the plaintiffs had acted promptly in seeking the amendment. The court found that no injustice would be caused to the defendants by the amendment and that they could be compensated by costs.
Issues: Whether the trial court erred in rejecting the amendment application.
Ratio Decidendi: The High Court held that the trial court erred in rejecting the amendment application. The court found that the amendment was necessary to incorporate essential ingredients for specific performance of the contract and that it did not introduce a new cause of action. The court also found that the plaintiffs had acted promptly in seeking the amendment and that no injustice would be caused to the defendants by allowing it.
Final Decision: The High Court allowed the amendment application conditionally on the plaintiffs paying costs to the defendants.
S.S.Kang, J.
1. This revision petition is directed against the order, dated 15th November, 1984, of the learned Subordinate Judge, First Class, Jullundur, whereby he has rejected an application under Order 6 Rule 17, Civil Procedure Code, made by the petitioner. It has been filed in the following circumstances.
2. Tarsem Singh and his brothers filed a suit for the recovery of Rs. 20,000/- being an earnest money and damages fro the non-performance of the agreement for sale. The suit was contested by the defendants. The plaintiffs filed an application for amendment of the plaint and the same was allowed. They were permitted to plead two additional facts, namely, that defendant No. 2 had cancelled the power of attorney of defendant No. 1 and defendant No. 2 had gifted his land in favour of the grandson of defendant No.1. The plaintiffs filed another application seeking amendment to the plaint. They wanted to add that the plaintiffs and defendant No. 3 were always ready and willing to perform their part of the contract and were still ready and willing to perform that part, and that the transfer of land by defendant No. 2 in favour of defendant No. 4 was illegal and was hit by the principles of the lis pendence and the transfer had been made with the intention to commit a fraud on the plaintiffs and defendant No. 3. They also impleaded Sarabjit Singh, defendant. They wanted to amend the prayer clause while seeking the relief of specific performance of the agreement of sale by possession and in the alternative, for the recovery of Rs. 20,000/-. So this application was opposed by the defendants. They pleaded that the present amendment should not be allowed because the plaintiff never had the intention to seek specific performance of the agreement of sale and had in fact given up this relief, and set up inter alia a new case. This relief had not been claimed in the original suit and not even in the first amendment application. The plaintiffs had never pleaded that they had been ready and willing to perform their part of the agreement and were ready and willing to do so. Sarbjit Singh had not been pleaded through the first amendment even though the gift in his favour had been challenged.
3. The learned trial Judge was impressed by the stand taken by the defendants. He came to the conclusion that by omitting to mention in the plaint that the plaintiffs had been and were still ready and willing to perform their part of the contract for sale of immovable property and by this lapse, a valuable right had accrued to the defendants, and the amendment sought to bring about a new cause of action. In reaching this conclusion, the learned Judge sought sustenance from the decisions in Mahmood Khan and another v. Ayub Khan and others, AIR 1978 Allahabad 563, and Bhubaneswar Patel v. Janak Patel and others, AIR 1976 Orissa 216.
4. Sh. Ravinder Seth, Advocate, learned counsel for the petitioner, has argued that the law regarding amendment of pleadings is very liberal. All amendments which are bona fide and not made with some ulterior or oblique motive are permitted by the Courts. In the present case, the plaintiffs had failed to mention certain facts due to inadvertence. They made an application for amendment when the limitation for filing the new suit was still there. In support of his contention, he was relied upon two decisions of this Court in Rama Nand Chaudhary v. Mst. Bhonri and others, AIR 1978 P&H 291, Sardar Hari Bachan Singh v. Major S. Harbhajan Singh and another, 1975 PLR 21; and Smt. Dulla Devi v. Smt. Ram Kaur, 1975 P.L.R. 739. Indeed the decisions cited by the learned counsel for the petitioner, do support his case. Rama Nand Chaudharys case (supra) fully covers the present controversy. In that case, the vendee filed a suit for specific performance of the contract of sale, and had omitted to mention in the plaint that the plaintiff had been and was still ready and willing to perform his part of the contract and the breach of t
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