IN THE HIGH COURT OF ALLAHABAD
J. K. Tandon, J.
RAJA RAM - Appellant
Versus
BISRAM - Respondents
Appln. 22 Of 1957
Decided On : 03/31/1960
CIVIL PROCEDURE CODE, 1908 - SECTION 47 - PAYMENT INTO COURT - POST OFFICE NOT AGENT OF COURT - MONEY ORDER SENT AFTER DUE DATE - NO SATISFACTION OF DECREE.
Fact of the Case:
The applicant sent a postal money order for Rs. 190/- to the court on 26th May, 1956, two days after the one-month deadline set by the decree. The decree-holder argued that the applicant had defaulted and was liable for the full decretal amount.
Finding of the Court:
The court held that the post office was not the agent of the court and that the applicant had not made the payment into court within the stipulated time. Therefore, the applicant was liable for the full decretal amount.
Issues: Whether the post office can be considered an agent of the court for the purpose of making payments into court.
Ratio Decidendi: The court relied on Section 44 of the Post Office Act, 1898, which allows the remitter of a money order to recall the money before it is paid to the payee. This shows that the post office is not the agent of the payee.
Final Decision: The court dismissed the applicant's objection under Section 47 of the Code of Civil Procedure and upheld the decree-holder's right to execute the decree for the full amount.
( 1 ) THIS revision is directed against the order of the learned Judge Small Causes, Sitapur by which he dismissed the applicants objection under Section 47 of the Code of Civil Procedure. The opposite party has a decree, which apparently was passed upon a compromise arrived at between the applicant and him. The terms of the decree were that the whole of the claim of the opposite party which amounted to Rs. 358/- was decreed but it was further provided that in case the applicant paid into court a sum of Rs. 190/-within one month from 27th April, 1956, the entire decretal amount shall be deemed to have been paid off and the decree shall be taken to have been satisfied in full. The decree further went on to provide that in default of payment as aforesaid the decree-holder will be entitled to execute the decree for the full amount and costs. In brief therefore a decree for the full amount of Rs. 358/- and costs had been awarded with the stipulation attached to it that in case the applicant was able to pay Rs. 190/- within one month from 27th April, 1956 it shall stand discharged in full.
( 2 ) THE facts as held by the court "below are that the applicant sent a sum of Rs. 190/- through post office by a postal money order addressed to the Judge Small Cause Court, Sitapur, on 26th may, 1956. The money order reached the office of the Judge on 30th May, 1956 which was late by two days than the period of one month provided by the decree. The decree-holder treating that there was default by the judgment-debtor in fulfilling the stipulation regarding payment of Rs. 190/-within one month held that the entire decretal amount became payable to him (the decree-holder ). The applicant feeling dissatisfied with the above order of the learned Judge has come up in revision.
( 3 ) THE only point that has been urged in support of the revision is that the applicant having delivered the postal money order to the Post Office for transmission to the Judge on 26th May, 1950 there was sufficient compliance of the terms of the decree, in other words, he had not defaulted in fulfilling the obligations which entitled him to an order for full satisfaction of the decree. Since it is not disputed that the money order reached the court into which the money was required to be deposited within one month of 27th April, 1956, on the 30th day of March 1956, the answer to the plea raised by the applicant will depend on how far the post office can under the circumstances be treated to be an agent of the Court so that the delivery of the money order to the post office amounted to making the deposit into the court itself.
( 4 ) THIS is not a case in which the parties had independently agreed that the money shall be sent by money order, on the contrary, the terms of the decree-required the amount to be deposited into court which implied that the payment shall be made by depositing the amount through normal channels into the office of the court. All those cases in which the manner of payment through post office is agreed to between the parties have thug no direct relevance. The learned counsel for the applicant relied on the case of Commissioner of Income Tax, Bombay South, bombay v. Ogale Glass Works Ltd. , AIR 1954 SC 429 to support his contention that the post office was the agent of the court. In it the sending of cheques through post was a part of agreement between the parties, as however is not the case here. The above case is therefore clearly distinguishable. Moreover, the decision" in it was with regard to delivery of a postal article which is governed under the Post office Act by substantially different provisions. So far as "money Orders" are concerned, the relevant provision is contained in Section 44 of the Post Office Act, 1898 and it is to the effect that a person remitting money through post office by means of a money order can require that the amount of the money order if not paid to the payee shall be repaid to him or be paid to such pe
Kirloskar Bros. Ltd. v. Commissioner of Income-tax, Bombay
REFERRED TO : Commissioner of Income Tax, Bombay South, Bombay v. Ogale Glass Works Ltd.
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