Allahbad High Court
K.B.ASTHANA
Haji Kutubuddin - Appellant
Versus
Allah Banda - Respondent
Decided On : 12/08/1972
COMMISSIONER'S REPORT - ADMISSIBILITY - CIVIL PROCEDURE CODE, 1908 - SECTION 83 - COURT'S DISCRETION TO CONSIDER OR NOT - OBJECTION TO REPORT NOT SUPPORTED BY AFFIDAVIT - NOT MANDATORY - COURT TO DECIDE BASED ON FACTS AND CIRCUMSTANCES.
Fact of the Case:
Plaintiff sued defendant for breach of contract for sale of timber. Defendant agreed to uproot trees and make available timber and roots on payment of agreed price plus labor charges. Plaintiff alleged defendant felled fewer trees, kept back roots of some trees, and did not keep specified quantity of timber ready for transport. Trial court appointed a Commissioner to inspect the spot. Commissioner's report corroborated plaintiff's version. Defendant objected to the report, alleging he was not present during inspection. Trial court did not decide on the objection and relied on the report to decree the suit. Appellate court discarded the report as the objection remained undecided and defendant had no opportunity to controvert it. Plaintiff appealed.
Finding of the Court:
Appellate court did not err in discarding the Commissioner's report. The report was not substantive evidence and could only become so if the Commissioner was examined as a witness. The court has the discretion to consider or not consider the report of a local investigation made by a lawyer Commissioner. An objection to the report need not always be supported by an affidavit. The court must decide based on the facts and circumstances of each case.
Issues: Whether the appellate court erred in discarding the Commissioner's report without deciding on the objection raised by the defendant.
Ratio Decidendi: The court has the discretion to consider or not consider the report of a local investigation made by a lawyer Commissioner. An objection to the report need not always be supported by an affidavit. The court must decide based on the facts and circumstances of each case. In this case, the appellate court did not err in discarding the report as the objection remained undecided and the defendant had no opportunity to controvert it.
Final Decision: Appeal dismissed.
2. It was submitted by the learned counsel for the plaintiff appellant that the objection to the Commissioner's report not having been supported by an affidavit was of no avail and the Commissioner's report was legal evidence on the basis of which findings ought to have been recorded by the court below. The contention was that the finding of fact recorded by the lower appellate court was vitiated by omitting to take into consideration the evidence furnished by Commissioner's report. Reliance was placed on the case of Shiv Sahai v. Har Narain, AIR 1963 All 413. In that case the learned Single Judge held that where, the commissioner, a member of the court, had stated in his report that he had made the inspection in the presence of the parties, but the defendants alleged in their objection without supporting their allegation by an affidavit, that this statement was not true, the court would be acting improperly in accepting the bare words of an interested litigant against that of a lawyer executing a commission on behalf of the Court and in doing s
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