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2009 Supreme(UK) 158

2009 (1) UAD 821
SUPREME COURT OF INDIA
Hon’ble Mr. Justice S.B. Sinha and Hon’ble Dr. Justice Mukundakam Sharma
Civil Appeal No. 2243 of 2009
LAKSHMI & ANR. – Appellants
Versus
CHINNAMMAL @ RAYYAMMAL & ORS. – Respondents
Decided on : 08.04.2009

For the Appellants :Mr.Vinay Kumar, Mr. C. Jayaraj, Ms. Malini Poduval, Advocates
For the Respondents:Mr. V. Prabhakar, Mr. Ramjee Prasad, Mrs. Revathy Raghavan, Advocates

Headnote:Civil Procedure Code, 1908, Or. 13, Rules 10 & 8 — Procedural Mechanics — Sending for papers from its own records/from other courts — Scope and Ambit of Powers of Court — Procedural mechanics necessary to arrive at a just decision must be encouraged — A well settled principle of law that where a civil proceeding as also a criminal proceeding are pending, the latter shall get primacy — A civil suit a document has to be proved, report of an expert is also required to be brought on record in terms of the provisions of Indian Evidence Act — Under Provisions of Order 13, Rule 8 of C.P.C., Civil Court would furthermore be entitled to substitute the original document by a certified copy — The judgment of the Supreme Court in AIR 1955 SC 566 relied. (Paras 8, 12 to 14)

        nhokuh izfd;k lafgrk] 1908] vkns'k 13] fu;e 10 vkSj 8 & izfd;kRed ;kaf=dh & vU; U;k;ky;ksa dks vius fjdkMZ esa ls dkxt+kr dk Hkstk tkuk & U;k;ky; ds vfèkdkj {ks= dh ifjf/k dk foLrkj & izfd;kRed ;kaf=dh & U;k;ksfpr fu.kZ; ij igq¡pus ds fy, mRlkg o/kZu fd;k tkuk visf{kr gS fof/k dk ,d izfrikfnr fl)kUr gS fd tgk¡ nhokuh dkjZokbZ vkSj QkStnkjh dkjZokbZ Hkh yfEcr gks rks ckn okyh dks izkFkfedrk nh tk,xh & ,d nhokuh okn esa ,d nLrkost dks lkfcr djuk gksrk gS & fo'ks"kK dh fjiksVZ eaxkuh iM+rh gS tks fd Hkkjrh; lk{; vf/kfu;e ds rgr visf{kr gS & vkns'k 13] fu;e 8 CPC ds izkfo/kku ds vuqlkj nhokuh U;k;ky; bl ds vykok ewy nLrkostksa dks izekf.kr izfrfyfi ls cnyus dh vf/kdkjh gS & mPpre U;k;ky; ds fu.kZ; AIR 1955 SC 566 dks vk/kkj ekuk x;kA ¼izLrj 8] 12 ls 14½

JUDGMENT

S.B. Sinha, J. — Leave granted.

2. ‘Procedural Mechanics’ involving interpretation of Order XIII Rule 10 of the Code of Civil Procedure, 1908 (hereinafter called and referred to for the sake of brevity as the ‘Code’) falls for consideration in this appeal which arises out of a judgment and order dated 5.1.2007 passed by a learned Single Judge of the High Court of Judicature at Madras in CRP No. 559 of 2005.

3. Parties hereto are co-sharers. Allegedly, a deed of partition was entered into by and between them on or about 28.11.2002. Questioning the genuineness of the said deed of partition, a suit for cancellation thereof was filed by the appellant therein. Indisputably, in relation thereto, a First Information Report was also lodged. During investigation, the Investigating Officer recovered the purported original deed of partition from the custody of the respondent. It was sent for examination to the Forensic Science Laboratory, Chennai.

4. Appellant filed an application in the said suit marked as IA No.1 of 2005 calling for the report of the forensic expert from the Court of Judicial Magistrate, Sathyamangalam as regards the purported signatures of the petitioner. The said application was allowed by the learned Trial Judge. In the meantime, allegedly a second report with regard to the thumb impression of the petitioner on 15.2.2005 was also received from the Forensic Science Laboratory. He filed a similar application under Order XIII Rule 10 of the Code before the learned Trial Judge. By an order dated 8.3.2005, the Trial Court rejected the said application, stating:

“But the petition does not contain the details such as serial number and the date of the documents which are requested to be sent for. The petition does not mention that the documents are the records of Crime No. 699/2003 or the related records. It has not been stated in both the petition and the counter statement that the investigation is over. Only the crime number has been mentioned in the petition. Since it has not been stated on behalf of the petitioner that the investigation is over and that the final report has been filed in this regard, and that it is not possible for the court to ask from time to time the documents which are in their possession as a result of investigation and that the provisions of Order XIII Rule 10 of CPC do not empower the civil court to direct the production of document which are in the custody of police and that it has not been stated whether such document have been filed and kept on the file of the court of judicial Magistrate and that the issue whether the partition deed is false or true to be established by examining witnesses and it is the responsibility of the plaintiff in this regard and after that the examination of witnesses of both plaintiff and defendant are not over and that keeping in mind the objections raised by the respondents/defendants that the petitioners/plaintiffs are in collusion with the Sathyamangalam Police and that it is not possible to send for the documents with the police when the investigation is not over and that the plaintiff could establish the falsity of the partition deed by other witnesses and other documents and for the said reasons the petition is not acceptable and having decided so.”

5. An application under Article 227 of the Constitution of India filed thereagainst has been dismissed by the High Court by reason of the impugned judgment.

6. Mr. Vijay Kumar, learned counsel appearing on behalf of the appellant, would submit-

(1) The learned Trial Court and consequently the High Court committed an error in observing that the details of the criminal case as also the court wherein had been pending was not disclosed by the appellant.

(2) Order XIII Rule 10 of the Code having vide application and having been enacted to further the ends of justice and avoidance of multiplicity of proceedings, the same should have invoked.

(3) The genuineness and authenticity of the partition deed dated 28.11



































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