High Court Of Madhya Pradesh
P. K. Tare and G. P. Singh, JJ.
BAJRANGLAL - Appellant
Versus
PURUSHOTTAMDAS PURANLAL NARELE - Respondents
First Appeal 205 Of 1968
Decided On : 02/02/1972
Order 7, Rule, 7 of the Code of Civil Procedure permits a plaintiff to pray for even inconsistent relief’s in the alternative and unless some statute prohibits claiming of a relief of specific performance in the alternative with a relief of redemption, it cannot be held that the suit as framed was not maintainable.
There is no provision like section 37 of the specific Relief Act, 1877 which expressly or impliedly prohibits claiming of relief of specific performance in a suit for redemption, particularly where the plaintiff does plead his readiness and willingness to perform his part under the contract for re-conveyance. AIR 1668 SC 1355 & AIR 1967 SC 868 distinguished. [Para 7]
By reason of clause (c) of section 16 of the Act of 1963 it is now expressly provided that in a suit for specific performance the plaintiff must aver and prove that he has performed or bas always been ready and willing to perform the essential terms of the contract which are to be performed be him. Explanation (ii) is also material.
A contract may be open to more than one construction and a plaintiff may allege the alternative constructions to which the contract may be open and claim relief on that basis. The true construction of the contract would be that construction which is finally accepted by the Court. The plaintiff for entitling him to the relief of specific performance, will have to satisfy that he alleged and proved his readiness and willingness to perform the contract in accordance with that construction which is ultimately accepted by the Court, and, if he succeeds in establishing that he would not fail merely because other alternative constructions which are not accepted by the Court were also alleged and relief was claimed on that basis. Alternative constructions, if persisted throughout the trial, may, in some cases, create difficulty in proving readiness and willingness from the date of contract according to the true construction, for if the alternative constructions are inconsistent, proof of readiness and willingness according to one construction may be destructive of readiness and willingness according to other construction. [Para 8]
(2) Interpretation of statutes - Law Commission Report - may be used for interpreting a statute.
By referring to the report of the Law Commission as part of the surrounding circumstances, we hope we have not transgressed the rule of statutory interpretation that Parliamentary History of an Act cannot be used for interpretation proper, for this rule is qualified by another rule which enables the admission of Parliamentary History as part of the surrounding circumstances or as to rowing light on the subject matter of the Act or for discerning the evil or mischief intended to be remedied. [Para 10]
( 1 ) THIS is an appeal by the defendants in a suit for specific performance of a contract for reconveyance.
( 2 ) THE facts now no longer in dispute are that Purushottamdas owned a house (No. 443 old No. 88) in Miloniguni, Jabalpur. He sold this house for a sum of Rs. Equivalent Citation: 10,000/- on December 2, 1963, to Bajranglal. An agreement for reconveyance of the house on payment of Rs. 10,000/-within two years was executed by bajranglal in favour of Purushottamdas. The agreement bears the date December 3, 1963, but the finding of the trial Court, which has not been challenged before us, is that it was executed on December 2, 1963 and the sale and agreement constituted one transaction. Possession of the house was not delivered to bajranglal and Purushottamdas continued to be in possession. He, however, executed a rent-note agreeing to pay rent at the rate of Rs. 120/-per month. Previously, the same house was mortgaged on December 7. 1960, in favour of firm Fatehchand Shrinivas for a sum of Rs. 1,500/ -. The mortgage was in the nature of a mortgage by conditional sale, Bajranglal happens to be the managing partner of the Firm Fatehchand Shrinivas. ( 3 ) THE suit giving rise to this appeal was instituted by Purushottamdas on december 2, 1965, against Bajranglal and Firm Fatehchand Shrinivas. The case of the plaintiff as pleaded in the plaint was that the sum of Rupees 10,000/constituting consideration of the sale consisted of previous loans of which Rs. 3,000/- were principal and Rupees 7,000/-were interest. It was also pleaded that at the time of sale Bajranglal had promised to explain the accounts of the previous transactions, but that was never done. It was further alleged that the sale together with the agreement for reconveyance constituted a mortgage and the plaintiff was entitled to redeem the house after paying the sum which is found due on the reopening of the accounts. In the alternative, the plaintiff also pleaded that he has always been ready and willing to perform his part under the agreement for reconveyance and to pay Rs. 10,000/-for obtaining reconveyance. It was alleged that the plaintiff gave a notice on November 26, 1965, to the defendants to come to Jabalpur on December 1, 1965, for executing a conveyance on payment of Rs. 10,000/-, but the defendants did not turn up. The plaintiff expressed his readiness to pay Rs. 10,000/- and such other sums which may be adjudged payable from the plaintiff to the defendants. The relief in the suit was for reconveyance of the suit house from the defendants by way of redemption, or in the alternative, by way of specific performance. The defendants contested the suit denying that the sale and the agreement for reconveyance constituted a mortgage by conditional sale or that the defendant No. 1 Bajranglal had promised to explain the accounts later. The plaintiff's readiness and willingness to pay Rs. 10,000/-, and to take reconveyance was also disputed. During the trial the plaintiff gave up his case of redemption and confined his case to that of specific performance of the agreement for reconveyance. The trial Court held that the plaintiff was always ready and willing to perform his part of the contract and that he was entitled to specific performance. A decree was, therefore, passed against defendant No. 1 for specific performance of the agreement for reconveyance on condition of payment of Rs. 10,000/ -. The defendant No. 2 was discharged from the suit. Against this decree both the defendants have preferred this appeal.
( 4 ) THE first contention raised by learned counsel for the appellants is that the finding reached by the trial Court that the plaintiff was always ready and willing to equivalent Citation: perform his part under the contract of reconveyance is incorrect.
( 5 ) IN our opinion, this contention It wholly without any substance, Ex. P-3 is the notice issued on November 26, 1965, by the plaintiff to the defendant Bajranglal in which it was stated
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