2000 Supreme(MP) 575
IN THE HIGH COURT OF MADHYA PRADESH (INDORE BENCH)
J.G. Chitre, J.
Mohd. Ismil Khan
Vs.
State and Ors.
Civil Revision No. 425/2000
Decided On: 04.07.2000
For Appellant/Petitioner/Plaintiff: Kutumbale, Adv.
For Respondents/Defendant:A.H. Khan, Adv. for Non-applicant No. 1 and Meena Chaphekar, Adv. for Non-applicant No. Advocates appeared:
For Appellant/Petitioner/Plaintiff: Kutumbale, Adv.
For Respondents/Defendant: A.H. Khan, Adv. for Non-applicant No. 1 and Meena Chaphekar, Adv. for Non-applicant No. 4
The court is entitled to take action in the interest of justice for reconstruction of a lost file or record and may implement the decree based on the available record.
Headnote:
Lost File - Reconstruction of Record - The court had to reconstruct the record of a lost file and decided to ask the Collector to take appropriate action in implementing the decree based on the available record. The court's decision was based on the necessity to act in the interest of justice and implement the decree despite the lost file and missing documents.
Fact of the Case:
The file of a previous execution proceeding was lost, and some documents could not be produced by the parties. The court asked the parties to produce documents for reconstruction of the record.
Finding of the Court:
The court concluded that with the available record, it was necessary to ask the Collector to act in accordance with the law for implementing the decree. The court dismissed the petition as substanceless.
Issues: Lost file and missing documents, jurisdiction of the Civil Judge Class I, Dhar, reconstruction of record, and implementation of the decree.
Ratio Decidendi: The court is entitled to take a decision in the interest of justice for reconstruction of a lost file or record. If parties cannot produce sufficient documents, the court may act based on the available record to implement the decree.
Final Decision: The petition stands dismissed as substanceless.
J.G. Chitre, J.
1. Heard.
2. Shri Kutumbale submitted that once the execution proceeding has been filed and that has been made over to Collector to effect the partition, Civil Court becomes functus officio and therefore, Civil Judge Class I, Dhar did not have the jurisdiction to pass the order which has been passed by him on 3-1-2000. Shri Khan submitted that the documents were lost, the file was lost, it was not traceable and in view of that new execution application has been filed by opponent No. 1. He submitted that if at all the revision-petitioner was aggrieved of the action taken by the learned Civil Judge Class I, Dhar he should have challenged the order which was passed by that Court on 3-1-2000. He submitted that in view of the said circumstances, the Revision Petition deserves to be dismissed and it be dismissed.
3. Mrs. Chaphekar submitted that the State is a formal party and did not make any submission.
4. After reading the order which has been passed by the Civil Judge Class I, Dhar it is quite clear that the file of previous execution proceeding has been lost and in spite of strenuous efforts by the Court and its officers the said file could not be traced out. The parties were asked to produce the documents for reconstruction of the record. It appears from the tone of order that some of the documents only were in possession of the parties and so far as other documents were concerned, the parties concerned, were unable to produce them. It also appears from the said order that one Smt. Pushpa Pawar, who was the Reader of the Court at the relevant time has been taken to task by the Court for the act of loosing the file.
5. It is revealed by the said order which has been passed on 3-1-2000 that the Court has come to a conclusion that as the said file has been missing and some of the documents cannot be produced by the parties concerned, in the circumstances the decree-holder Antarsingh was entitled to file the execution proceeding by submitting necessary application afresh.
6. By the order which is put to challenge by this Revision Petition dated 2-3-2000, the Executing Court has asked the Collector to take appropriate action in view of the judgment which has been passed by Civil Judge Class I, Dhar in the matter of Civil Suit No. 22-A/77, Civil Appeal No: I-A/79 and the judgment of the Division Bench of this Court in the matter of S.A. No. 497/81.
7. When the proceeding is lost, the documents are lost, normally the Court starts for reconstruction of the record so as to move further for the purpose of granting relief to aggrieved parties or the parties approaching the Court. In that process the Court generally follows the rule of prudence of accepting the documents or reconstruction of the record with concurrence of parties in litigation. In case of document which purports to be produced on record, the Court will have to consider the opposition expressed, if any, by one of the contesting parties. After hearing the objection, the Court should take a decision whether such document is to be admitted on record or not. If all the documents are produced but even then some documents are necessary, for Court to take appropriate action for the purpose of administration of justice, the Court is entitled to take a decision which is best in the interest of justice. No party can have the grievance to that action taken by the Court and the parties at litigation have to follow the decision of the Court for reconstruction of such lost file or the record. In the present case, after giving sufficient opportunity to parties at litigation the Court has come to a conclusion that with the available record it was necessary to ask the Collector to act in accordance with law for the purpose of implementing the decree which has been put to execution and accordingly the Court has asked the Collector to take the appropriate action in view of the judgments passed by Civil Judge Class I, Dhar, District Judge, Dhar and the judgment passed by the Div