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1982 Supreme(MP) 448

IN THE HIGH COURT OF MADHYA PRADESH AT GWALIOR
R.C. Shrivastava, J.
Sayed Ali and another
Vs.
Gyarsilal Bansilal
Civil Revn. No. 500 of 1980
Decided On: 03.08.1982

Advocates Appeared:
For Appellant/Petitioner/Plaintiff: R.C. Lahoti
For Respondents/Defendant: R.D. Jain

Headnote:(1) Civil P.C. 1908 - O.6, R. 17 - prayer for amendment - principle is to do substantial justice and not to punish the party on technical grounds.

       The power to allow amendment of pleadings is granted to the Court in the larger interests of doing full justice to the parties. The general rule, therefore, is that all amendments are to be allowed which do not purport to set up a new case and which would not works injustice to the other side and which will be necessary for the purpose of determining the real questions in controversy between the parties. The circumstances under which the prayer for amendment is to be allowed or disallowed cannot be exhaustively enumerated. It depends upon the facts and circumstances of each individual case. But, the principle is to do substantial justice and not to punish the party on technical grounds. The whole matter is entirely at the discretion of the Court. AIR 1948 Nag. 119, AIR 1967 S.C. 96, AIR 1977 All. 259, AIR 1957 SC. 357, AIR 1969 S.C. 1267 and 1977 (I) MPWN 374 distinguished. [Para 7]

       (2) Civil P.C. 1908, O. 6, R. 17 -amendment occasioned due to change of circumstances during pendency of suit-may be allowed even if relief is changed or enlarged.

       Due to subsequent developments during pendency of the suit the relief's sought in the plaint became redundant and could not be granted. That is why the amendment was applied for and appropriate relief sought to be substituted for the relief of perpetual injunction in light of the changed circumstances. The relief claimed by the amendment was net available when the suit was instituted and, in view of the allegations, was also not barred by time on the date of the amendment-application. It is well settled that, where by virtue of circumstances arising subsequent to the institution of the suit, the original relief claimed in the suit becomes inappropriate or redundant and the plaintiff becomes entitled to a larger or other relief than the one claimed, amendment may be allowed so as to add or substitute such other relief and that all relief's ancillary to the main relief may also be allowed to be added by way of amendment. 1978 JLJ 636 relied on. [Para 9]

       (3) Civil P.C. 1908 -O. 7, R. 7- subsequent events- Court takes notice to shorten litigation, to preserve rights of parties and to sub-serve ends of justice. [Para 9]

       

ORDER

R.C. Shrivastava, J.

This is defendants' petition for revision of an order dated 10-4-1980 whereby, in civil suit No. 182-A of 1976, Civil Judge Class II, Guna, allowed an application dated 9-4-1980 of the respondent-plaintiff for amendment of the plaint.

The suit was instituted on 19-4-1976. The plaintiff's case was that, after having taken, on 27-7-1974, a Theka from Gram Panchayat, Umri for collection of bones for the period till 30-6-1975 on payment of Rs.1525 to the Gram Panchayat, he collected bones in the Theka-area till that date. On 10-1-1976, by a truck, he took those bones to the bone-mill of the defendant No.2 (respondent No.2) situated at Bajargarh Road, Guna, for the purpose of selling away the same to him and unloaded the truck there in his (defendant No. 2) presence. Thereafter, on the same date, when he was getting the bones, weighed there for the purpose of delivering the same to the defendant No. 2, some men of the defendant No. 1 (respondent No. 1) arrived and got the work discontinued on the contention that the plaintiff did not have title to the bones. The plaintiff sent notices dated 21-2-1976 to the defendants but they did not give any reply thereto. Therefore, he claimed against the defendant No. 1 only a declaration that the bones belonged to him and also a perpetual injunction restraining him from interfering with his possession thereon either by himself or through anybody else.

The defendant No. 1 admitted to have received the alleged notice but denied specifically the allegation that his men got the weighing of the bones discontinued. He pleaded ignorance with regard to the other plaint-allegations. According to the defendant No. 2, the truck-load of bones was brought to his mill and unloaded there not by the plaintiff but by one Abdul Mazid and the weighing was discontinued not by any man of the defendant No. 1 but by Abdul Mazid himself at the instance of a Head Constable of Guna police-station. He pleaded that the bones were still lying at the mill and he was prepared to pay price thereof to the person by whom they were brought. On other points, he pleaded ignorance.

Issues were framed on 12-9-1979 and the suit was posted to 3-10-1979 for evidence. On 3-10-1979, it was adjourned to 7-4-1980 for the same purpose. On 7-4-1980, the counsel for both the defendants submitted in writing separately that the defendants had no objection to the bones being taken away by the plaintiff from the mill. The suit was, on that date, adjourned to 9-4-1980, on which date the plaintiff submitted an application under Order 6 Rule 17 for amendment of the plaint. Thereby, he wanted to plead that, in view of the said submissions dated 7-4-1980 made on behalf of the defendants in Court, when he went on 7-4-1980 and 8-4-1980 to the spot where the bones had been unloaded from the truck, he did not find the bones there, which fact revealed that they had been removed from there by the defendants and he was, therefore, entitled to claim Rs.4,00 ) as price thereof from the defendants jointly and severally. Amendments ancillary to these allegations were also sought in the 'cause of action', 'valuation' and 'relief clauses. The relief of perpetual injunction was sought to be substituted by the claim for recovery of Rs.4,000 as price of the bones from both the defendants. That amendment-application was allowed by the trial Court vide order dated 10-4-1980, which is the subject-matter of this revision.

The learned counsel for the petitioners has argued that the said amendment introduces a new case or a new cause of action and, therefore, it could not be allowed. In support of his contention, he has referred to decisions in the following cases. ClnmnUal v. Deoram and another AIR 1948 Ngp 119, A. K. Gupta and sons Ltd. v. Damodar Valley Corporation AIR 1967 SC 96, Chaubey Sushil Chandra v. Raj Bahadur AIR 1977 All. 259, Narsayya v. State of M. P. 1977 (1) M PW 374, According to the learned counsel for the respondent, the amendment


























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