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CALCUTTA HIGH COURT
Subrata Talukdar, J.
M/s. Kwality Ice Cream India Ltd. —Petitioner
versus
Smt. Kalpana Sadhkhan & Ors. —Opp.Parties
C.O. No.1936 of 2014
Decided on 23.9.2015

Counsel for the Parties:
For the Petitioner:Mr. Saptangshu Basu, Mr. Ayan Banerjee, Ms. Debasree Dhamali and Ms. Ankita Basu Mallick, Advocates
For the Opp.Party Nos.1 to 6:Mr. Bidyut Banerjee, Mr. Rupen Mitra and Mr. Aniket Mitra, Advocates

IMPORTANT POINT
No amendment can be allowed, which will mean retrial of whole case on new footing at late stage.

Headnote:(i) Civil Procedure Code, 1908 — Order VI, Rule 17 & Order XLI, Rule 27 — Companies (amendment) Act, 1988 — Section 43 (1-A) — Ejectment Suit — Amendment — Upon failure to exercise due diligence at appropriate stage — In spite of having sufficient opportunity to do — Appellant adopting dilatory tactics — Attempt to put clock back by appellant at this stage — HELD — When trial complete and decree declared is afterthought and impermissible. (Paras 27 & 28)

       (ii) Civil Procedure Code, 1908 — Order VI, Rule 17 & Order XLI, Rule 27 — Companies (amendment) Act, 1988 — Section 43 (1-A) — Ejectment Suit — Amendment — Documentary evidence claimed by petitioner to have been searched out later — In support of written statement cannot be appreciated — Since such documents eminently in public domain and therefore readily accessible — HELD — It does not stand to reason that officers of defendant would sit by idly and fail to access such document at relevant time — When matter proceeding before Trial Court. (Para 29)

       Result: Petition dismissed.

JUDGMENT

Subrata Talukdar, J.—In this application the petitioner challenges the Order No. 18 dated 29th May, 2014 passed by the Ld. 6th Additional District Court at Alipore in Ejectment Appeal No. 36 of 2012 arising out of Ejectment Suit No. 68 of 2006.

2. The petitioner is the defendant No.2 in the suit. The opposite parties are the plaintiffs. The ejectment suit has been filed in respect of the properties of which ownership is being claimed by the plaintiffspresent OPs being Premises No. 2/1, Gariahat Road (now known as Leela Roy Sarani), P.S. Ballygunge under Ward No. 68 of Kolkata Municipal Corporation (hereinafter referred to for short as the suit premises).

3. The suit was instituted impleading the defendant Nos. 1 and 2 being M/s. Kwality Ice Cream (Pvt. Ltd.) and M/s. Kwality Ice Cream (India) Ltd. respectively on the ground that the predecessor-in-interest of the plaintiffs-present OPs had inducted the defendant No.1 as a monthly tenant in the suit premises. That the defendant No.1 is no more in enjoyment of the suit premises and it is further alleged by the plaintiffs that the defendant No.2 is in possession thereof without any formal attornment in favour of the plaintiffs.

4. The suit was also instituted on the ground that the defendant No.1 as the recorded tenant did not tender any rent in favour of the landlord being the predecessor-in-interest of the present OPs. It was also, inter alia, pleaded in the plaint that the notice of ejectment sent to the registered address of the defendant No.1 has come back unserved. In the meantime the plaintiffs-present OPs have also come to learn of the fact that the defendant No.1 has wound up its business from the suit premises and is now merged with a company by a different name. Therefore, the defendant No.1 is no more doing any business from the suit premises. However, to avoid all future complications the defendant No.2 has been impleaded and the notice of ejectment has been received by the defendant No.2, who is contesting the suit.

5. Therefore, on the grounds of both subletting and default a decree for eviction of the defendants from the suit premises was prayed for along with a decree for damages by way of mense profits.

6. Sri Saptangshu Basu, Ld. Senior Counsel appearing for the present petitioner-defendant No.2 draws the attention of this Court to the written statement filed on behalf of the defendant No.2 in the suit. Paragraph 6 of the written statement reads as follows:

“That with reference to the Paragraph 6 of the plaint the defendant states that the name of the company changed due to legal formalities, necessitated by turnover of the company under Section 43 (1A) of the Companies (amendment) Act. By virtue of this word “profit” was deleted before the word (Limited) in the name of the company”.

7. Sri Basu further submits that although the above facts were pleaded at Paragraph 6 of the written statement (supra) the change of the nomenclature of the defendant No.1 to the defendant No.2 could not be supported by documentary evidence at the stage of trial. It could not be therefore proved on the basis of documentary evidence before the Ld. Trial Court that in effect the defendant No.2 is the same entity as the defendant No.1 although there has been a conversion in the name and the pattern of its constitution.

8. Sri Basu further submits that after the suit was decreed in favour of the plaintiffs-present OPs on 18th September, 2012, sometime around 2014 at the appellate stage the petitioner-defendant No.2 after a strenuous search could locate the necessary documentary evidence in support of the fact that the defendant No.2 is an entity which has stepped into the shoes of the defendant No.1 and, therefore could not be considered to be a distinct and/or separate entity thereby rendering the plaintiffs-present OPs ineligible to receive a decree on the ground of subletting or default.

9. The defendant No.2 challenged the decree in the suit by filing Ejectment Appeal No. 36 of 2






































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