COMMON JUDGMENT

The 1st respondent in all the cases, as plaintiffs, filed 12 separate suits to declare them as pauper and to pass a decree directing the appellants and the 2nd respondent who are the defendants in the suits, to pay the compensation amount of Rs.10 Lakhs to the 1st respondent in all the appeals along with costs of the suits. The trial Court, after trial, by separate judgments and decrees, all dated

30.04.2010, partly allowed all the suits directing the defendants to pay the compensation to the plaintiffs in all the suits either jointly or severally along with 7.5% interest per annum from the date of the plaints till the date of payment, within a period of one month and disallowed the costs of the suit. Aggrieved by the said judgments and decrees, the defendants 1 and 2, as appellants, have filed these appeals.

2. Brief averments of the plaint in all the suits are as follows:-

The sailing vessel M.S.V.Maria Anto Raj sailed from Tuticorin to Colombo with cargo of Potatoes and Chillies and other goods on 11.09.1999 from the B Zone of the old port within the Tuticorin Corporation along with 12 crew members. While on its way to Colombo, the sea poured into the vessel due to