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M.P. No.4185-2021
IN THE HIGH COURT OF MADHYA PRADESH
AT JABALPUR
BEFORE
HON’BLE SHRI JUSTICE SANJAY DWIVEDI
ON THE 2nd OF NOVEMBER, 2022
Misc. Petition No.4185 of 2021
BETWEEN:-
PRAVEEN MALPANI S/O SETH BAL
KRISHNA DAS JI MALPANI, AGED ABOUT 64
YEARS, OCCUPATION: AGRICULTURIST &
BUSINESSMAN, R/O 734, HANUMANTAL,
JABALPUR (MADHYA PRADESH)
.....PETITIONER
(BY SHRI R.K. SANGHI, ADVOCATE)
AND
1.
M/S VIJAY ELECTRICALS, A REGISTERED
FIRM, THROUGH ITS PARTNER SHRI VIJAY
KUMAR BHURA S/O MOTILAL BHURA,
ADULT, R/O H.NO.524, MARHATAL
JABALPUR (MADHYA PRADESH)
2.
VIJAY KUMAR BHURA S/O MOTILAL
BHURA, ADULT, R/O H.NO.524, MARHATAL,
JABALPUR DISTT. (MADHYA PRADESH)
3.
ASHOSK KUMAR BHURA S/O SHRI
KHUSHAL CHAND BHURA, ADULT,
PARTNER OF M/S VIJAY ELECTRICALS, R/O
H
NO.524,
MARHATAL,
JABALPUR
(MADHYA PRADESH)
4.
SHRI SUNIL KUMAR BHURA S/O SHRI
NIRMAL KUMAR BHURA, ADULT, PARTNER
OF M/S VIJAY ELECTRICALS, R/O HOUSE
NO.524. MARHATAL, JABALPUR, (MADHYA
PRADESH)
5.
MUKESH KUMAR BHURA S/O NOT KNOWN
TO PLAINTIFF, ADULT, PARTNER OF M/S
VIJAY ELECTRICALS, R/O H.NO.524,
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M.P. No.4185-2021
MARHATAL
JABALPUR
(MADHYA
PRADESH)
6.
SMT. CHANDANBALA BHURA, W/O LATE
TARA CHAND BHURA, ADULT, PARTNER OF
M/S VIJAY ELECTRICALS, R/O H. NO. 524,
MARAHATAL,
JABALPUR
(MADHYA
PRADESH)
7.
SMT. PRABHA BHURA, W/O LATE ASHOK
KUMAR BHURA, ADULT, PARTNER OF M/S
VIJAY ELECTRICALS, R/O, H NO. 524,
MARAHATAL,
JABALPUR
(MADHYA
PRADESH)
.....RESPONDENTS
(BY SHRI SANJEEV KUMAR MISHRA, ADVOCATE)
......................................................................................................
RESERVED ON : 29.08.2022
DELIVERED ON : 02.11.2022
......................................................................................................
This petition coming on for hearing this day, the court
passed the following:
R. K. Sanghi,
With the consent of parties, the petition is finally
heard.
2.
This petition is under Article 227 of the
Constitution of India questioning the legality, validity and
propriety of order dated 11.11.2021 (Annexure P/1) whereby
the trial Court rejected the application filed by the petitioner
under Section 151 of the Code of Civil Procedure for calling
the record of the case decided by Judicial Magistrate, First
Class, Jabalpur saying that the documents which have been
referred in the application can be produced by the plaintiff by
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getting certified copies of the documents.
3.
Learned counsel for the petitioner submits that the
trial Court has not considered the legal position that certified
copies of the private documents are only secondary evidence
and without calling the original, the same cannot be considered
to be a proved document. He further submits that by calling the
record of the trial Court containing the original documents
which are required to be proved, no prejudice would have
caused to the Court or to the party and as such, according to
him, the order rejecting application is contrary to law. He relies
upon various judgments reported in AIR 2014 Orissa 128,
parties being Smt. Baijayanti Nanda Vs. Jagannath
Mahaprabhu Marfat Adhikari Mahanta Bansidhar Das
Goswami and others, 2011(4) M.P.L.J. 140- Haseena Bi Vs.
State of M.P., 2011(3) M.P.L.J. 588- Mamta Awasthy and
others Vs. Ajay Kumar Shrivastava, (2021) 4 SCC 786-
Deccan Paper Mills Company Limited Vs. Regency
Mahavir Properties and Others, AIR 2013 SC 613- V.K.
Sasikala Vs. State and submits that the order passed by the
trial Court, rejecting the application is not sustainable and, it is
liable to be set aside and the application filed by the
petitioner/plaintiff under Section 151 of CPC be allowed and
record of the trial Court be called.
Counsel for the petitioner submits that the plaintiff
in his application has contended that there were certain
applications and documents though filed in the present case but
record is required to prove those documents and merely
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because certified copies of those documents are obtained, but
those documents cannot be proved and as such record is
required to be called. However, learned trial Court has rejected
the application saying that certified copy would serve the
purpose as record of the court is a public document. Learned
counsel for the petitioner submits that merely because the
certified copies of the documents filed in the Court are obtained
but those documents cannot be said to be a public document
and contents of the documents cannot be proved unless the
original is produced in the Court. He submits that merely
because a document is filed and that has become part of record,
cannot be considered to be a public document.
5.
On the other hand, learned counsel for the
respondents has opposed the submission made by learned
counsel for the petitioner/plaintiff and submitted that the
documents which are part of the record of the Court are the
public documents and are not required to be proved with the
original one and as such, application filed by the
petitioner/plaintiff under Section 151 of CPC has rightly been
rejected by the Court. In support of his contention, he has
placed reliance upon the judgment of the Supreme Court in the
case of Jaswant Singh Vs. Gurdev Singh and Others (2012)
1 SCC 425 and on a decision of this Court reported in 2011(3)
M.P.L.J. 100- Jagdish Prasad Vs. Daulatram and Another.
Learned counsel for the respondents has also
supported the order passed by the trial Court and placed
reliance upon judgment of Jaswant Singh (supra) wherein the
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Supreme Court has observed that the compromise decree
passed as per the terms and conditions of the compromise
between the parties is a public document in terms of Section 74
and, therefore, if certified copy of the said decree is produced,
the same is admissible and is not requi