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IN THE HIGH COURT OF JUDICATURE AT PATNA CIVIL REVISION No.186 of 2024 CNR No. BRHC011250082024 ======================================================

1. Assistant General Manager, State Bank of India, Regional Office, Bhowesh Bhawan, Khanjarpur, City and Dist- Bhagalpur- 612001.

2. Vimlendu Vikash, the then Assistant General Manager, State Bank of India, Zonal office, Bhagalpur, At Present AI.T.B Sales, Assistant General Manager, Credit Monitoring Dept. (R and DB), Corporate Centre, State Bank Bhawan, Madam Cama Road, Mumbai-400021.

3. Sanjay Kumar Singh, the then Assist. General Manager, State Bank of India, Regional office, Munger, At present Fraud Risk Management (S and I0 State Bank of India, LHO Patna- 800001, emailed- sanjaykumarsingh@sbi.com.

Mobile No. 9771419353.

... ... Petitioners Versus Mantosh Prasad Sinha S/o Lt. Parmeshwari Prasad, Village- Baruata, PO- Amrath, Distt.- Jamui, At present residing at Mohalla- Nayatola, Station Road, P.S./P.O and Distt. Jamui-811307.

... ... Opposite Party ======================================================

Appearance :

For the Petitioners : Mr. Chitranjan Sinha, Senior Advocate Mr. Rakesh Kumar Singh, Advocate For the Respondent : Mr. Pankaj Kumar Sinha, Advocate ======================================================

CORAM: HONOURABLE MR. JUSTICE RAMESH CHAND MALVIYA

CAV ORDER

7 27-10-2026 Heard learned counsel for the petitioners and learned counsel for the opposite party.

2. This civil revision application under Section 115 of the Code of Civil Procedure (hereinafter referred to as ‘CPC’) has been filed against the order dated 17.10.2024 passed by learned Sub-Judge-III, Jamui (hereinafter referred to as ‘Trial Court’), in Title (Defamation) Suit No. 137 of 2020. By that order, the petition dated 30.05.2024 filed by the defendants/petitioners under Order VII Rule 11(d) of the CPC for rejection of the plaint has been rejected.

3. The petitioners are officers of the State Bank of India and are defendants in Title (Defamation) Suit No. 137 of

2020, filed by the opposite party.

4. The case of the plaintiff/opposite party, as stated in the plaint, is that he was an empanelled advocate of the State Bank of India for the Jamui Civil Court from 1983 to 2018. It is alleged that a title deed on which he had submitted a title investigation report was re-examined by another panel advocate, Purnendu Kumar Singh, who opined that the document was not genuine. It is further alleged that, on the basis of that opinion, the plaintiff was de-panelled, and that this lowered his prestige, dignity and reputation and caused him financial loss and mental agony. The loss has been quantified at Rs. 25,00,000/-. 5. Prior to the suit, the plaintiff had filed a complaint case, Case No. 1526C of 2019, on 26.09.2019 under Section 500 of the Indian Penal Code, making allegations relating to his de-panelment. The learned Trial Court examined the complaint under Sections 200 and 202 of the Code of Criminal Procedure and dismissed it under Section 203 on 03.01.2020. Against that order, the plaintiff preferred Criminal Revision No. 11 of 2020, which was allowed on 24.02.2020. The order dated 24.02.2020 was challenged before this Court in Cr. Misc. No. 11233 of 2021, in which it was stayed on 19.05.2022. The said application is stated to be pending.

6. The plaintiff instituted Title (Defamation) Suit No.

137 of 2020 on 19.10.2020 seeking damages of Rs. 25,00,000/-. The petitioners filed a written statement on 01.07.2021 denying the plaint allegations. They stated, among other things, that the plaintiff had not been de-panelled by them and that the decision was taken by the competent authority. Thereafter, the petitioners filed a petition dated 30.05.2024 under Order VII Rule 11(d) of the CPC, praying for rejection of the plaint on the grounds that its averments do not constitute defamation and that no cause of action arose against them. The plaintiff filed a rejoinder on

14.06.2024 opposing the p