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2025 Supreme(Online)(Tel) 24836

IN THE HIGH COURT FOR THE STATE OF TELANGANA AT HYDERABAD
Narsing Rao Nandikonda, J
Govinda Das – Appellant
Versus
Brindavan Colony Residents Welfare Association – Respondent
CIVIL REVISION PETITION NO.454 OF 2013



Advocates:
For the Appellants/Petitioners: S.Balchand
For the Respondents: Rajashekar

The grant of leave under Section 91(1)(b) of the Code of Civil Procedure is a preliminary step strictly between the court and the plaintiff; notice to defendants is not a mandatory statutory requirement, and defendants may challenge the legality or irregularity of such leave during the main suit proceedings.

Headnote:(A) Code of Civil Procedure, 1908 - Section 91(1)(b) - Public nuisance - Grant of leave - Whether issuance of notice to defendants is mandatory prior to granting leave under S. 91(1)(b) - Held, grant of leave is a matter inter se between the plaintiff and the court, and defendants have no statutory right to be heard at this stage - While it is a rule of caution for the court to issue notice, failure to do so does not render the suit bad in law - Defendants may challenge the grant of leave subsequently in the suit proceedings by filing a written statement. (Paras 4, 10, 11)

Facts of the case:
The petitioner is challenging an order granting leave to the respondents to institute a suit under S. 91(1)(b) of the CPC alleging public nuisance. The petitioner argued that the trial court should have applied the principle of res judicata and further contended that the trial court erred in issuing notice at the leave petition stage, asserting that the leave procedure is a private matter between the plaintiffs and the court.

Findings of Court:
The court held that the grant of leave is not a judicial process requiring the defendant to be heard at the initial stage. Participation of the defendant in the interlocutory application, even if notice was issued without strict necessity, precludes the defendant from challenging the procedure later. The court confirmed the trial court’s order, granting the petitioner liberty to raise all substantive contentions in the main suit.

Issues: Whether notice to the respondent/defendant is a mandatory condition precedent for granting leave under Section 91(1)(b) of the CPC and whether the grant of such leave is amenable to challenge in a revision petition.

Ratio Decidendi: An application for leave under S. 91(1)(b) CPC is a matter of privity between the court and the plaintiffs; while courts may issue notice as a rule of caution, the failure to do so, or the issuance thereof, does not prejudice the defendants’ rights, as they retain the right to challenge the legality of the leave in the main suit proceedings.

Result: Civil Revision Petition dismissed.

Table of Content
1. overview of the petition for leave to sue under section 91 cpc. (Para 1 , 2 , 3)
2. petitioner’s contentions regarding res judicata and the procedural necessity of notice. (Para 4 , 5 , 6 , 7)
3. court’s analysis that leave is a private matter between parties and the court. (Para 8 , 9 , 10 , 11 , 12 , 13 , 14)
4. final dismissal confirming the order and allowing liberty to raise issues in the suit. (Para 15 , 16)

O R D E R:

This Civil Revision Petition is filed under Article 227 of the Constitution of India aggrieved by the order, dated 29.10.2012 in I.A.No.3346 of 2012 in O.S.S.R.No.14228 of 2012 passed by the learned Principal District Judge, at L.B.Nagar, Ranga Reddy District, whereby the application filed under Section 91 (1) (B) read with 151 of the Code of Civil Procedure, 1908 (for short, C.P.C) seeking to grant leave to respondent No.1 herein to sue the revision petitioner for causing public nuisance by representing the public at large and to protect the public property for use of the same by one and all, was allowed.

2. Heard Sri S.Balchand, learned counsel for the revision petitioner and Sri Rajashekar, learned counsel appearing for respondent Nos.1 and 2. Since respondent No.3 reported as not necessary party, no notice was issued to him.

3. Brief facts of the case are as follows:

Respondent Nos.1 and 2 herein filed a suit in O.S.S.R.No.14228 of 2012 (which was numbered as O.S.No.1023 of 2012) on the file of learned District Judge, Ranga Reddy District at L.B.Nagar, seeking for declaration and perpetual injunction against revision petitioner and respondent No.3 herein. Respondent No.1 herein filed the said suit in the capacity of the President of Brindavan Colony Residents Welfare Association, Saroornagar, Hyderabad, with the following relief:

“to declare the schedule A and B properties are public properties which are earmarked for the purpose of construction of Community Hall, and a School in the layout of Brindavan Colony, Lingojiguda, Saroornagar Mandal, R.R.District and to restrain the defendants, their henchmen, attorneys, agents, servants, friends, anybody else claiming through them from alienating or altering the suit schedule A and B properties…”

In the said suit, respondent Nos.1 and 2 herein filed the aforesaid application seeking leave of the Court to file the above suit and the said application was allowed.

4. Before proceeding further, for better appreciation, it is necessary to extract Section 91 (1) of C.P.C, which reads as under:

“91. Public nuisances and other wrongful acts affecting the public.— (1) In the case of a public nuisance or other wrongful act affecting, or likely to affect, the public, a suit for a declaration and injunction or for such other relief as may be appropriate in the circumstances of the case, may be instituted,—

(a) by the Advocate-General, or

(b) with the leave of the Court, by two or more persons, even though no special damage has been caused to such persons by reason of such public nuisance or other wrongful act….”

5. The contention of learned counsel for the petitioner herein is that though the petitioner raised various grounds touching upon the merits of the case, including other suits pending before various Courts between the parties, that respondent Nos.1 and 2 are indulging in multiplicity of proceedings with a mala fide intention to harass the revision petitioner with an oblique motive, the trial Court has allowed the application. He further contended that the learned trial Court ought to have applied the principle of res judicata to the present facts of the case, and therefore no permission or leave could have been granted to respondent Nos.1 and 2 to file the suit under Section 91 of the C.P.C. He further contended that when petitioner is claiming right, title and interest over the subject property denying public interest, public nuisance or public right by respondent Nos.1 and 2 does not

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