BUDDHARAKITA TERUNNANSE v. GUNASEKARA
NLR1V206
BUDDHARAKITA TERUNNANSE v.
GUNASEKARA.
D. C, Colombo, letter B.
Joint lessors-action for rent by one lessor for his share of rent-subsequent
action by joint lessors-Splitting of cause of action-Civil Procedure Code, 8.
34-cancellation of Lease-rights of joint creditors.
A and B being joint lessors, A sued the lessee for his half share of the rent on
the lease for a certain period, making B a party defendant to the action, and
requiring them to show cause, if any, why judgment for half the rent should not
go in favour of A. A recovered judgment. Subsequently both A and B sued the
lessee for the other half share of the rent for the above period, and for the
whole of the rent for a subsequent period, and for a cancellation of the lease.
Held, that this action was maintainable, and that it was not barred by section
34 of the Civil Procedure Code.
Held further, that in the case of joint lessors, each can sue the lessee
separately for his moiety of the rent.
Held further, that when a lease contains the stipulation that, in default of
payment of rent by the lessee, the lessor should be at liberty . to sue the
lessee for a cancellation of the lease, the lessor is under no liability to seek
a cancellation at the default, but that he may sue for and recover the rent at
each of several defaults and sue for a cancellation of the lease at any
subsequent-default.
Per Withers, J.-When creditors have joined in stipulating for the 1895.payment
of a sum of money, each is entitled to his quota of that sum. When several
debtors join in promising to pay a sum of money, each is liable to pay a quota
of that sum of money, and no more. This happens even when a plurality of debtors
or creditors intervene by the death of a single creditor or debtor leaving
several heirs-at-law.
THIS
was an appeal from an order of the Court below rejecting a plaint on the
ground stated at length in the judgment of his Lordship the Chief Justice.
Pereira, for plaintiff appellant. The District Judge has held that the present
action is barred by section 34 of the Civil Procedure Code. That section enacts
that every action shall include the whole of the claim which the plaintiff is
entitled to make in respect of the cause of action, and it applies to the case
of a single plaintiff suing for a part only of his claim in respect of one cause
of action, and then suing for the remainder in a separate action. In the present
case, however, there was no splitting of the cau