Judgement Key Points

B. SUDERSHAN REDDY, J.

( 1 ) THIS Civil Revision Petition under article 227 of the Constitution of India is directed against an order dated 16-4-1998 on the file of the learned District and sessions Judge, Chittoor withdrawing O. S. No. 151 of 1992 pending on the file of the learned Senior Civil Judge s Court, madanapalle and transferring the same to the file of the learned Principal Junior Civil judge s Court. It is a proceeding on the administrative side by the learned District judge.

( 2 ) IT appears from the record that the petitioners herein filed O. S. No. 151 of 1992 on the file of the learned Subordinate judge s Court, Madanapalle, Chittoor district for declaration of their exclusive right and title to the estate of one sreeramulu along with other reliefs. The suit was taken on file on 30-6-1992. The petitioners-plaintiffs have valued the suit for the purpose of Court fee and jurisdiction at Rs. 78,750. 00 and a Court fee of rs. 3,026/- was paid on the aggregate of amount under Section 6 of the A. P. Court fees and Suits Valuation Act. The learned senior Civil Judge after registering the suit directed summons to be issued to the respondents-defendants. The respondents- defendants having entered their appearance through an advocate filed their written statement opposing the suit filed by the petitioners-plaintiffs.

( 3 ) THERE is no dispute that as on the date of filing of the suit, the learned Senior Civil judge, Madanapalle had the pecuniary jurisdiction to entertain the suit. In fact, the suit could have been filed only on the file of the learned Senior Civil Judge s Court. During the pendency of O. S. No. 151 of 1992 before the learned Senior Civil Judge s court, Madanapalle, the learned District judge through the impugned proceedings withdrew the said suit and transferred the same to the Principal Junior Civil Judge s court, Madanapalle on the purported ground that the learned Principal Junior civil Judge, Madanapalle would have pecuniary jurisdiction to try the suit. The learned District Judge obviously appears to have passed such an order in view of the amendments to the A. P. Civil Courts Act, 1972 (for short the Act ) as amended under act 29 of 1997 which was published and came into force on 9-12-4997.

( 4 ) LEARNED Counsel for the petitioners submits that the amendments to the provisions of the Act as amended by Act 29 of 1997 are prospective in nature and the amended provisions have no application to the suits already instituted and pending on the file of the competent Courts of jurisdiction. The law as on the date of filing of the suit would govern until the disposal of the suit. Learned Counsel for the petitioners would place reliance upon a division Bench judgment of this Court in k. Ham Gopal vs. Venkata Ratna Kumar. The principle laid down by the Court in the said decision is that the amendments to the provisions of the Act are not retrospective in their nature and equally be applicable to the amended Act under which the pecuniary jurisdiction of the District Munsif court is enhanced from that of Rs. 50,000. 00 to Rs. 1,00,000. 00. As on the date of filing of the suit, the learned Senior Civil Judge, madanapalle alone had the pecuniary jurisdiction to receive and try the suit. The learned Senior Civil Judge alone can try the suit since as on the date of filing of the suit, the said Court alone had the pecuniary jurisdiction to try the suit. The provisions of the Act as in force on the date of institution of the suit, shall continue to apply in respect of such suits instituted until their final determination. In the circumstances, the proceedings of the learned District Judge withdrawing and transferring the suit to the court of the learned Principal Junior Civil judge is set aside. The learned Principal junior Civil Judge, Madanapalle shall forthwith transmit the record relating to o. S. No. 413 of 1998 to the file of the learned senior Civil Judge, Madanapalle for trial and disposal in accordance with l

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