- (1.) Leave granted.
(2.) This appeal by special leave arises out of an order passed by the High Court of Judicature at Madras whereby writ petition No.14594 of 2007 filed by the appellants has been dismissed and orders passed by the Debt Recovery Appellate Tribunal in M.A. No.90 of 2006 upheld, no matter on a ground other than the one on which that found favour with the Appellate Tribunal.
(3.) Facts leading to the filing of the writ petition have been set out at considerable length in the orders passed by the Appellate Tribunal and that passed by the High Court. We do not, therefore, consider it necessary to recapitulate the entire history over again except to the extent the same is necessary for the disposal of the present appeal. The long drawn legal battle that has raged over the past two decades or so has its genesis in a loan which respondent Indian Bank advanced to M/s. Sunrise Plaza, a partnership concern comprising respondent-S. Kalyanasundaram and his wife - Mrs. Vasantha Kalyanasundaram. The loan was advanced on the basis of an equitable mortgage of the properties owned by the partners of the firm by deposit of title deeds relevant thereto. The borrower having defaulted in the repayment of the loan amount, the respondent-bank filed O.A. No.238 of 1998 re-numbered as O.A. No.1098 of 2001 before the Debt Recovery Tribunal at Chennai. Failure of the respondents to appear and contest the claim made against them culminated in the passing of an ex-parte decree in favour of the bank on 20th September, 1999. An application for setting aside of the said decree was then made by the borrower defendants which was dismissed by the Tribunal for default. An application for recall of the said order too failed and was dismissed by the Tribunal.;