SURAJMAL CHOUDHARY (SINCE DECEASED) THROUGH HIS LRS. SMT. RATAN DEVI AND ANOTHER Vs. PREM CHAND AND OTHERS
LAWS(RAJ)-2014-4-314
HIGH COURT OF RAJASTHAN
Decided on April 16,2014

SURAJMAL CHOUDHARY (SINCE DECEASED) THROUGH HIS LRS. SMT. RATAN DEVI AND ANOTHER Appellant
VERSUS
Prem Chand And Others Respondents

JUDGEMENT

Alok Sharma, J. - (1.) This Civil Misc. Appeal under Section 104 read with Order ; Rule, 1(U) C.P.C. has been filed by the appellant-defendant (hereinafter the defendant') against the order dated 3.8.2007 passed by the learned Additional strict Judge No. 2 Jaipur City, Jaipur (hereinafter 'the Lower Appellant Court' whereby the judgment and decree dated 3.12.2003 passed by the learned Addl.) Civil Judge (Senior Division), No. 6 Jaipur City, Jaipur (hereinafter 'the Trial Court') was set aside and the matter remanded to the Trial Court for reconsideration afresh after granting an opportunity to the respondent plaintiff (hereinafter 'the plaintiff) for leading evidence on issues Nos. 1,7,8 and 10.
(2.) Counsel for the appellant-defendant (hereinafter 'the defendant') has submitted that the impugned Order dated 3.8.2007 is beyond the scope of Order Rules 23, 23A & 25 C.P.C. None of the grounds for remand were made out. The Trial Court had dismissed the plaintiffs suit for eviction in absence of any evidence to prove the ground of default against the defendant and in-fact on 17.10.2003 Counsel for the plaintiff had stated that the does not want to lead any evidence. It has been submitted that the dismissal of the suit by the Trial Court for want of evidence conferred a valuable right on the defendant and that right mid not be casually taken by the Appellate Court without good cause within the four corners of law. Counsel for the defendant relied upon the judgment of this Court in the case of Ram Chandra Sharma & Anr. v. Smt. Veera Saini, 2005(1) R 737 to contend that when the requisite evidence for adjudicating the dispute available before the Appellate Court it shall decide the appeal in-stead of setting aside a valid and well reasoned judgment and decree of the Trial Court ,id remanding the matter without good cause. Reliance has also been placed upon the judgment of this Court in the case of B.B. Bhalla v. Rameshwar Kishore Badhwar, 2001(1) RCR 453 wherein this Court held that even where the defence f the defendant is struck off under Section 13(5) of the Rajasthan Premises (Control of Rent & Eviction) Act, 1950 (hereinafter 'the Act of 1950') it would be necessary for the landlord to establish the grounds for eviction agitated in the petition by adducing requisite evidence to prove that the defendant tenant was a defaulter and absent such evidence at the instance of the plaintiff a suit is liable to fail despite the defence of the defendant having struck off. Reference has; been made to the judgment of this Court in the case of Smt. Ramjanki v. Smt. Dhanni Bai & Ors., (SB Civil Misc. Appeal No. 3192/2012) decided on 2.9.2013 wherein this Court held that subsequent to the amendment to the C.P.C. in id is only in 'exceptional cases' where the Court can exercise the power of remana hors Order 41 Rules 23 and 23-A C.P.C. for the reason that an un-warrant remand increases the life of a litigation and is not conducive to the administration of justice. Finally reliance was placed on the Judgment of the Hon'ble Supreme Court in the case of P. Purushottam Reddy & Anr. v. Pratap Steels Ltd., (2002) 2 SCC 687 to reiterate that unless the conditions detailed Order 41 Rules 23 and 23-A C.P.C. or otherwise Rule 25 C.P.C. were fulfiller remand should not be made casually and the Appellate Court should itself decided an appeal on merits even where an issue has not been framed by the Trial Court in the event of adequate evidence being on record. Great emphasis was finally placed on Para 12 of the said opinion of the Hon'ble Apex Court in the case of P. Purushottam Reddy & Anr. (supra) which for facility of reference is being reproduced as under:- "In the case before us it was not the grievance raised by any of the parties before the High Court that there was any failure on the part of the Trial Court in discharging its obligation of framing issues. Nobody complained of prejudice at the trial for want of any issue or a specific issue. It was nobody's case that any evidence, oral or documentary, was excluded or not allowed to be taken on record by the Trial Court. The very fact that the defendant-appellants have come up to this Court laying challenge to the order of remand shows that the appellants are not interested in remand and do not want any additional issue to be framed or to adduce any further evidence. Once of the pleas taken by the appellants in the memo of special leave petition is that the High Court had erred in remanding the matter back for fresh trial and the High Court had failed to appreciate that there was sufficient material on record to show absence of readiness and willingness on the part of the plaintiff to perform its part of the contract. On the other hand, after the passing of the impugned order of remand the plaintiff-respondent has also through his Counsel, filed a memo before the Trial Court on 18.2.2000 submitting that on the additional issues framed pursuant to the direction of the High Court, the evidence on behalf of the plaintiff was already on record and the plaintiff would lead rebuttal evidence only if any evidence was adduced by the defendants. Thus the plaintiff is also not desirous of adducing any additional evidence on the issues."
(3.) Mr. Alok Garg, Counsel appearing for the plaintiff has submitted that the back-ground facts of the case need consideration and not dry legalese. h submitted that the suit for eviction was filed in the year 1993. In-spite of service reply thereto was not filed for five years. The matter was put for plaintiff evidence. On 22.4.1998 in the course of the plaintiffs examination-in-chief, an application was moved by the defendant to take his written statement on ream as the defendant in-spite of filing appearance before the Court, had not filed his written statement in-spite of several opportunities albeit but had not been mil ex-parte. Consequently, the Trial Court aborted the plaintiffs examination-in-chief mid-way recording that "the statements of the witnesses are deferred because the defendant filed the application to file written statement. Hence the statement: this witness may be kept on record for further action." (Emphasis supplied).Tit written statement was filed and issues were framed. The plaintiff stated that other than the ground of default other grounds mooned.;


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