Gauhati High Court
Md Kala Raja Laskar vs Md Abdul Wahid Barbhuiya on 14 June, 2021
Equivalent citations: AIRONLINE 2021 GAU 389
Page No.# 1/15
GAHC010005132017
THE GAUHATI HIGH COURT
(HIGH COURT OF ASSAM, NAGALAND, MIZORAM AND ARUNACHAL PRADESH)
Case No. : Review.Pet./27/2018
MD KALA RAJA LASKAR
VILL. KILLARBARK, P.O. JAMIRA BAZAR, P.S. KATLICHERRA, DIST.
HAILAKANDI, ASSAM, PIN 788162
VERSUS
MD ABDUL WAHID BARBHUIYA
VILL. KILLARBARK, P.O. JAMIRA BAZAR, P.S. KATLICHERRA, DIST.
HAILAKANDI, ASSAM, PIN 788162
BEFORE
HON'BLE MR. JUSTICE KALYAN RAI SURANA
Advocates for the petitioner : Mr. A.H. Alamgir, Mr. T.U. Laskar.
Advocates for the respondent : Mr. M.H. Rajbarbhuiya, Ms. S. Rasul.
Date of hearing : 23.03.2021.
Date of judgment : 14.06.2021.
JUDGMENT AND ORDER
Heard Mr. N. Dhar, learned counsel for the petitioner and Mr. M.H. Rajbarbhuiya, learned counsel for the respondent.
2. The review petitioner herein was the respondent in CRP 147/2017, and the respondent herein was the petitioner in the said revision petition.
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3. The short fact which led to filing of CRP 147/2017 is that the sole respondent therein was the plaintiff No.1 in Title Suit No.33/2010. The plaintiff no.2 in the said suit was Merabjan Bibi. The revision petitioner was the sole defendant in the said suit. By judgment and decree dated 05.02.2013, the suit was dismissed by the learned Court of Munsiff No.1, Hailakandi. The aggrieved plaintiffs had jointly preferred an appeal, which was registered as Title Appeal No. 16/2014 before the Court of Civil Judge, Hailakandi. The revision petitioner was the sole respondent in the said appeal. The revision petitioner by filing petition no. 8358/43 under Order XXII Rule 3(2) CPC, had brought to the notice of the learned lower appellate Court that though the appellant no. 2 had died, as her legal representatives were not substituted, the appeal had abated as the rights of both the appellants including that of the legal representatives of the appellant No.2 were joint and indivisible and in-severable. By order dated 07.11.2016, the learned lower appellate Court was of the view that appeal was preferred by one of the appellant/plaintiff with regard to right, title and interest in respect of the schedule land described in T.S. No. 33/2010 and that since the nature of the suit was basically for their right and interest, it was held that the right to sue does not extinguish even on the death of one of the plaintiff. Consequently, the court did not find merit in petition no. 8358/03 and the said petition was rejected. Aggrieved by the said order, the revision petitioner had approached this Court by challenging the said order under Article 227 of the Constitution of India and this Court by order dated 16.09.2017, had allowed the said revision petition. Resultantly, the appeal before the lower appellate Court was held to have abated.
4. The only point urged by the learned counsel for the review petitioner is that the order dated 16.09.2017 passed by this Court in CRP 147/2017 was without taking into consideration the provisions of Order XXII Rule 2 and Order XXII Rule 3(2) of the Civil Procedure Code. Accordingly, it is submitted that the appeal being an extension of the suit, the legal position is that the learned lower appellate Court was right in allowing the appeal to proceeded at the instance of the surviving appellant/plaintiff and the point, the learned counsel for the review petitioner has referred to the following cases, viz. (i) Gema Coutinho Rodrigues Vs. Bricio Francisco Pereira & Ors., (1993) 2 SCC 620 (para-4, 5) , (ii) Ratna alias Ratnavati Vs. Syndicate Bank & Ors., (1995) 1 SCC 407, (iii) Mithailal Dalsangar Singh & Ors.
Page No.# 3/15 Vs. Annabai Debrankini & Ors., (2003) 10 SCC 691 , and (iii) Sahdeo Singh & Ors. Vs. Ramchhabila Singh & Ors., AIR 1978 Patna 258.
5. It is also submitted that non-consideration of the said provisions of CPC was an apparent mistake on part of the Court, which is required to be corrected in exercise of power of review as provided in section 114 and Order XLVII Rule 1 CPC. In this regard the learned counsel for the review petitioner places reliance on the following cases, viz., (i) Lily Thomas & Ors. Vs. Union of India & Ors., (2000) 6 SCC 224 (para 52) , and (ii) Board of Control for Cricket in India & Anr. Vs. Netaji Cricket Club & Ors., (2005) 4 SCC 741 (para 90, 92 and 93).
6. The learned counsel for the respondent has vehemently opposed this review petition by submitting that as projected by the learned counsel for the petitioner, the order dated 16.09.2017 was erroneous, which cannot be corrected by exercising review jurisdiction. Thus, the learned counsel has made his submissions in support of the order impugned and in support of his submissions, the learned counsel has placed reliance on the case of Susanta Kumar Choudhury & Anr. Vs. Birendra Kumar Deb Roy, 1996 (2) GLT 385: AIR 1997 Gau 19.
7. It is deemed appropriate to quote below paragraphs 7 to 12 of the order dated 16.09.2017:-
7) Upon consideration of the arguments advanced by the learned counsel for the respondent, it is observed from the memo of appeal, which is annexed to this revision as Annexure-3 that the appeal was filed by the two appellants. During the pendency of the appeal, one of the appellant had died i.e. respondent No.2 herein leaving behind some legal representatives. On perusal of the plaint, the following have been made therein:
I) A decree declaring right, title and interest of the plaintiff over the Schedule-I in Ejmali;
II) A decree declaring right, title and interest of the plaintiff No.1 over the Schedule-IV land;
III) A decree declaring right, title and interest of plaintiffs in Schedule-II l and in Ejmali;
Page No.# 4/15 IV) A decree of recovery of possession directing the Ld. Executive Magistrate to deliver possession of the Schedule-III & IV in favour of the plaintiff; V) A decree for the cost of the suit;
VI) For any other relief/ reliefs the Ld. Court deem fit and proper to grant.
8) From the prayers made in the plaint, it is apparent that the declaration of right, title and interest was sought for by the plaintiffs over the Schedule-I land in 'ejmali' (Assamese equivalent of joint/common). Insofar as the second prayer is concerned, it is for a separate declaration over the Schedule -IV land. But in respect of the prayer No.3, right, title and interest of the plaintiffs was sought for in respect of the Schedule -II land in 'ejmali' and similarly, a decree for possession of land of Schedule -III and Schedule -IV was sought for in favour of the plaintiffs. Therefore, although prayer No.2 was for right, title and interest of respondent No.1, but as per the prayer No.4, there was no prayer for declaration in favour of the plaintiff No.1 alone. Therefore, this Court is not convinced to agree with the learned counsel for the respondent that the right was agitated in respect of the plaintiff No.1 /respondent herein.
9) Coming to both the cases cited above by the learned counsel for the respondent, there is no opposition to the well establish rule that under the provisions of Order XLI Rule 4 CPC, any aggrieved party has the to file an appeal, which is in consonance with the provisions of Order XLI Rule 4 CPC. This Court respectfully agrees with the ratio cited therein. However, the aforesaid two cases are in no way relevant for the present case, because if an appeal filed by two appellants, out of which one appellant has died, then there is a necessity to substitute the legal representatives of the appellant to be brought on record. Therefore, in the present case in hand, despite the knowledge that the appellant No.1 had died, no steps was taken to implead his legal representatives. Therefore, the appeal has abated and moreover, in the application the petitioner has further stated that the appeal suffered from the defect of non-joinder of legal representatives/heirs of the appellant no. 2.
10) In view of the prayers made in the plaint as already quoted above, this Court is of the view that the learned First Appellate Court has committed jurisdictional error in concluding that the respondent herein was agitating his right in t he Page No.# 5/15 appeal which is eventually incorrect because as per the copy of the memo of appeal, the appeal was filed by Md. Kala Raja Laskar (Appellant/Plaintiff No.1) as well as Merabjan Bibi (Appellant/Plaintiff No.2). The appeal was instituted with the knowledge that one of the appellants had died. Therefore, the findings recorded by the first appellant court that right to sue does not extinguish even on death of one of the plaintiff is not sustainable. In view of the fact that t he impugned order passed by the learned first appellate court is erroneous to the effect that present appeal was preferred by one of the appellant/plaintiff in respect of right, title and interest in respect of the schedule land described in T.S. No.33/2010, the said finding is perverse, being contrary to the memo of appeal annexed as Annexure-3, which reflects that the appellant No.1 was Md. Kala Raja Laskar and the appellant No.2 was Merabjan Bibi.
11) Therefore, this Court has no hesitation in setting aside the impugned order dated 07.11.2016 passed by the learned Civil Judge, Hailakandi in Title Appeal No. 16/2014. Consequently, the petition No.8358/03 stands allowed. The appeal i.e. Title Appeal No.16/2014 stands abated on the death of appellant No. 2.
12) Resultantly, this revision petition stands allowed. Parties are left to bear their own costs."
8. It would now be appropriate to refer to the provisions of Order XXII Rule 2, Order XXII, Rule 3(2) and Order XXII Rule 11 CPC:-
2. Procedure where one of several plaintiffs or defendants dies and right to sue survives Where there are more plaintiffs or defendants than one, and any of them dies, and where the right to sue survives to the surviving plaintiff or plaintiffs alone, or against the surviving defendant or defendants alone, the Court shall cause an entry to the effect to be made on the record, and the suit shall proceed at the instance of the surviving plaintiff or plaintiffs, or against the surviving defendant or defendants.
3. Procedure in case of death of one of several plaintiffs or of sole plaintiff (1) Where one of two or more plaintiffs dies and the right to sue does not survive Page No.# 6/15 to the surviving plaintiff or plaintiffs alone, or a sole plaintiff or sole surviving plaintiff dies and the right to the sue survives, the Court, on an application made in that behalf, shall cause the legal representative of the deceased plaintiff to be made a party and shall proceed with the suit.
(2) Where within the time limited by law no application is made under sub-rule (1), the suit shall abate so far as the deceased plaintiff is concerned, and, on the application of the defendant, the Court may award to him the costs which he may have incurred in defending the suit, to be recovered from the estate of the deceased plaintiff.
11. Application of Order to appeals.
In the application of this Order to appeals, so far as may be, the word "plaintiff shall be held to include an appellant, the word "defendant" a respondent, and the word "suit" an appeal.
HIGH COURT AMENDMENTS
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Calcutta.-In Order XXII, in rule 11, insert the following proviso, namely:-
"Provided always that where an Appellate Court has made an order dispensing with service of notice of appeal upon legal representatives of any person deceased under Order XLI, rule 14(3), the appeal shall not be deemed to abate as against such party and the decree made on appeal shall be binding on the estate or the interest of such party."
Gauhati.-Same as in Calcutta."
9. At the outset, it is mentioned herein that it is trite law that mistake committed by the Court is a good ground for entertaining review application. Thus, the cases cited on the point are not required to be discussed. The only point required to be examined is whether the non-mentioning of the provisions of Order XXII Rule 2 CPC and Order XXII Rule 3(2) CPC was a mistake apparent on the face of the record, which would vitiate the order impugned herein.
10. In the case of Gema Coutinho Rodrigues (supra), the gift deeds were made Page No.# 7/15 by the deceased brother's brother-in-law in pursuance of power of attorney in his favour. Under such circumstances, when one of the legal heirs had been brought on record, it was held that the suit could not have been abated.
11. In the case of Ratna alias Ratnavati (supra), was decided on the following facts. The father of the petitioner was the second defendant in OS No. 232 of 1986 filed in the court of Civil Judge at Udipi. The suit had been filed under Order XXXIV Rule 4 for the recovery of the money due under a hypothecation. A preliminary decree was passed in the suit on 28.06.1989 on the basis of a joint memo filed by the parties. Thereafter, Muthu Marakala, the second defendant/surety, died. An Application No. 316 of 1991, to pass final decree, when was filed by the plaintiff, it also made an application to bring the petitioner as legal representative of deceased second respondent, which was opposed on the ground that such application was barred by limitation and the preliminary decree, itself, had abated after the expiry of 90 days from the date of death of defendant 2. An objection had also been raised that the petitioner was not liable to pay the amount of the decree unless principal debtor-defendant was proceeded against. That application was allowed by the trial court. On revision, while leaving open the second question, the High court of Karnataka by its impugned order dated 19-4-1994 made in CRP No. 782 of 1994 upheld the order of the trial court. On such factual matrix, the Supreme Court of India had held as follows:-
"6. Order 22 Rule I says that "the death of plaintiff or defendant shall not cause the suit to abate if the right to sue survives". Rule 2 says that in case of multiple plaintiffs or defendants, if any of them dies and where the right to sue survives to the surviving plaintiff or plaintiffs/defendants, the court shall cause an entry to that effect made and shall proceed with the suit under Rule 4, if the right does not survive against the surviving defendants alone, on an application made, the court shall cause the legal representative substituted and shall proceed with the suit. A decree passed confers rights and imposes liabilities which are fixed until the decree is reversed or varied in appeal. The preliminary decree declares rights of the plaintiff and liabilities of the respective defendants and they become final. The suit would not abate between the date of preliminary decree and final decree. In this view of the matter, the question which emerges is whether it is not necessary for the decree-holder to make an application within the limitation prescribed under Page No.# 8/15 Article 120 of the Schedule to the Limitation Act, 1963 to have the legal representatives brought on record. Section 52 Civil Procedure Code adumbrates that a money decree passed against the legal representative of the deceased defendant, out of the property of the deceased in his hands, may be executed by attachment or sale of that property. If the legal representatives fail to satisfy the court that he duly applied the property to discharge the debt or the court is not satisfied of his so doing, the court would proceed against the legal representatives personally and to apply the property by sale to satisfy the decree debt. At the time when the application for passing the final decree is filed, it is enough if the legal representatives are impleaded, all or any of the legal representatives or one of the LRs of the deceased defendant judgment debtor to represent the estate of the deceased. If death of defendant takes place pending passing of final decree they may be brought on record under Section 151 Civil Procedure Code or Order I Rule 10 Civil Procedure Code.
7. Considered from this perspective, we are of the considered view that the High court was right in its conclusion that there is no need to make an application within the period of limitation as provided under Articles 120 and 121 of the Limitation Act to bring the LRs of deceased defendant on record and to seek to set aside the abatement after the expiry of 90 days."
12. In the case of Mithailal Dalsangar Singh (supra) , the backdrop of the case and the decision are available in paragraph 2 and 8 to 11 thereof, which are quoted below:-
"2. A brief resume of relevant facts would suffice. There was an agreement to sell relating to the suit property entered into by the owners thereof, impleaded as defendants in the suit, in favour of three persons namely Bharat Singh, Mithai Lal Singh and Smt. Nirmala on 29-10-1987. The three vendees joined as co-plaintiffs and filed a suit for specific performance of the agreement to sell. There was a prayer for the grant of ad interim injunction which was allowed by the Learned Single Judge of the High Court who was trying the suit. As against the order granting an interim injunction, the defendants preferred an appeal and therein the three plaintiffs were impleaded as respondents. On 5-4-1997 Bharat Singh, one of the plaintiffs expired. The appeal filed by the defendants came up for hearing Page No.# 9/15 before the Division Bench of the High Court. On 17-6-2000, which was the date of hearing, a statement appears to have been made before the High Court that Bharat Singh had expired. The counsel for the plaintiff-respondents wrote a letter to the two surviving plaintiffs informing them of the factum of death of the third plaintiff and the need for taking steps for bringing the legal representatives on record. On 29-6-2000 the legal representatives of the deceased plaintiff took out chamber summons on the original side of the High Court for being brought on record in the suit in place of the deceased plaintiff. The defendants in the suit objected to the prayer for impleadment submitting that the prayer was hopelessly barred by time and that the suit had abated. It was also submitted that in as much as the cause of action arising to the three plaintiffs was only one, the death of one of plaintiffs had resulted in the suit having abated in its entirety and, therefore, the prayer made by the legal representatives of the deceased plaintiff for being brought on record was not maintainable unless and until the other two surviving plaintiffs had also made a prayer for setting aside the abatement. That having not been done, the chamber summons at the instance of the legal representatives of the deceased plaintiff only was not maintainable. The learned Single Judge allowed the prayer made by the legal representatives for condonation of delay in moving the application, set aside the abatement of the suit and allowed the legal representatives to be brought on record. The learned Single Judge held that the legal representative-applicants had duly established the sufficient cause for condonation of delay in moving the application and for setting aside the abatement. To quote from the order of the learned Single Judge, he held- "The chamber summons is hereby allowed in terms of prayers (a), (b) and (c)."
8. In as much as the abatement results in denial of hearing on the merits of the case, the provision of abatement has to be construed strictly. On the other hand, the prayer for setting aside an abatement and the dismissal consequent upon an abatement, have to be considered liberally. A simple prayer for bringing the legal representatives on record without specifically praying for setting aside of an abatement may in substance be construed as a prayer for setting aside abatement. So also a prayer for setting aside abatement as regard one of the plaintiffs can be construed as a prayer for setting aside the abatement of the suit in its entirety.
Page No.# 10/15 Abatement of suit for failure to move an application for bringing the legal representatives on record within the prescribed period of limitation is automatic and a specific order dismissing the suit as abated is not called for. Once the suit has abated as a matter of law, though there may not have been passed on record a specific order dismissing the suit as abated, yet the legal representatives proposing to be brought on record or any other applicant proposing to bring the legal representatives of the deceased party on record would seek the setting aside of an abatement. A prayer for bringing the legal representatives on record, if allowed, would have the effect of setting aside the abatement as the relief of setting aside abatement though not asked for in so many words is in effect being actually asked for and is necessarily implied. Too technical or pedantic an approach in such cases is not called for.
9. The courts have to adopt a justice oriented approach dictated by the upper most consideration that ordinarily a litigant ought not to be denied an opportunity of having a lies determined on merits unless he has, by gross negligence, deliberate inaction or something akin to misconduct, disentitled himself from seeking the indulgence of the court. The opinion of the trial judge allowing a prayer for setting aside abatement and his finding on the question of availability of `sufficient cause' within the meaning of sub-rule (2) of Rule 9 of Order 22 and of Section 5 of the Limitation Act, 1963 deserves to be given weight, and once arrived at would not normally be interfered with by superior jurisdiction.
10. In the present case, the learned trial judge found sufficient cause for condonation of delay in moving the application and such finding having been reasonably arrived at and based on the material available, was not for interference by the Division Bench. In fact the Division Bench has not even reversed that finding; rather the Division Bench has proceeded on the reasoning that the suit filed by three plaintiffs having abated in its entirety by reason of the death of one of the plaintiffs, and then the fact that no prayer was made by the two surviving plaintiffs as also by the legal representatives of the deceased plaintiff for setting aside of the abatement in its entirety, the suit could not have been revived. In our opinion, such an approach adopted by the Division Bench verges on too fine a technicality and results in injustice being done. There was no order in writing Page No.# 11/15 passed by the court dismissing the entire suit as having abated. The suit has been treated by the Division Bench to have abated in its entirety by operation of law. For a period of ninety days from the date of death of any party the suit remains in a state of suspended animation. And then it abates. The converse would also logically follow. Once, the prayer made by the legal representatives of the deceased plaintiff for setting aside the abatement as regards the deceased plaintiff was allowed, and the legal representatives of the deceased plaintiff came on record, the constitution of the suit was rendered good; it revived and the abatement of the suit would be deemed to have been set aside in its entirety even though there was no specific prayer made and no specific order of the Court passed in that behalf.
11. There is yet another aspect of the matter. As we have already noticed, the appeal against the order of ad interim injunction passed by the learned trial Judge was pending before the Division Bench. Therein the defendants had themselves moved an application for bringing on record the legal representatives of the deceased plaintiff, that is, the respondent in their appeal. The legal representatives being brought on record at any stage of the proceedings enures for the benefit of the entire proceedings. The prayer made by the defendants in their appeal for bringing on record the legal representatives of the deceased plaintiff-respondent in appeal was not opposed by the legal representatives or by any of the co-plaintiffs. Rather the prayer was virtually conceded to by the legal representatives themselves moving an application for being brought on record in the suit in place of the deceased plaintiff. In our opinion, the application made by the defendant- appellants in the appeal once allowed would have the effect of bringing the legal representatives on record, not only in the appeal but also in the suit. All that would remain to be done is the ministerial act of correcting the index of the parties by the applicants in appeal and then in the suit. In view of the defendants themselves having sought for impleadment of the legal representatives in the appeal the delay in moving the application in the suit by the legal representatives, being subsequent in point of time, became meaningless."
13. In the case of Sahdeo Singh (supra), the suit was not filed by the karta of the Page No.# 12/15 Hindu Undivided Family, but all the co-owners were the plaintiffs in the suit. The suit was filed against defendants belonging to other families with allegation that they had illegally and collusively entered their names in the land records and hence, suit was filed for declaration of title, confirmation of possession, and in the alternative for recovery of possession. Therefore, on death of a junior member of the family by referring to the provisions of Order XXII Rule 3, it was held by the Patna High Court that where during pendency of a suit by co-owners for declaration of title and possession against trespassers one of the co-owners dies the suit would not abate for non- substitution of his legal representatives for the reason that the suit was maintainable even by some co-owners. In the present case in hand, the appellants- plaintiffs and the defendant-respondent are governed by Mohammedan law and are projected to be brothers. It is not the pleaded case of the appellants- plaintiffs in the plaint that they are co-owners of the suit land, rather the deceased appellant- plaintiff no.2 claims his share of land from his mother's share and the defendant is also admittedly the brother of the appellants- plaintiffs. Thus, the present suit was not by all co-owners against trespassers and as such, the ratio of the case of Sahdeo Singh (supra) is not found applicable under the distinguishable facts of the present case.
14. Thus, in the herein before cited case of Gema Coutinho Rodrigues (supra), one of the legal heir was already on record. In the case of Ratna alias Ratnavati (supra) , a preliminary decree had already been passed and that along with application for final decree, application for substitution was filed. In the case of Mithailal Dalsangar Singh (supra) , application for substitution by the defendant- appellants in the cross appeal was already allowed and therefore, it was held that once substitution was allowed, it would have the effect of bringing legal representative on record not only in appeal but also in the suit. Thus, it appears that the common thread in the cases cited by the learned counsel for the review petition is that application for substitution was filed on record on the date when suit was held to have abated, resulting in interference by the Supreme Court of India.
15. In the present case in hand, the appeal was jointly filed by the plaintiffs and the appellant no.2 had died. No attempt was made to bring her legal representatives on record. Rather the petitioner had filed a petition to bring abatement to the notice of the Court. The factual background of the present case has been narrated herein above. The suit Page No.# 13/15 was dismissed and an appeal was preferred. It is nobody's case that the cause of action in respect of both the plaintiffs was different so that even if the cause of action in respect of one appellant- plaintiff abates, that of the other appellant-plaintiff would survive. The said proposition, though not argued, in the considered opinion of the Court would fail because there is absence of any pleading to the effect that there was joinder of cause of action, as envisaged under the provisions of Rule 3 of Order II CPC.
16. It would be now be relevant to refer to the decision of the 5 Judge Bench in the case of Ram Sarup & Ors. Munshi & Ors., AIR 1963 SC 553 , where the Supreme Court of India had held as under:-
"4. ... Where a decree is a joint and a part of the decree has become final, by reason of abatement, the entire appeal must be held to be abated. It is not necessary to cite authority for so obvious a position but we might refer to the decision of this Court in Jhanda Singh v Gurmukh Singh, Civil Appeal No. 344 of 1956 D/10-4-1962 (SC). The result is that the appeal fails as having abated and is dismissed with costs."
17. In the case of Ramagya Prasad Gupta Vs. Murli Prasad, AIR 1972 SC 1181 , which was decided by the Supreme Court of India with Bench coram of 3 Judges, it was held as follows:-
"16. Under Rule 4 (3) r/w Rule 11 of Order XXII C.P.C. the appeal abates as against the deceased respondent where within the time limited by law no application is made to bring his heirs or legal representatives on record. As pointed out by this Court in the State of Punjab v. Nathu Ram, (1962) 2 SCR 636: AIR 1963 SC 89 it is not correct to say that the appeal abates against the other respondents. Under certain circumstances the appeal may not be proceeded with and is liable to be dismissed. But that is so not because of the procedural defect but because, as Mulla has pointed out, it is part of the substantive law. (See Mulla C.P.C. Vol. 1 Thirteenth Edition p. 620 under note Non-joinder of Parties). No exhaustive statement can be made as to the circumstances under which an appeal in such cases cannot proceed. But the courts, as pointed out in the above decision, have applied one or the other of three tests. The courts will not proceed with an Page No.# 14/15 appeal (a) when the success of the appeal may lead to the court's coming to a decision which may be in conflict with the decision between the appellant and the deceased respondent and, therefore, it would lead to the court's passing a decree which will be contradictory to the decree which had become final with respect to the same subject matter between the appellant and the deceased respondent; (b) when the appellant could not have brought the action for the necessary relief against those respondents alone who are still before the court and (c) when the decree against the surviving respondents, if the appeal succeeds, be ineffective that is to say it could not be successfully executed. These three tests, as pointed out by this Court in Sri Chand v. M/s. Jagdish Pershad Kishan Chand, (1966) 3 SCR 451: AIR 1966 SC 1427 are not cumulative tests. Even if one of them is satisfied, the court may dismiss the appeal."
18. It is seen that the aforesaid principles, as laid down by the Supreme Court of India had been followed by another coordinate Bench of this Court in the case of Susanta Kumar Choudhury (supra) and this Court finds no reason to deviate from the said ratio.
19. Moreover, Rule 11 of Order XXII CPC contains amendment made by this High Court, which is quoted herein before. Thus, in cases where an appellate Court has made an order dispensing with service of notice of appeal upon legal representatives of any person deceased under Order XLI, Rule 14(3), it is provided that the appeal shall not be deemed to abate as against such party and the decree made on appeal shall be binding on the estate or the interest of such party. The said proviso having not resorted to in the present case in hand, the Court is unable to accept the contention of the learned counsel for the petitioner that the appeal cannot abate under the provisions of Order XXII Rule 2 CPC and Order XXII Rule 3(2) CPC.
20. Therefore, although the learned counsel for the review petitioner has rightly submitted that in the order dated 16.09.2017, no reference was made to the provisions Order XXII Rule 2 CPC and Order XXII Rule 3(2) CPC. However, the same was not the required to be mentioned because it is not the case of the review petitioner that the said provisions was pressed by the learned counsel appearing in connection with the revision petition and was Page No.# 15/15 erroneously dealt with by the Court. Moreover, no authority has been cited to show that even when no application for substitution or setting aside abatement was filed, the lower appellate Court ought to have suo motu taken recourse to the said provision to proceed with the appeal.
21. In light of the discussions above, the cases cited by the learned counsel for the review petitioner is distinguishable on facts and are not found applicable under the facts of the present case. The reasons assigned in allowing CRP 147/2017 is not found vitiated by not referring to the provisions of Order XXII Rule 2 CPC and Order XXII Rule 3(2) CPC. It is trite law that power of review is not to be exercised as an appeal in disguise.
22. Thus, in light of the discussions above, the Court is of the considered opinion that the review petitioner has not made out a case for exercising review jurisdiction in respect of order dated 16.09.2017 in CRP 147/2017. Resultantly, this review petition stands dismissed, leaving the parties to bear their own cost.
23. In view of the present Covid-19 pandemic situation, the Registry shall e-mail the order to the Court of the learned Civil Judge, Hailakandi to be kept in the record of Title Appeal No. 16/2014.
JUDGE Comparing Assistant