Document Fragment View
Fragment Information
Showing contexts for: dominus litis in Ramesh Hiranand Kundanmal vs Municipal Corporation Of Greater ... on 4 March, 1992Matching Fragments
Three grounds have been urged by the learned counsel for the appellant against the sustainability of the order. The plaintiff was dominus litis and, therefore, cannot be forced to join the second respondent as defendant. The second respondent is neither a necessary nor a proper party to the suit. The addition of the respondent would enlarge the issue in the suit. Reliance was placed on the decision of this Court in Razia Begum v. Anwar Begum, [1959] SCR 1111.
It was argued that the Court cannot direct addition of parties against the wishes of the plaintiff who cannot be compelled to proceed against a person against whom he does not claim any relief. Plaintiff is no doubt dominus litis and is not bound to sue every possible adverse claimant in the same suit. He may choose to implead only those persons as defendants against whom he wishes to proceed though under Order I Rule 3, to avoid multiplicity of suit and needless expenses, all persons against whom the right to relief is alleged to exist may be joined as defendants. However, the Court may at any stage of the suit direct addition of parties. A party can be joined as defendent even though the plaintiff does not think that he has any cause of action against him. Rule 10 specifically provides that it is open to the Court to add at any stage of the suit a necessary party or a person whose presence before the Court may be necessary in order to enable the Court to effectually and completely adjudicate upon and settle all the questions involved in the suit.