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5. The facts in the present case speak for themselves. The agreement in question was executed by appellants nos.6 to 10 (original owners) in favour of G. Gopalakrishna (respondent no.1) on 5.12.1974. He himself issued a legal notice rescinding the contract and claiming refund of the advance amount paid. Thereafter on 7.11.1977 he filed a suit for recovery of the advance amount paid by him. This clearly shows that he gave up his right under the contract for execution of sale deed of the property in his favour. After considerable period of time he filed an application for amendment seeking to convert the suit into one for specific performance of agreement of sale but the said application was dismissed by the trial court on 3.12.1984 as being barred by limitation. The Revision preferred against the said order was dismissed by the High Court and therefore the finding of the trial court that the relief seeking specific performance of agreement of sale had become time barred attained finality. The suit for recovery of the amount was decreed by the trial Court on 24.7.1985 but on account of very clever device adopted by respondent no.1 of seeking additional sum of Rs.125/- towards cost of legal notice and thereafter not paying the requisite additional court fee of Rs.12.50 on the enhanced claim, the High Court in a Revision filed by him set aside the decree for refund of the amount and rejected the plaint. The suit giving rise to the present appeal was instituted by respondent no.1 on 2.4.1988 wherein he again sought specific performance of the agreement to sell dated 5..12.1974. The trial court was of the opinion that the present suit was filed after nearly 14 years. Even in the earlier suit (OS no.801 of 1977) the amendment sought by the respondent no.1 wherein he wanted to convert his suit into one for specific performance of agreement of sale had been rejected and a finding had been recorded that the relief for specific performance had already become time barred and this finding had been affirmed in Revision by the High Court. Article 54 of the Limitation Act provides a limitation of three years for instituting a suit for specific performance of a contract. This period of 3 years has to be reckoned from the date fixed for the performance, or if, no such date is fixed, when the plaintiff has notice that performance is refused. The appellant nos. 6 to 10 (original owners of the property) had opposed the application moved by respondent no.1 in the earlier suit for amendment seeking relief of specific performance of the agreement on the ground of limitation and their plea was accepted. Thus it is crystal clear that long before filing of the present suit the respondent no.1 had notice of the fact that the original owners were not prepared to execute the sale deed in his favour. The original owners (appellant nos. 6 to 10) sold the property in dispute in favour of appellants nos.1 to 5 on 18.4.1985 after the amendment application had been rejected by the trial court on the finding that the relief for specific performance had become barred by limitation. On these facts no other inference was possible and the trial court was perfectly justified in holding that the suit (OS no.1629 of 1988) was barred by limitation.