Mere filing of the civil suit cannot come in the way of the execution of the lawful decree in favour of the appellant which is final.= we do not see how execution of the decree for specific performance in favour of the appellant can be injuncted and stayed in view of the subsequent suit filed by Meena Rani Gupta and Nalini Gupta, which suit is still pending and has not yet been decided

CA 3412/2019
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IN THE SUPREME COURT OF INDIA
CIVIL APPELLATE JURISDICTION
CIVIL APPEAL NO.3412 OF 2019
(Arising out of S.L.P.(C) No.32846 of 2016)
Veena Mahajan   Appellant(s)
                  Versus
V.N. Verma and Others      Respondent(s)
O R D E R 
Leave granted.
The   appellant,   Veena   Mahajan,   plaintiff   in   Civil   Suit
(OS)   No.   553   of   1988,   sought   specific   performance   of   an
agreement   dated   14 th
  February,   1986,   which   suit   was   decreed   in
the year 1998.  The decree has attained finality upon dismissal
of   appeals   including   the   special   leave   petition   arising
therefrom in the year 2012.
Thereafter,   the   appellant   filed   Execution   Petition   No.
282   of   2012   for   execution   of   decree   for   specific   performance.
The   executing   court   has   halted   and   stayed   the   execution
proceedings on the ground that one Meena Rani Gupta and Nalini
Gupta had claimed to have entered into an agreement of sale in
respect   of   the   same   property   in   the   year   1990   and   had
instituted   Civil   Suit   (OS)   No.   779   of   2001   for   specific

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performance   of   the   agreement   dated   27 th
  November,   1990.
Aggrieved, the appellant is before this Court.
We   have   heard   learned   counsel   for   the   appellant.     There
is   none   to   represent   the   respondents.     We   have   considered   the
matter.
The   impugned   order   stalls   and   halts   execution   of   the
decree for  specific performance  passed in  the year  1998, which
decree has attained finality.  The appellant had filed the said
suit   in   1988   and   has   been   in   litigation   for   the   last   thirty
years.   For the last eighteen years she has been denied fruits
of the decree and judgment in her favour.  Meena Rani Gupta and
Nalini Gupta  rely on  an agreement  to sale  purportedly executed
by   a   power   of   attorney   of   the   original   owner   (the   third
respondent before us), dated 27 th
 November, 1990. This agreement
by the  third respondent  was in  contravention of  the injunction
order   dated   14 th
  March,   1988   passed   in   Civil   Suit   (OS)   No.   553
of   1988   filed   by   the   appellant.     Admittedly,   Meena   Rani   Gupta
and   Nalini   Gupta   have   not   acquired   ownership   and   title   in   the
suit property.
In   these   circumstances,   we   do   not   see   how   execution
of   the   decree   for   specific   performance   in   favour   of   the
appellant can be injuncted and stayed in view of the subsequent
suit filed by Meena Rani Gupta and Nalini Gupta, which suit is
still pending and has not yet been decided.  Mere filing of the
civil   suit   cannot   come   in   the   way   of   the   execution   of   the

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lawful decree in favour of the appellant which is final.
For   the   aforesaid   reasons,   we   set   aside   the   orders
passed   by   the   Division   Bench   and   the   Single   Judge   in   the
execution   proceedings   and   allow   the   present   appeal.
Proceedings in Execution Petition No. 282 of 2012 will now be
commenced and proceeded with expeditiously.
     

..................CJI.
[Ranjan Gogoi]
....................J.
[Deepak Gupta]
....................J.
[Sanjiv Khanna]
New Delhi
April 05 , 2019.

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ITEM NO.48               COURT NO.1               SECTION XIV
               S U P R E M E  C O U R T  O F  I N D I A
                       RECORD OF PROCEEDINGS
Petition(s) for Special Leave to Appeal (C)  No.32846/2016
(Arising out of impugned final judgment and order dated  31-03-2016
in EFA No. 5/2014 passed by the High Court of Delhi at New Delhi)
SMT. VEENA MAHAJAN                                 Petitioner(s)
                                VERSUS
SH. V.N. VERMA & ORS.                              Respondent(s)

Date : 05-04-2019 This petition was called on for hearing today.
CORAM :
          HON'BLE THE CHIEF JUSTICE
          HON'BLE MR. JUSTICE DEEPAK GUPTA
          HON'BLE MR. JUSTICE SANJIV KHANNA
For Petitioner(s) Ms. Shivani Luthra, Adv.
Ms. Anjana Ahluwalia, Adv.
Mr. Karan N., Adv.
                  Mr. Nar Hari Singh, AOR
                 
For Respondent(s)
                  Mr. Kumar Dushyant Singh, AOR (N/P)
                   
UPON hearing the counsel the Court made the following
                             O R D E R
Leave granted.
The appeal is allowed in terms of the signed order.
(Chetan Kumar) (Anand Prakash)
     A.R.-cum-P.S.        Court Master
(Signed order is placed on the file)