* Author
[2024] 4 S.C.R. 616 : 2024 INSC 281
K.B. Lal (Krishna Bahadur Lal)
v.
Gyanendra Pratap & Ors.
(Civil Appeal No. 4785 of 2024)
08 April 2024
[Sudhanshu Dhulia* And Prasanna B. Varale, JJ.]
Issue for Consideration
Whether there was sufficient cause for delay of fourteen years in
filing an application under Order IX, Rule 7 of the Code of Civil
Procedure.
Headnotes
Code of Civil Procedure, 1908 – Order IX Rule 7 – Application
filed after delay of 14 years – Limitation Act, 1963, s. 5 –
Condonation of delay is discretionary power of the court
– Power to be exercised judiciously – Not in cases of gross
negligence on part of litigant – 14 years delay cannot be
condoned – ‘Sufficient cause’ not shown – Gross negligence
on part of appellant in pursuing the matter.
Held: Appellant took 14 years to challenge an order of Trial Court
to proceed ex parte against him – No satisfactory explanation for
delay in filing application under Order IX Rule 7, CPC – Appellant
grossly negligent in pursuing the matter before the Trial Court – Trial
Court, revisional court and the High Court correct in dismissing
claim – ‘Sufficient cause’ not defined in s. 5, Limitation Act – Has
to be construed liberally and in order to meet ends of justice –
Deserving and meritorious cases should not be dismissed solely
on the ground of delay – Discretionary power of a court to condone
delay must be exercised judiciously – Delay due to gross negligence
and/or want of due diligence on the part of the litigant not to be
condoned – ‘Sufficient cause’ can be given liberal construction when
no negligence, nor inaction, nor want of bona fide is imputable to
the litigant [Paras 9, 10]
Case Law Cited
Majji Sannemma @ Sanyasirao v. Reddy Sridevi &
Ors. [2021] 9 SCR 476 : (2021) 18 SCC 384; P.K.
Ramachandran v. State of Kerala and Anr. [1997] Supp.
[2024] 4 S.C.R. 617
K.B. Lal (Krishna Bahadur Lal) v. Gyanendra Pratap & Ors.
4 SCR 204 : (1997) 7 SCC 556; Basawaraj and Anr. v.
Special Land Acquisition Officer. [2013] 8 SCR 227 :
(2013) 14 SCC 81; Esha Bhattacharjee v. Managing
Committee of Raghunathpur Nafar Academy & Ors.
[2013] 9 SCR 782 : (2013) 12 SCC 649 – relied on.
List of Acts
Code of Civil Procedure, 1908; Limitation Act, 1963.
List of Keywords
Sufficient cause; Condonation of delay; Inordinate delay; Good
cause; Discretionary power; Negligence.
Case Arising From
CIVIL APPELLATE JURISDICTION: Civil Appeal No. 4785 of 2024
From the Judgment and Order dated 19.05.2022 of the High Court of
Judicature at Allahabad, Lucknow Bench in MUA227 No. 1575 of 2022
Appearances for Parties
Sunil Kumar Jain, Ms. Rashika Swarup, Advs. for the Appellant.
Mukesh Kumar Sharma, Kartikey, Advs. for the Respondents.
Judgment / Order of the Supreme Court
Judgment
Sudhanshu Dhulia, J.
1. Leave granted.
2. The appellant before this court has challenged the order dated
19.05.2022 passed by the High Court of Judicature at Allahabad,
by which the petition filed by the appellant under Article 227 of the
Constitution of India was dismissed. The appellant had invoked
the supervisory jurisdiction of the High Court under Article 227 of
the Constitution of India, against the order dated 28.03.2022 of the
Additional District Judge, Barabanki, who had upheld the order dated
07.10.2021 of the Civil Judge (Jr. Division), Barabanki.
3. The dispute between the parties to this appeal relates to a piece of
land situated in village Gharsaniya, Pargana Dewa, Tehsil-Nawabganj,
District - Barabanki, which was sold by one Kalawati (Respondent
618 [2024] 4 S.C.R.
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No. 4 herein) to one Mansa Ram (Respondent No. 5 herein), vide
sale deed dated 30.03.2006. Thereafter, the property was sold by
Respondent No. 5 to the appellant herein vide a registered sale
deed dt. 13.04.2006.
4. On 22.04.2006, Civil Suit for permanent injunction and cancellation
of the sale deed dated 30.03.2006, was filed by the Respondent
Nos. 1, 2 & 3 herein before the Civil Judge (Jr. Division), Barabanki.
The appellant was impleaded as Defendant No. 3 in the suit. It was
contended before the Trial Court by Respondent Nos. 1, 2 & 3 that
Respondent No. 4 had no transferrable right or title over the property
when the sale deed dated 30.03.2006 was executed in favour of
Respondent No. 5 and thus, the property could not have been sold
to Respondent No. 5. Respondent Nos. 1, 2 & 3 asserted their
claim over the property before the Trial Court stating that they were
the bhumidhar & joint owners of the suit property and were also in
possession of the same because the predecessor-in-interest of the
property was their uncle and he had executed a will deed dated
20.05.1997 in their favour.
5. After service of notice, vakalatnama of the appellant’s counsel was
filed on 22.04.2006. During the course of the hearing, an order dated
06.09.2006 was passed by the trial court, by which the suit was to
proceed ex-parte against the appellant. In the order dated 06.09.2006,
it was recorded by the Trial Court that a perusal of the record would
indicate that the appellant was duly served, but he did not file any
written statements, and thus, it would be appropriate to proceed exparte against him. It is this order of the trial court, which was sought
to be recalled by the appellant by filing an application under Order
IX, Rule 7 of the Code of Civil Procedure, 1908 (hereinafter “CPC”).
However, this application was filed by the appellant on 01.09.2017,
i.e. after an inordinate delay of almost 11 years. To explain the
delay, the appellant argued that the summons and notice of the case
were not received by him and that the advocate appointed by him
belonged to another city, who did not pursue the case diligently, and
it was only in the year 2011, when he inspected the case file that he
came to know about the order dated 06.09.2006. Even here as to
why it took him another 6 years to file the application, as he had the
knowledge in any case in the year 2011, has not been explained. But
this is not enough. Even this application, filed in the year 2017, was
admittedly not pressed before the Trial Court by the appellant, for
[2024] 4 S.C.R. 619
K.B. Lal (Krishna Bahadur Lal) v. Gyanendra Pratap & Ors.
the reason that correct facts were not mentioned in the application.
Finally, another application under Order IX, Rule 7 of the CPC came
to be filed yet again by the appellant on 23.11.2020.
6. This second application filed by the appellant was dismissed by the
trial court vide order dated 07.10.2021. What weighed in with the trial
court, while dismissing the appellant’s application under Order IX,
Rule 7 of the CPC, was the fact that the appellant was duly served
and had filed vakalatnama of his counsel in April 2006 but did not file
written statements in time and on 12.07.2011 an application was filed
by the appellant, seeking permission to file the written statements.
It was noted by the Trial Court that the explanation tendered by the
appellant for the delay in filing the application under Order IX, Rule
7 of the CPC was that the advocate appointed by him at the time
of receiving summons, i.e., April 2006, did not pursue the matter
diligently and had defrauded the appellant. Thus, the appellant
appointed another advocate, namely Shri R.D. Rastogi in May
2006. This explanation, as noted by the trial court, was based on
contradictory statements and wrong facts, and no reasonable cause
was given for the delay caused. Hence, it was dismissed.
7. Aggrieved by order dated 07.10.2021 by which his application
under Order IX, Rule 7 of the CPC for setting aside the order dated
06.09.2006 was dismissed by the trial court, the appellant preferred
a Revision, which came before Additional District Judge, Barabanki
(hereinafter referred to as “Revisional Court”). Vide order dated
28.03.2022, the revisional court dismissed the Civil Revision filed by
the appellant. The revisional court, upon examination of the material
on record, found that the first application under Order IX, Rule 7 of
the CPC which was filed by the appellant on 01.09.2017, was not
pressed, owing to the fact that initially he had appointed an advocate
who did not attend the case, and wrong facts were mentioned by
a ‘junior advocate’ in the first application. Hence, another advocate
filed the second application on 23.11.2020, mentioning the correct
facts. Yet, the signature on the first application filed in the year
2017 and on that of the second application filed in the year 2020
were of the same advocate, namely, Shri R.D. Rastogi. It was also
observed by the revisional court that although it was averred by the
appellant that he was put in dark by the counsel earlier engaged by
him, there is no reference to his name. Thus, upon consideration of
the entire material on the record, it was held by the revisional court
620 [2024] 4 S.C.R.
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that the application under Order IX, Rule 7 of the CPC for recalling
order dated 06.09.2006 was filed by the appellant not only after a
long delay of 14 years, but also without assigning any satisfactory
reasons for the delay, hence, the revisional court found no error in
the order dated 07.10.2021 of the trial court and accordingly, the
Civil Revision preferred by the appellant was dismissed.
8. Assailing the order of the revisional court, the appellant filed a
petition under Article 227 of the Constitution of India, invoking the
supervisory jurisdiction of the High Court of Judicature at Allahabad.
The High Court, vide impugned order dated 19.05.2022, affirmed
the orders of both the courts below and dismissed the petition filed
by the appellant. The High Court, while dismissing the said petition,
took note of the fact that the suit was filed before the trial court in
the 2006, by the respondent-plaintiffs and the appellant-defendant
appeared and filed the vakalatnama of his counsel on 22.04.2006
and in the year 2011, moved an application seeking permission
to file written statements. Upon consideration of the fact that the
appellant’s counsel remained the same throughout, the High Court
was of the opinion that while filing the application in the year 2011,
the appellant’s counsel would definitely have come to know about
the order dated 06.09.2006, by which the trial court had decided
to proceed ex-parte against the appellant. Despite this, the first
application under Order IX, Rule 7 of the CPC was moved only
on 01.09.2017, which was also not pressed for 3 years, and then
the second application was moved on 23.11.2020 without showing
any “good cause”, as required under Order IX, Rule 7 of the CPC.
Thus, no perversity was found by the High Court in the orders of
both the courts below. The High Court hence refused to exercise
its supervisory jurisdiction under Article 227 of the Constitution, and
in our opinion, rightly so.
In this case the main question is of delay. Should an inordinate delay,
which has no reasonable explanation be condoned?
9. Whether an application filed by the appellant, under Order IX, Rule
7 of the CPC can be allowed, after a delay of almost 14 years, is
the only question before us. Was there a sufficient cause for filing
such a belated application?
Although the term ‘sufficient cause’ has not been defined in the
Limitation Act, it is now well-settled through a catena of decisions that
[2024] 4 S.C.R. 621
K.B. Lal (Krishna Bahadur Lal) v. Gyanendra Pratap & Ors.
the term has to be construed liberally and in order to meet the ends
of justice. The reason for giving the term a wide and comprehensive
meaning is quite simple. It is to ensure that deserving and meritorious
cases are not dismissed solely on the ground of delay.
10. There is no gainsaying the fact that the discretionary power of a
court to condone delay must be exercised judiciously and it is not
to be exercised in cases where there is gross negligence and/or
want of due diligence on part of the litigant (See Majji Sannemma
@ Sanyasirao v. Reddy Sridevi & Ors. (2021) 18 SCC 384). The
discretion is also not supposed to be exercised in the absence of
any reasonable, satisfactory or appropriate explanation for the delay
(See P.K. Ramachandran v. State of Kerala and Anr., (1997) 7 SCC
556). Thus, it is apparent that the words ‘sufficient cause’ in Section
5 of the Limitation Act can only be given a liberal construction, when
no negligence, nor inaction, nor want of bona fide is imputable to
the litigant (See Basawaraj and Anr. v. Special Land Acquisition
Officer., (2013) 14 SCC 81). The principles which are to be kept
in mind for condonation of delay were succinctly summarised by
this Court in Esha Bhattacharjee v. Managing Committee of
Raghunathpur Nafar Academy & Ors., (2013) 12 SCC 649, and
are reproduced as under:
“21.1. (i) There should be a liberal, pragmatic, justiceoriented, non-pedantic approach while dealing with
an application for condonation of delay, for the courts
are not supposed to legalise injustice but are obliged
to remove injustice.
21.2. (ii) The terms “sufficient cause” should be understood
in their proper spirit, philosophy and purpose regard
being had to the fact that these terms are basically
elastic and are to be applied in proper perspective
to the obtaining fact-situation.
21.3. (iii) Substantial justice being paramount and pivotal
the technical considerations should not be given
undue and uncalled for emphasis.
21.4. (iv) No presumption can be attached to deliberate
causation of delay but, gross negligence on the
part of the counsel or litigant is to be taken note of.
622 [2024] 4 S.C.R.
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21.5. (v) Lack of bona fides imputable to a party seeking
condonation of delay is a significant and relevant
fact.
21.6. (vi) It is to be kept in mind that adherence to strict
proof should not affect public justice and cause
public mischief because the courts are required to
be vigilant so that in the ultimate eventuate there is
no real failure of justice.
21.7. (vii) The concept of liberal approach has to
encapsulate the conception of reasonableness
and it cannot be allowed a totally unfettered free
play.
21.8. (viii) There is a distinction between inordinate
delay and a delay of short duration or few days,
for to the former doctrine of prejudice is attracted
whereas to the latter it may not be attracted.
That apart, the first one warrants strict approach
whereas the second calls for a liberal delineation.
21.9. (ix) The conduct, behaviour and attitude of a party
relating to its inaction or negligence are relevant
factors to be taken into consideration. It is so as
the fundamental principle is that the courts are
required to weigh the scale of balance of justice
in respect of both parties and the said principle
cannot be given a total go by in the name of
liberal approach.
21.10.(x) If the explanation offered is concocted, or
the grounds urged in the application are fanciful,
the courts should be vigilant not to expose the
other side unnecessarily to face such a litigation.
………………………..”
(emphasis supplied)
Having perused the application under Order IX, Rule 7 of the CPC
dated 23.11.2020, filed by the appellant, and the accompanying
affidavit, wherein the appellant had sought the benefit of Section 5
of the Limitation Act, for condonation of a delay of almost 14 years,
[2024] 4 S.C.R. 623
K.B. Lal (Krishna Bahadur Lal) v. Gyanendra Pratap & Ors.
we find there was no satisfactory or reasonable ground given by the
appellant explaining the delay. We say this for two reasons. First, it is
an admitted position by the appellant himself that upon an inspection
of the case file in the year 2011, he came to know about the order
dated 06.09.2006, by which the Trial Court had decided to proceed
ex-parte against him. What prevented the appellant from filing the
application under Order IX, Rule 7 that year itself has not been
satisfactorily explained at all, as the first application was only filed
in the year 2017. Secondly, the explanation offered by the appellant,
which is that the advocate appointed by him did not pursue the
matter diligently, and then another advocate was appointed by him
who inadvertently forgot to file the application does not find support
from the records. What is clear is that the appellant has been grossly
negligent in pursuing the matter before the trial court. Thus, the trial
court, the revisional court as well as the High Court, were correct
in dismissing the belated claim of the appellant. We find no reason
to interfere with the impugned order dated 19.05.2022 of the High
Court of Judicature at Allahabad.
The appeal stands dismissed.
Headnotes prepared by: Result of the case:
Mukund P Unny, Hony. Associate Editor Appeal dismissed.
(Verified by: Shibani Ghosh, Adv.)
