MUHAMMAD ABDULLAH vs MUHAMMAD AKBAR AND Another
This matter arises from a review petition filed against the dismissal of a petition for special leave to appeal, which had been dismissed as time-barred by 115 days without an application for condonation of delay. The core legal question was whether the time spent pursuing an application for a certificate under sections 109 and 110 of the Code of Civil Procedure 1908 in the High Court could be excluded as of right or if each day of delay after refusal must be explained with sufficient cause. The Supreme Court held that the time spent in the High Court can only be excluded as sufficient cause under the relevant rules and does not grant an automatic extension of limitation as a matter of right under section 14 of the Limitation Act 1908, requiring explanation for every day of delay once limitation has expired. The key principle laid down is that the exclusion of time spent in obtaining a certificate from the High Court is not a matter of right for computing limitation before the Supreme Court, and unexplained delay after the refusal of such a certificate warrants the dismissal of a time-barred petition.
- Whether the time spent in pursuing an application for a certificate in the High Court can be excluded as of right when computing limitation for a petition for special leave to appeal?
- Is a petitioner required to explain the delay for each day after the refusal of a certificate by the High Court when the period of limitation has already expired?
- Does the exclusion of time under the Supreme Court Rules operate in the same manner as section 14 of the Limitation Act 1908?
- Section 109, Code of Civil Procedure 1908
- Section 110, Code of Civil Procedure 1908
- Section 14, Limitation Act 1908
ORDER
1. MUHAMMAD YAQUB ALI, J.-C. P. S. L. A. No. 273 of 1969 was barred by 115 days and no application for condonation of delay was filed. At the hearing of the petition it was stated that on the dismissal of R. F. A. By a Division Bench, the petitioner had filed an application in the High Court for grant of a certificate under sections 109 and 110, C. P. C. Which was dismissed on the 2nd .July 1969. -The petition for leave to appeal was, however, filed after, the lapse of another 29 days on the 31st July 1969. Excluding the time spent in pursuing the application for grant of certificate; the period of 60 days for filing petition for special leave to appeal provided in Order XIII, rule 1, having already expired, there was no explanation for the delay of 29 days. The petition was, accordingly, dismissed as barred by time.
2. Maulvi Ehsanul Huq appearing in support of the petition for review vehemently urged that the time spent in pursuing the application for grant of a certificate in the High Court was to be excluded by which he meant that the period was to be added to 60 days and in that case the petition for leave to appeal was filed.
3. There is no warrant for this view. The time started to run on 11-11-1968 when the R. F. A. Preferred by the petitioner was dismissed. The time spent in pursuing the application for grant of certificate could only be excluded under Order XIII, rule 1 of the Supreme Court Rules as a sufficient cause but this did not mean that the petitioner was entitled to compute the period of limitation by excluding the period between 17th December 1968 and 2nd July 1969, as of right, such as, is the case under section 14 of the Limitation Act.
4. The period of limitation having already expired it was the duty of the petitioner to move this Court for leave to appeal as soon as the certificate was refused by the High Court. A valuable property right having come to be vested in the respondent, it was for the petitioner to explain delay for each day, but as mentioned above, no application for condonation of delay was even filed.
5. In the circumstances, we see no ground for reviewing the order of the Court dated the 6th November 1969, whereby the C. P. S. L. A. No. 273 of 1969 was dismissed as barred by time.