GHULAM FARID AND 21 Others GHULAM FARID AND 21 Others vs GAHROO AND 12 Other MAMMA AND 4 Other
The petitioners filed three civil suits claiming title to the property in dispute on the basis of prescription and seeking a declaration that a mutation in favour of the contesting defendants was illegal. The trial court dismissed the suits, and the Second Appeal was also unsuccessful. The petitioners' application for a certificate to file a Letters Patent Appeal was refused, along with their request to withdraw the suit or lead additional evidence. Before the Supreme Court, the petitioners' counsel conceded the concurrent findings against them on adverse possession. The Supreme Court held that the lower appellate court and the High Court committed no error in refusing additional evidence, as the parties are generally debarred from producing additional evidence in the appellate court under Order XLI, Rule 27 of the Code of Civil Procedure 1908 unless specific conditions are met, which were absent here. Furthermore, withdrawal of the suit with permission to file a fresh one under Order XXIII, Rule 1 of the Code of Civil Procedure 1908 was unwarranted as the suit did not fail due to a formal defect. The petitions were accordingly dismissed.
- Under what circumstances can parties produce additional evidence in an appellate court under the Code of Civil Procedure 1908?
- Can a plaintiff withdraw a suit with permission to institute a fresh suit when the failure of the suit is not due to a formal defect?
- Whether an appellate court is bound to permit the withdrawal of a suit or the leading of additional evidence when such a request was never made before the trial court.
- Order XLI Rule 27, Code of Civil Procedure 1908
- Order XXIII Rule 1, Code of Civil Procedure 1908
1. SALAHUDDIN AHMED, J.-The petitioners had filed three different suits having common questions of fact and law involved in them and they were disposed of by the trial Court under one judgment.
2. The present petitions arise out of certain orders passed in Second Appeal. The petitioners claimed title to the property in dispute on the basis of prescription and they accord--ing filed a suit for a declaration that the mutation in favour of the contesting defendants was illegal.
3. The petitioners' application for a certificate to file Letters Patent Appeal was dismissed. The learned Single Judge refused to permit the petitioners either to withdraw the suit or to lead additional evidence.
4. Mr. Pervaiz Akhtar, learned counsel appearing on behalf of the petitioners, has frankly stated that he does not dispute the findings of the Courts below on the question of adverse possession. It is, therefore, evident that the only ground on which the petitioners filed the suit failed.
5. Mr. Pervaiz Akhtar has, however, contended that the petitioners should have been permitted to put in additional evidence and that their application for that purpose was illegally rejected by the First Appellate Court. He has argued that although this point was raised before the High Court, it was not considered by it. On reference to the judgment of the First Appellate Court we do not find any reference to the petitioners' application for withdrawal of the suit or to lead additional evidence.
6. Under Order XLI, rule 27 the parties to an appeal are debarred from producing additional evidence in the appellate Court unless the Court on whose decree the appeal has been preferred has refused to admit the evidence which ought to have been admitted, or unless the appellate Court requires any document to be produced to enable it to pronounce judgment, or for any other substantial cause. The petitioner never asked for putting any additional evidence before the trial Court or even; before the First Appellate Court.
7. There is also no substance in the next contention of Mr. Pervaiz Akhtar that the learned Single Judge of the High Court illegally refused to permit the petitioners to withdraw their suit. Under Order XXIII, rule 1 of the Code of Civil Procedure the Court can order withdrawal with permission to institute a fresh suit on the ground that the suit must fail by reason of some formal defect or that there are other sufficient grounds for allow--ing the plaintiff to institute a fresh suit. Evidently the petitioners' suit failed not because of any formal defect. There also do not appear any sufficient grounds to entitle the petitioner to ask for withdrawal of a suit. Besides, as we have noticed already, he never asked for withdrawal either before the trial Court or the First Appellate Court.
8. There is no substance in these petitions and all the three petitions are accordingly dismissed.
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