MESSRS ILAM DIN &SONS vs ASGHAR ALI AND Another
This matter concerns a petition for special leave to appeal against an order of the High Court of West Pakistan, which dismissed a revisional application challenging a trial court's decision to allow the withdrawal of a declaratory suit with liberty to file a fresh one. The core legal question was whether the trial court erred in permitting the withdrawal based on the existence of formal defects in the suit. The Supreme Court upheld the High Court's decision, finding that the trial court correctly identified formal defects in the frame of the suit. Specifically, the defendant had raised objections regarding the defect of parties, the necessity of impleading a representative in his personal capacity, the maintainability of a mere declaratory suit, and the vagueness of the prayer. The Court held that these objections collectively constituted formal defects justifying the withdrawal of the suit under the relevant procedural provisions. Consequently, the Court found no merit in the petitioner's argument that the withdrawal order was illegal, affirming that the trial court acted within its discretion to allow the plaintiff to rectify these procedural deficiencies through a fresh suit.
- Can a trial court permit the withdrawal of a suit with liberty to file a fresh one if formal defects exist in the frame of the suit?
- Do objections regarding the defect of parties and the maintainability of a declaratory suit constitute formal defects sufficient to allow the withdrawal of a suit?
1. M. R. KHAN, J.-The petitioner-firm was the defendant No. 1 in a suit brought by the first respondent herein. It was a decla--ratory suit. On the plaintiff's prayer, the suit was permitted to be withdrawn on the ground of formal defects with liberty to bring a fresh suit on the cause of action. Against the order of the trial Court permitting the withdrawal of the suit, a revisional application was made by the defendant in the High Court of West Pakistan, Lahore. This revisional application was found to be without any substance and was, accordingly, dismissed. The petitioner now seeks special leave to appeal against the High Court's order dismissing the revisional application.
2. Learned counsel for the petitioner submits that the trial Court's order permitting the withdrawal of the suit with liberty to bring a fresh suit is illegal inasmuch as there was no formal defect in the frame of the suit. The learned Judge of the High Court repelled this contention after pointing out a number of defects in the suit. The learned Judge was quite right in taking this view. In the suit, as already stated, the petitioner-firm was the defendant No. 1. It appears from the written statement of that defendant that an objection was taken as to the defect of party and it was categorically stated that Mian Ilamuddin repre--senting the said firm was a necessary party to the suit in his personal capacity. It was further alleged that a mere declaratory suit was not maintainable and that the prayer made in the suit was vague and indefinite. In fact, the defendant took the plea that in order to be maintainable the plaint of the suit ought to be amended. All these pleas in the written statement obviously refer to defects in the frame of the suit. Learned counsel retie on the decision reported in 13 M I A 160 in support of his contention that the order permitting withdrawal of the suit is illegal. The said decision, in view of the formal defects, as noticed above, is of no assistance.