Holding

The oath taken in accordance with the petitioner’s offer amounts to an admission under Section 20 of the Indian Evidence Act, and the repeal of the Oaths Act, 1873 does not invalidate its evidentiary effect.

Summary

K.M. Singh, a finance officer of the Association of Indian Universities, sued to declare that his resignation was obtained by fraud, coercion and duress. He offered that if two officials of the respondent took a special oath in a Gurudwara and a temple stating the resignation was not extracted under duress, the relevant part of his claim would be deemed withdrawn. The officials accepted, a local commissioner administered the oath, and the trial court dismissed that part of the suit as withdrawn. Singh later sought to set aside the dismissal, arguing that the Oaths Act, 1873 had been repealed by the Oaths Act, 1969 and that a special oath could no longer be used as conclusive evidence. The trial court held that the oath, taken pursuant to Singh’s offer, amounted to an admission under Section 20 of the Indian Evidence Act and that the repeal of the 1873 Act did not bar such admissions. The Delhi High Court affirmed the trial court’s decision, and the Supreme Court dismissed the Special Leave Petition, confirming that the oath was admissible as an admission and that the orders dismissing the claim were valid.

Issues considered

Whether a special oath taken under the repealed Oaths Act, 1873 can be used as evidence/admission under Section 20 of the Indian Evidence Act.
Whether the oath constitutes an admission by the respondents within the meaning of Section 20.
Whether the repeal of the Oaths Act, 1873 by the Oaths Act, 1969 bars parties from entering into contracts or affects the evidentiary value of the oath.

Legislation cited

Code of Civil Procedure, 1908s. Order 10 Rule 2, s. Section 151
Indian Evidence Act, 1872s. 20
Oaths Act, 1873
Oaths Act, 1969s. 9

Subjects

special oathadmissionIndian Evidence ActOaths Actrepealcivil procedureresignationduresscontract

Judgment

A K.M. SINGH
v.
SECRETARY, ASSOCIATION OF INDIAN UNIVERSITIES
AND OTHERS

APRIL 21, 1992
B
(S. RATNAVEL PANDIAN, K. JAYACHANDRA REDDY AND
YOGESHWAR DAYAL, JJ.]

Indian Evidence Act, 1872:
c Section 20-Statement made on special oath by person-Evidentiary
value of-Held an admission of the person.

Code of Civil Prncedure, 1908 :

D Suit-Disposal of-By special oath-Validity of.

Oaths Act, 1969 :

Section 9-0aths Act, 1873-R.epeal of-Whether debars parties from
entering into any contract.
E
The petitioner in the Special Leave Petition filed a suit for declaring
that the resignation tendered by him was involuntary and a result of fraud,
coercion and threat as well as the inducement as alleged in the plaint.
During the pendency of this suit, he filed an application under Order 10
Rule 2 read with Section 151 of the Code of Civil Procedure for a direction
F that if the respondent officers No.1 and 2 took a special oath in Gurudwara
and Mandir respectively to the effect that the resignation of the plaintiff
was not extracted from him under duress, fear, inducement, fraud, coer-
cion then that part of the claim might be dismissed as withdrawn.

G The respondent Officers having accepted the challenge the Addition-
al District Judge appointed a local commissioner to administer the oath
to the said two persons as desired by the petitioner, and the same having
been taken and the court duly informed, the Additional District Judge
ordered dismissal of that part of the claim covered by the suit.

H On the following day of the dismissal of the· application, the
630
KM. SINGH. v. SECRETARY, ASSCN OF UNiVERSffiES 631

petitioner filed another application with a prayer to decide the aforesaid A
issue on merits and evidence and that the respondents might not be
allowed to take advantage of the blunder committed by the petitioner in
his application, and for cancellation of the court's order dismissing the
claim. This application was dismissed by the Trial Judge. The Trial Court
took the view that Section 20 of the Evidence Act was applicable and that
the repeal of the Oaths Act, 1873 by Section 9 of the Oaths Act, 1969 no
B
where debarred the parties from entering into any contract.

The petitioner filed revision petition against the two orders of the
Trial Court but the same was dismissed.

In the special leave petition to this Court, the petitioner contended
c
in person that in view of the repeal of the Oaths Act, 1873 by the Oaths
Act, 1969 the suit could not be decided on the basis of special oath.

Dismissing the special leave petition, this Court,

HELD : 1. The oath was administered as per the petitioner's state-
ment and there is thus no manner of doubt that the oath taken by the two
persons in pursuance of the offer of the petitioner amounted to an admis-
sion of the respondent's claim on his part within the meaning of Section
20 of the Evidence Act. (639 DJ
E
2. The two persons were the nominees of the plaintiff and the
statements of the nominees by virtue of Section 20 of the Evidence Act
would be treated as an admission of the parties. (639 D-E]

3. The Trial Court was right in its view that Section 20 of the
Evidence Act was applicable in the instant case, and that the repeal of the F
Oaths Act, 1873 by Section 9 of the Oaths Act, 1969 nowhere debarred the
plaintiff parties from entering into any contract. The orders of the Trial
Court are therefore unassailable and the High Court has rightly dismissed
the revision petition. (635 G-H; 639 E]

Hirachand Kothari (dead) by Lrs. v. State of Rajasthan and another,
G
[1985) Supp. SCC 17, referred to.

J. A. Munnuswami Naidu v. K.S.P. Thyagaraya Chettiar and another,
AIR 1977 Madras 273, Vasudeva Shanbog v. Naraina Rai, 1880 ILR 2
Madras 356, Rustam etc. v. 17ie Fiizancial Commissioner, etc. 1981-83 PLR H
632 SUPREME COURT REPORTS (1992) 2 S.C.R.

A 759, Mrs. Florabel SJcjnner and Others v. Jai Bajrang Kala Mandir Ram Lila
Manda/, Hissar, AIR 1980 P & H 284 and Thakur Singh & Others v. lnder
Singh, AiR 1976 P & H 287, approved.

Pacharanda Nanjappa v. Pacharanda Belliappa deceased by Seethawa
& Others, 1979-29 ILR (Karnataka) 2018 and Ananda Chandra Sahu
B (deceased by LR.) & Others. v.Ananta Khuntia and other, AIR 1983 Orissa
250, over-ruled.

CIVIL APPELLATE JURISDICTION Special Leave Petition
(Civil) No. 10436 of 1991.

C From the Judgment and Order dated 26.4.91 of the Delhi High Court
in C.R. No. 359 of 1989.

Petioner~in-person.

P.P. Rao, Rajindra Dhawan and Jitendra Sharma for the Respondents.
D
The Judgment of the Court was deliverd by

YOGESHWAR DAYAL, J. This Special Leave Petition filed by Sh.
KM. Singh, who was a Finance Officer of the Association of Indian
Universities, AIU House, 16 Kotla Marg, New Delhi, is against the judg-
E ment dated 26th April, 1991 passed by the learned Single Judge of the High
Court of Delhi in Civil Revision No. 359 of 1989.

In the revision petition the petitioner had sought to set aside an order
dated 30th January, 1989 passed by the learned Additional District Judge,
Delhi, dismissing the application filed on his behalf wherein he had prayed
F for cancelling an order dated 14th October, 1988 vide which a part of the
claim of the suit of the petitioner/plaintiff covered by issue No.1 was
ordered to be dismissed as withdrawn.

The facts giving rise to the filing of the revision petition were that
G the petitioner had filed a suit inter alia for declaring that the resignation
tendered by the petitioner/plaintiff was involuntary and a result of fraud,
coercion and threat as well as the inducement as alleged in the plaint. This
plea of the petitioner was subject matter of issue No.l.

During the course of the proceedings the petitioner had filed an
H application dated 14th October, 1988 purporting to be under Order 10
K.M. SINGH. v. SECRCIARY, ASSCN OF UNIVERSITIES [DAYAL, J.] 633

Rule 2 read with Section 151 of the Code of Civil Procedure. In this A
application it was prayed that if Sh. Amrik Singh and Sh. R.P. Mahendroo,
officers of defendant No.1, took special oath in Gurudwara and Mandir
respectively to the effect that the resignation. of the plaintiff was not
extracted from him on 5th April, 1976 under duress, fear, inducement,
fraud, coercion then that part of the claim might be dismissed as
B
withdrawn. The plaintiff/petitioner in fact mad~ this statement before the
Additional District Judge and Sh. Amrik Singh and Sh. Mahendroo ac·
cepted the said challenge. They were ready to fake special oath in Gurud-
wara and Mandir in terms of the plaintiffs statement. Consequently a local
commissioner was appointed by the Additional District Judge who ad-
mininstered the oath to the said two person the Gurudwara and Mandir c
respectively, as desired by the plaintiff/petitioner and accordingly the
learned Additional District Judge ordered on 14.10.1988 dismissal of that
part of the claim covered by issue No.1 as withdrawn. The revision petition
was directed against this order as well.

That on the next date i.e. 15th October, 1988 the plaintiff/petitioner
D
filed another application with the prayer to decide the aforesaid issue No.1
on merits and evidence and the defendants may not be allowed to take
advantage of the blunder committed by the plaintiff/petitioner and for
cancelling the order dated 14th October, 1988. This application dated 15th
October, 1988 was dismissed by the trial court by order dated 30th January, E
1989.

In the reply filed to the Special Leave Petition it is pointed out that
the suit was fr"<ed on 14th October, 1988 for further evidence of the
defendants and in fact on the said date Dr. Amrik Singh was to be F
cross-examined by the petitioner. Dr. Amrik Singh as well as Sh. R.P.
Mahendroo, Under Secretary of the Association of Indian Universitie.s
were present in the Court and when the suit was called the petitioner filed
the application dated 14th October, 1988 wherein he had offered to abide
by the statement made by Dr. Amirk Singh and Sh. R.P. Mahendroo.
Whereupon both Dr. Amrik Singh and Sh. R.P. Mahendroo expressed their G
willingness and agreed to take oath and accepted the offer. The petitioner
affirmed the same and made a further statement before the Court as
under:-

"Dr. Amrik Singh D.W. present m the Court and R.P. H
634 SUPREME COURT REPORTS [1992] 2 S.C.R.

A Mohindru, officials of the respondents take special oath in
Gurudwara and Mandir respectively to the effect that the
resignation of the plaintiff K.M. Singh was not extracted from
him on 5.4.76 under duress, fear, inducement, fraud or coercion
then that portion of the plaint shall be dismissed as withdrawn."
B The said offer made by the petitioner was put to both Dr. Amrik
Singh and Sh. Mahendroo and both of them accepted the same and also
made the following statement in Court as under :-

"We are ready to take special oath in the Mandir and Gurud-
c wara as stated by the plaintiff in his statement above."

In view of the offe·r made by the petitioner and accepted by both of
them the Court thereafter passed the order reading as under :-

"Present - Plaintiff in person. Counsel for the defendant.
D
One witness of the deft. Dr. Amrik Singh is present for further
cross-examination by the plaintiff. However, the plaintiff has
filed an application under rule 2 read with Section 151 C.P.C.
and has stated that if the said witness of the defendant and Shri
R.P. Mahendroo Under Secretary of the defendant No.1 takes
E special oath in the Gurudwara and Mandir respectively to the
effect that the resignation of the plaintiff was not extracted from
him on 5.4.76 under duress, fear, inducement, fraud or coer-
cion, then that· part of the claim of the plaintiff may be deemed
to be dismissed as withdrawn. The witness and official of the
F defendant stated that they are ready to take the said special
oath in the Gurudwara and Mandir respectively. Let statements
be recorded. Statements have been recorded separately. The
Application filed by the plaintiff stands disposed of. The coun-
sel for the defendant states that the defendant is ready and
willing to pay the admitted part claim, if any, of the plaintiff.
G The plaintiff submits direction to go alongwith the parties and
the witness to the Gurudwara and Mandir respectively for
taking special oath. The plaintiff states that he is ready to bear
the expenses of the local commissioner. Accordingly, I hereby
appoint Sh. A.P.S. Ahluwalia, Advocate, as Local Commis-
H sioner present in Court with the direction to visit alongwith the
l<.M. SINGH. v. SECRETARY, ASSCN OF UNIVERSillES [DAYAL, J.) 635

parties to Gurudwara Sisganj Sahib and Gauri Shanker Mandir A
today at 1 p.m. to take special oath by the said persons. His
· fee is fixed at Rs.500 to be ,paid by the plaintiff. The plaintiff
has paid the fee of the Local Commissioner in the Court."

Thereafter the petitioner paid the fee fixed by the trial Court to the
Local Commissioner. The time and date for visit to Gurudwara and Mandir B
~ were fixed by the Court at the instance of the petitioner as well as Dr.
Amrik Singh and Sh. Mahendroo. As per the directions of the Court the
Local Commissioner in the company o( the petitioner, Dr. Amrik Singh
and Sh. Mahendroo went to Gurudwara Sisganj as well as Gauri Shanker
Mandir both situated in Chandni Chowk, Delhi where the Local Commis- C
sioner adminstered the oath to both of them and their statements were
recorded. Both of them denied that the plaintiffs resignation was obtained
- ~- . by fraud, coercion, threat and or that he was induced to tender the
resignation. After the said oath was taken the matter was taken up in the
afternoon session by the trial court when the Local Commissioner sub-
mitted his report to the Court whereupon the trial court passed the D
following order:-

"Present - As before.

The Local Commissioner has filed his report to the effect that E
he has got the special oath administered to the witness and
official of the defendant. In view of the statement of the
plaintiff recorded earlier the suit of the plaintiff with regard to
his resignation and consequential ieinstatement which 1s
covered by Issue No. 1 stands dismissd as withdrawn.
F
Now to come up for making payment by the defendant of
the other claim of the plaintiff, if any, on 4.11.1988"

As stated earlier, thereafter, on 15th October, 198~ the application
was filed for recalling this order dismissing a part of the suit as withdrawn. G
The trial court, however, took the view that Section 20 of the Evidence Act
was applicable and it also took the view that the repeal of the Oaths Act,
1873 by Section 9 of the Oaths Act, 1969 no where debar the parties from
entering into any contract.

High Court, as stated earlier, dismisse~ the revision petition and H
SUPREME COURT REPORTS (1992) 2 S.C.R.

A agreed with the view of the trial court Before the Hight Court reliance
was placed on the decision of the Karnataka High Court in Pacharanda
Nanjappa v. Pacharanda Bel/iappa deceased by Seethavva and others, 1979-
29 ITR (Karnataka) 2018. The High Court, however, did not follow the
aforesaid decision anrt preferred to decide the matter in view of the
decisions of the Madras High Court in JA. Munnuswami Naidu v. KS.P.
B Thyagar(zya Chettiar and another, A.I.R. 1977 Madras 273; Vasudeva Ghan-
bog v. Naraina Pai, 1880 ILR 2 Madras 356 decision of the Punjab and
Haryana High Court in Rustam etc. v. The Financial Commissioner, etc.
1981-83 PLR 759 and Full Bench decision of Punjab and Haryana High
Court in Mrs. Florabel Skinner and others v. Jai Bajrang Kala Mandir Ram
C Lila Manda/, Hissar AIR 1980 P & H 284.

Before us also the petitioner, who appeared in person, submitted that
in view of the repeal of the Oaths Act, 1873 by the Oaths Act, 1%9 the
suit could not be decided on the basis of special oath. The petitioner also
D relied on the decision of the Orissa High Court in Ananda Chandra Sahu
(deceased by L.R.) and others v. Ananta Khuntia and others AIR 1983
Orissa 250.

It may be noticed that both the learned Single Judge of the Kar-
nataka High Court as well as the learned Division Bench of the Orissa High
E Court were correct in noticing the effect of repeal of the Oaths Act, 1873
by Section 9 of the Oaths Act, 1969, But it appears the provisions of Secti~n
20 of the Evidence Act were not brought to their notice. The learned
Judges of the Karnataka High Court and Orissa High Court were right in
observing in what cases the provisions of the Oaths Act, 1873 was to
F continue to govern and in which cases they would cease to apply. But as
stated earlier, the provisions of Section 20 of the Evidence Act were not
brought to their notice. Section 20 of the Evidence Act reads as follows :-

"20. Admissions by persons expressly referred to by party to
suit.-Statements made by persons to whom a party to the suit
G has expressly referred for information in reference to a matter
in dispute are admissions.

Illustration

H The question is, whether a horse sold by A to B is sound.
K.M. SINGH. v. SECRETARY, ASSCN OF UNIVERSITIES (DAYAL, J.] 637

--"(, A says to B - "Go and ask C, C knows all about it". C's statement A
is an admission."

In Hirac;hand Kothari (dead) by Lrs . v. State of Rajasthan and another
[1985] (Supp) SCC 17, this Court held thus :

"Section 20 is the second exception to the general rule laid B
·-r down in Section 18. It deals with one class of vicarious admis-
sions. Where a party refers to a third person for some infor-
mation or an opinion on a matter in dispute, the statements
made by the third person are receivable as admissions against

~
the person referring. The word 'information' occurring in Sec-
tion 20 is not to be understood in the sense that the parties
c
desired to know something which none of them had any
-)...- knowledge of. Where there is a dispute as regards a certa~
question and the Court is in need of information regarding the
truth on that point, any statement which the referee may make
is nevertheless information w.ithin the purview of Section 20 D
and is admissible. The reason behind admissibility of the state-
ment is that when a party refers to another person for a
statement of his views, the party approves of his utterance in
anticipation and adopts that as his own. The principle is the
same as that of reference to arbitration. E
r The reference under Section 20 may be by express words
or by conduct, but in any case there must be a clear admission
to refer and such admissions are generally conclusive. Admis-
sions may operate as estoppel and they do sci where parties
had agreed to abide by them." F

A similar question arose in J.A. Munnuswami Naidu (supra) before
·r-, -;} the Division Bench of the Madras High Court. There a suit had been filed
'" on 16th June, 1971 for recovery of money against the appellant on the foot
of a security bond. The second respondent in the suit \\'.as a puisne
mortgagee. The appellant filed the written statement that the respondent, G
the first mortgagee had fraudulently suppressed the payment of interest in
the security bond and if the proper account was taken the money will be
due to the first respondent. When the suit was taken up for trial, the
~ plaintiff agreed to take a special oath on his family deity that for the suit
security bond no money except those shown by way of endorsement was H
638 SUPREME COURT REPORTS (1992) 2. S.C.R.

A received by him. It was also agreed that the plaintiff mortgagee taking such
an oath, the suit may be decreed. The plaintiff took a special oath and the
suit was decreed. The judgment debtor fded an un-numbered execution
application praying that the decree be declared as a nullity having been
passed by the Civil Court having no jurisdiction. The executing court
dismissed the objections to the execution and the matter came up in appeal
B before the High CoUlt The learned Single Judge of the High· Court
dismissed the appeal.. Whereupon the matter was taken up before the
Division Bench. Kailasam, C.J. (as His Lordship then was) and Balasubrah-
manyam, J. dismissed the Letters Patent Appeal. It.was submitted before
the Division Bench that because the Oaths Act, 1873 has been repealed,
C what the plaintiff had stated on special oath is not an evidence. The learned
Single Judge who had heard the appeal was confronted with the arguments
that the date on which the special oath was taken the Oaths Act, 1873,
which provided that when a special oath was taken under Section 10, it
would be conclusive against the person who offered, was no longer in force
D as the said Act had been repealed in 1969 and the new Act of 1%9
dispensed with the procedure as to the taking of the special oath and its
consequences. It was common ground that the special oath was taken in.
ignorance of the fact that the Oaths Act, 1873, under which the procedure
as to the taking of special oath was admitted, bad been repealed and that
the new Oaths Act had no provision for such a procedure. The Division
E Bench observed that they could not accept the contention that because
Oaths Act, 1873 has been repealed, what the plaintiff has stated on special
oath is not an evidence. Earlier the Single Judge had taken the same view.

The question directly in issue came up before a Division Bench of
F the Punjab and Haryana High Court in Thakur Singh and others v. Inder
Singh, AIR 1976 P & H 287. The Division Bench took the view that:

"The only effect of exclusion of Sections 9 to 12 of the Oaths
Act, 1873 by qaths Act, 1969 is that if any party to any judicial
proceeding offers to be bound by any special oath and the
G Court thinks it flt to administer such art oath to the other party
consenting thereto and such oath is taken by the other patty;
the evidence given on such oath as against persons who offere~
to be bound as aforesaid would no more be conclusive prQOf
of th.e matter stated in such deposition. Where an agreement
H was arrived at between the counsel for parties that if the
K.M. SINGH. v. SECREI'ARY, ASSCN OF UNI~ERSillES [DAYAL, J.] 639

defendant were to take oath in a particular Gurdwara stating A
that the suit land was not of plaintiff and that defendant had
not executed any agreement in favour of plaintiff, the suit of
plaintiff be dic;missed and in pursuance of the order of the
Court on the basis of agreement, the defendant did take oath,
there being no special oath either prescribed or taken and the
suit having been dismissed on the basis of such oath, B

Held that the compromise arrived at between the counsel for
the pla~tiff on behalf of his client and the defendant-appellant
would be covered by Section 20 of the Evidence Act and the
plaintiff would be bound by the statement made by the defe~
dant if the same is found to have been made strictly in accord-
c
ance with the terms offered by him."

It will be noticed that in the present case the oath was administered
as per plaintiffs/petitioner's statement and, therefore, there is thus no
manner of doubt that \the oath taken by two persons is . pursuance of the D
offer of the petitioner amounted to admission of respondent's claim on his
part within the meaning of Section 20 of the Evidence Act. The two persons
were the nominees of the plaintiff and the statement of the nominees by
virtue of Section 20 of the Evidence Act would be treated as an admission
of the parties. Thus the orders of the trial Court dated 14th October, 1988
and 30th J anuary,1989 were unassailable and the High Court has rightly E
dismissed the revision petition.

The Special Leave peition is accordingly dismissed without any order
as to costs.

N.V.K. Petition dismissed.