M/S BIHAR STATE FOOD AND SUPPLIES CORPORATION LTD.versusM/S GODREJ SOAPS PVT. LTD. AND ORS.
- Citation
- 1996 INSC 1421
- Decided
- 2 December 1996
- Disposal
- Disposed off
Holding
The Court held that instead of re‑transferring the suit, the original side should frame issues and conduct a day‑to‑day trial, with the record to be sent to the Division Bench for disposal.
Summary
The petitioners, Bihar State Food and Supplies Corporation Ltd., sought to have suit No. 398/89, which had been transferred to the Subordinate Judge, Patna, re‑transferred back to that court for trial, arguing that the earlier order for a joint trial with suit No. 1028/78 had outlived its purpose. The respondents opposed the re‑transfer, contending that the issues in the two suits were distinct and that a joint trial could lead to conflicting decisions. The Court examined the factual backdrop, noting that suit No. 1028/78 had already been tried, decreed, and an appeal was pending, while suit No. 398/89 required adjudication on matters not covered in the earlier suit. To avoid duplication and ensure expeditious disposal, the Court directed the original side (Bombay High Court) to frame the necessary issues within six weeks, allow filing of any additional documents, and conduct a day‑to‑day trial within four weeks, after which the record would be sent to the Division Bench for disposal along with the pending appeals. Consequently, the transfer petition was dismissed and the suit was not re‑transferred to the Subordinate Judge, Patna.
Issues considered
- Whether suit No. 398/89 should be re‑transferred to the Subordinate Judge, Patna, after the earlier order for joint trial with suit No. 1028/78 has become redundant.
- Whether the original side of the Bombay High Court can effectively frame issues and conduct a day‑to‑day trial to avoid conflict of decisions.
Legislation cited
- Code of Civil Procedure, 1908s. 12, s. 25
Subjects
Judgment
A M/S BIHAR STATE FOOD AND SUPPLIES CORPORATION LTD.
v.
M/S GODREJ SOAPS PVT. LTD. AND ORS.
DECEMBER 2, 1996
B [K. RAMASWAMY AND G.T. NANA VAT!, JJ.]
Code of Civil Procedure, 1908 :
Sectio11 2!r-Suit-Tramfer of-Sllit pending before Subordinate Jlldge,
C Patna-Pumtant to Supreme Cowt dimction suit ordemd to be transfen~d
and tlied with another suit pendi11g before original side of Bombay High
Cowt-Suit pending before High Coim decreed against which appeal was
pendin15171ereafter application filed by appellant that the sllit already tra11s-
fe1Ted be transfen-ed to Subordinate Judge Patna-Groimd that the order
passed by Supreme Cowt forjoi11t trial had Olltlived its pwpose-Held, having
D regard to the facts and•circumstances and the nature of the disputes between
the sanie pa1ties in both the suits, instead of retransfening suit to the Coiut
of Subordinate Judge, Patna, the Judge on the original side of the Bombay
High Cowt sholtld frame 11ecessa1y issltes within six weeks from the date of
the receipt of this order~ie should t1y the suit on day to day basis withi11
E four weeks from the date of the framing of issues.
CIVIL ORIGINAL .:URISDICTION : Transfer Petition (C) No. 458
of 1995.
(Under Section 25 of the Code of Civil Procedure).
F
P.P. Rao, T. Dayal and R. Mukherjee for the Petitioner.
Soli J. Sorabjee, D.A. Dave, Ravinder Narain, Ms. Nisha Bagachi,
Rajan Narain, M. Vasudev, B.B. Singh, Pratap Venugopal and K.J. John
for the Respondents.
G
The following Order of the Court was delivered :
Having heard the learned counsel on both sides, we think that instead
of transferring the. suit, the following course would meet the ends of justice.
H The Civil Suit No. 336/79 pending on the file of the Subordinate
416
B!HAR STA";EFOOD AND SUPPLIES CORPN. LTD.'· GODREJ SOAPS PVf. LTD. 417
Judge, Patna was transferred by an order of this Court dated February 15, A
1988 to be tried along with Suit No. 1028/78 pending on the original side
of the Bombay High Court. It is now not in dispute that though Suit No.
1028/78 was posted along with transferred suit which was numbered as Suit
No. 398/89, and they were adjourned for some time, the evidence was
adduced in Suit No. 1028/78 and it was decreed by the learned single Judge.
B
An appeal came to be filed and we are informed that the appeal is pending
disposal.
It would appear that UCO Bank has also filed an appeal and that
is also pending. After the disposal of Suit No. 1028178, now the appellants
have filed this application for transfer of Suit No. 298/89 to the file of the c
Subordinate Judge, Patna for trial on the ground that the order passed by
this Court for joint trial had out lived its purpose and Suit No. 398/89
requires to be tried on issues which are not covered in Suit No. 1028/78.
Having regard to the facts and circumstances and the nature of the disputes
between the same parties in both the suits, instead of retransferring Suit
No. 398/89 to the Court of Subordinate Judge, Patna, the learned Judge on D
the original side is requested to frame necessary issues in Suit No. 398/89
within six weeks from the date of the receipt of this order. If the relevant
documents have already been filed or any additional documents are re-
quired, the same may be filed within two weeks thereafter. The learned
Judge is requested to post the suit and try the suit on day to day basis E
within four weeks from the date of the framing of issues. The learned trial
Judge is requested, after recording the entire evidence to be adduced by
the parties, as stated earlier, on day-to-day basis, to transmit the entire
evidence and the record of the suit to the Division Bench for consideration
along with the Appeal Nos. 20 and 120/95 for disposal so that conflict of
decisions could be avoided. The matter can be disposed of expeditiously.
F
Liberty is given to make the request before the Division Bench after the
receipt of the record to adduce evidence in the suits for early disposal
thereof.
The Transfer Petition is accordingly disposed of.
G
T.N.A. Petition disposed of.
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