M/S. KRISHNA MOTOR SERVICE BY ITS PARTNERSversusH.B. VITTALA KAMATH

A          MIS. KRISHNA MOTOR SERVICE BY ITS PARTNERS                            •
                                          v.
                           H.B. VITTALA KAMATH

                                    APRIL 19, 1996

B              [K. RAMASWAMY AND G.B. PATTANAIK, JJ.]

         Arbitration Act, 1940.

           S.W-Partnership finn--{fnregistered--Dissolution-Applicatio11 for
C   reference by one of the pa1tners-Whether entitled to-Held : Yes-Items
    under reference-Entitled to goodwill upto the date of dissolution but not
    thereafter-Ce1tain items mising out of contract would not come under any
    exceptions engrafted under S.69(3) of Partnership Act.

          Pa1tnership Act, 1932 :
D
          S.69--Non-registration of pmtnershiJr-Whcther a partner of such
    pmtnm-hip entitled to make an app/icatio11 for reference under S.20 of the
    Arbitration Act-Held: Yes.

          Prem Lata v. Ishar Dass Chaman Lal, [1995) 2 SCC 145, relied on.
E
         Jagdish Chander Gupta v. Kajaria Traders (India) Ltd., (1964) 8 SCR
    50 and Mahender v. Gum Dayal, AIR (1951) Patna 196, referred to •

          CIVIL APPELLATE JURISDICTION : Civil Appeal Nos. 7784-85
    of 1996.
F
         From the Judgment and Order dated 25.3.94 of the Karnataka High
    Court in C.P. No. 96 of 1994.

          S.S. Javali and P.R. Ramcsesh for the Appellants.

G         Mrs. Anjani Aiyagari for the Respondent.

          The following Order of the Court was delivered :

          Leave granted.

H         We have heard learned counsel on both sides.
                                    594
        KRISHNA MOTOR SERVICE v. H.B. VITTALA KAMA1H                   595

       These appeals by special leave arise from the order of a Division A
Bench of the Karnataka High Court made in M.F.A. No. 324/86 on 3.1.1994
and in Civil Petition No. 96/94 on 25.3.1994. It is not necessary to narrate
in extenso the constitution, existence and continuance of the partnership
firm prior to July 1, 1973. Suffice it to state that the respondent, who was
working in the partnership firm as a Supervisor on salary basis, was taken
                                                                             B
as a partner on July 1, 1973, resulting a new partnership and it was agreed
that he would be entitled to 10% of the profit and loss without contribution
of any capital in the partnership. When disputes had arisen between the
appellants and the respondent, the appellants - four partners - had a notice
issued on 10.5.1984 dissolving the partnership. The respondent by his reply
dated 17.5.1984 had agreed for dissolution. Subsequently, he filed an C
application under Section 20 of the Arbitration Act, 1940 (for short, the
 'Act) on 8.6.1984, in the court of the Civil Judge at Shimoga for reference
 to the arbitrator in terms of the agreement. The Trial Court rejected three
 out of 4 claims made by him and referred claim No. 1 to the arbitration.
 The High Court on further cC:nsideration, in appeal, added two more items D
 to the reference. Thus, these appeals by special leave.

      Shri Javali, learned senior counsel for the appellants, contended that
since admittedly the partnership firm was not registered as required under
Section 69 of the Partnership Act, 1932, the respondent was not entitled
to the reference under Section. 20. of the Act to an arbitration. He also      E
contended that even assuming that the Court has such power of making
reference, it would be only within the parameters of the provisions in
sub-section (3) of Section 69 of the Partnership Act and no other claim is
referable for arbitration. He placed strong reliance on Jagdish Chander
Gupta v. Kajaria Traders (India) Ltd., [1964) 8 SCR 50, in particular the      F
last paragraph thereof, overruling the Judgment of the Patna High Court
in Mahender v. Guru Dayal, AIR (1951) Patna 196. The respondent resisted
the contention and relied on Prem Lata v. Ishar Dass Chaman Lal, [1995)
2 sec 145.

      The question, therefore, is: whether the respondent is entitled to a G
reference under Section 20 of the Act? Admittedly, the partnership firm
was not registered as required under Section 69(1) of the Partnership Act.
The partnership deed does contain a clause for reference to arbitrate the
disputes that should arise under the contract. The qnestion, therefore, is:
whether the excepttons to sub-section (3) of Section 69 would apply to the H
    596                   SUPREME COURT REPORTS [1996) SUPP. 1 S.C.R.

A facts of the case? Sub-section (3) of section 69 envisages as under :

             "69. (3) The provisions of sub-sections (1) and (2) shall apply also
             to a claim of set-off or other proceeding to enforce a right arising
             from a contract, but shall not affect -

B                (a) the enforcement of any right to sue for the dissolution of a
             firm or for accounts or a dissolved firm, or any right or power to
             realise the property of a dissolved firm; or

                 (b) the powers of an official assignee, receiver or Court under
             the Presidency-towns Insolvency Act, 1909 (3 of 1909), or the
c            Provincial Insolvency Act, 1920 (5 of 1920), to realise the property
             of an insolvent partner.11




                                                           (Emphasis supplied)

D         The contention of Shri Javali is that ~ce the words "other proceed-
  ings to enforce a right arising from a contract" clearly envisage that when
  a party to the contract seeks to enforce the right arising from the contract,
   the main part of sub-section (3) stands attracted, the exceptions provided
  in the exclusionary clauses have no application. Therefore, the ratio in
  .'agdish Chandra Gupta's Case, though related to reference under Section
E 8 would apply to the facts of the case and that the reference is not
  maintainable. We find no force in the contention. The words "but shall not
  affect" require to be given meaning and effect thereof in the operation of
   the main part of sub-section (3). But as seen, the exceptions engrafted in
  sub-section (3) intend to exclude the embargo created by sub- section (3)
F and intended to effectuate the exceptions enumerated therein. It is seen
   that the proviso given an exception stating that the main part of sub-section
  (3) shall not affect (a) the enforcement of any right arising from dissolution
  of a firm or for accounts of a dissolved firm, or any right or power to realise
  the property of a dissolved firm; it conferred interest to the partners, i.e.
   parties to the contract. Undoubtedly, Section 69 is mandatory in character
G and its effect is to render a suit by plaintiff in respect of a right vested in
   him or acquired under a contract which he entered into as a partner of a
  firm, whether existing or dissolved void. In other words, a partner of an
  erstwhile unregistered partnership firm cannot bring a suit to enforce a
   right arising out of a contract falling within the ambit of the main part of
H Section 69(3) of the Act. In Jagdish Chandra's case at page 60 this Court
        KRISHNAMOTORSERVICEv. H.B. V!TTALAKAMATH                       597

interpreting main part of snb-section (3) had held that "In our judgment, A
the words 'other proceeding' in sub-s.(3) must receive their full meaning
untramelled by the words 'a claim of set-off. The latter words neither
intend nor can be construed to cut down the generality of the words 'other
proceeding.". The sub-section provides for the application of the provisions
of Sub-ss. (1) and (2) to claims of set-off and also to other proceedings of B
any kind which can properly be said to be for enforcement of any right
arising from contract except those expressly mentioned as exceptions in
sub-s. (3) and sub-s. (4)."

       If the right to dissolve the firm itself is in dispute and is subject
matter of the suit, necessarily in the suit for dissolution of the partnership C
firm, if a party to the contract of partnership seeks a reference for arbitra-
tion to resolve that dispute, it would be a right from a contract arisen in
the proceedings for enforcement of the right to dissolve the firm. In that
event, necessarily, the main part of sub-section (3) stands attracted and no
such reference is valid in law. But in a case where the parties have already D
agreed for dissolution of the partnership by mutual consent, the partner-
ship stood dissolved. There is no dispute as regards the right arising from
the contract of a firm. The dispute is only with regard to working out the
rights flown from dissolution for settlement of accounts of the dissolved
firm or any right or power to realise the property of the dissolved firm etc.
That right would form part of the exception engrafted in sub-section (3) E
of Section 69. The object intended by the legislature appears to be that in
spite of the defect of non-registration and the prohibition created in the
main part of non-enforceability of the right arising from a contract, the
parties having worked under that contract, to the limited extent of the
enforcement of a right to realise the assets, settlement of the accounts of F
the dissolved firm or any right or power to realise the property of the
dissolved firm are exceptions engrafted therein and gives right to the
parties to enforce the same, independent of the right arising from the
contract. Therefore, the parties are relieved from the prohibition created
by operation of Section 69.
                                                                             G
       In lagdish Chandra Gupta's case (supra), the facts were that right to
dissolution of the partnership firm was itself in dispute and the suit was
filed for that purpose. Therefore, when the application under Section 8(1)
of the Act was filed, this Court had held that since the partnership firm
was not registered"' enjoined under sub-section (1) of Section 69, the main H
    598                  SUPREME COURT REPORTS (1996] SUPP. 1 S.C.R.

A   part of sub-section (3) excluded the application for enforcement of the
    right to reference in other proceedings including enforcement under Sec-
    tion 8 of the Act. In Prem Lata's case (supra), the facts were that a deed
    of partnership was executed but the firm was not registered under Section
    69 of the Partnership Act. On the demise of one of the partners, the legal
    representatives called upon other partners to render accounts of the dis-
B   solved firm. It is settled law that on the demise of one of the members of
    the firm, the partnership stands dissolved. Therefore, the claim had arisen
    under the exception engrafted under Section 69(3). In the backdrop of
    those facts and considering the effect of the provisions in the light of the
    ratio inlagdish Chandra Gupta's case, another Bench of this Court to which
C   one of us (K. Ramaswamy, J.) was a member had held in Smt. Prem Lata's
    case that Section 20 stands attracted to make an application for reference.
    Later, ratio clearly applies to the facts in this case.

          The question then is: what are the items that would be referable to
    the arbitration? The respondent sought reference of the items mentioned
D   below:

             "(1) taking out the true and correct account of the profit and loss
                  of account of the profit and loss of erstwhile firm with the
                  help of competent person and carve out the share of the
E                 petitioner as per the agreement of partnership deed dated
                  6.10.1973;

             (2) if the respondents are willing to continue the firm in the name
                 and style of the erstwhile firm namely Sri Krishna Motor
                 Service, without taking the petitioner as partner, the quantum
F                of goodwill and compensation payable to the petitioner, as
                 out going partner;

             (3) to decide in respect of the vehicle bearing No. MYS5676 and
                 to deliver that vehicle to the petitioner, with reasonable com-
                 pensation for the use of the said vehicle; and
G
             (4) to find out the changes made in the accounts and the trans-
                 actions carried out in the name of the erstwhile firm after the
                 dissolution of the firm by notice dated 10.5.1984 to determine
                 the profit and loss of the petitioner or such other reliefs that
H                the Court may deem fit in the circumstances of the case."
        KRISHNAMOTORSERVICEv. H.B. VITTALAKAMATH                      599

      It would be seen that item (1) clearly falls within the exception A
provided in section 69(3). In respect of items (2), though it is widely
worded, the respondent would be entitled to the question of entitlement
towards the goodwill only upto the date of dissolution of the firm but not
thereafter. With regard to items (3) and (4), they arise from the contract B
and these items would not come under any exceptions cngrafted under
Section 69 (3) of the Partnership Act. Under these circumstances, the High
Court was not right in making the reference in item No. (4).

      The appeals are accordingly allowed to the above extent, but, in the
circumstances, without costs.

G.N.                                                     Appeals allowed.