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Muthuveeranna Chettiar Applt. v. Muthuvenkatarama Chettiar And Others Resps

Madras High Court
Nov 3, 1950
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Structured Summary of the Opinion

Factual and Procedural Background

This opinion arises from a civil miscellaneous second appeal against the judgment of the District Judge, Tiruchirapalli dated 13-2-1946 in A.S. No. 321 of 1943, which was an appeal from the District Munsif's order dated 8-7-1943 in E.P. No. 505 of 1943 in O.S. No. 251 of 1932.

One Kanakavallithayarammal sued her stepson, Muthuvankatarama Chettiar, and his minor son Bhaskara Chettiar, in O.S. No. 251 of 1932 for maintenance. The suit was decreed on 29-11-1932, directing payment of maintenance accrued and future maintenance at Rs. 14 per month and costs Rs. 85-2-6. The decree-holder filed E.P. No. 272 of 1934 seeking recovery of arrears up to 1-1-1934 (amount Rs. 518-13-0), attachment of arrears of rents from two tenants (Ponnusami Pillai and Balusami Naidu) of two shops, appointment of a receiver to collect future rents and deposit them to satisfy the decree, and regular accounts by the receiver.

The District Munsif ordered attachment of arrears, but tenants asserted they had paid or ceased to be liable (Ponnusami said he paid advance rent and quit on 15-5-1934; Balusami said he was tenant only till 15-4-1934, had paid up to then and had attorned to a successor). Finding the tenants' contentions complex to determine in the E.P., the District Munsif appointed the decree-holder herself as receiver (in E.A. No. 1274 of 1934) on 28-7-1934 and, on the same day, "closed" E.P. No. 272 of 1934.

The decree-holder was unable effectively to collect rents, and in despair she assigned her rights in the arrears of maintenance till 20-2-1942 to the present petitioner (appellant). The assignee filed E.P. No. 505 of 1943 seeking recognition as assignee, continuation of E.P. No. 272 of 1934 (which he contended had been improperly closed), continuation or change of receiver, and sale of charged properties to realise the increased E.P. amount (about Rs. 1,900).

The District Munsif held E.P. No. 272 of 1934 had been validly closed and treated E.P. No. 505 of 1943 as a fresh petition limited by the law of limitation; he dismissed E.P. No. 505. On appeal, the District Judge agreed the earlier E.P. was not shown to be improperly closed but allowed the appellant to amend E.P. No. 505 to proceed as a fresh petition. The present civil miscellaneous second appeal challenges that judgment and decree.

Legal Issues Presented

  1. Whether E.P. No. 272 of 1934 was validly terminated/closed by the District Munsif on 28-7-1934, or whether it was improperly closed for statistical or other collateral purposes and therefore remained pending on the court file.
  2. Whether E.P. No. 505 of 1943 should be treated as a continuation of E.P. No. 272 of 1934 (giving the assignee the right to proceed on the original E.P.) or as an entirely new petition subject to limitation law.
  3. If E.P. No. 272 of 1934 is deemed still pending, what procedural steps should the District Munsif take (for example, appointment of a receiver or sale of properties) to properly realise the decree-holder's dues?

Arguments of the Parties

Appellant (assignee of decree-holder)

  • Contended that E.P. No. 272 of 1934 had been improperly closed and therefore remained pending; E.P. No. 505 of 1943 should be treated as a continuation of the earlier E.P.
  • Sought recognition as assignee decree-holder and asked the court to proceed with the enforcement steps in the original E.P., including continuation or replacement of the receiver and, if necessary, sale of the charged properties to satisfy the E.P. amount.

Tenants (statements recorded in the E.P.)

  • Ponnusami Pillai: stated in court that he had paid advance rent sufficient to cover rent up to 15-5-1934 and that he was quitting the premises on that date; this fact was later not disputed and the appellant's counsel confirmed the tenant actually quit on 15-5-1934.
  • Balusami Naidu: stated he had been a tenant only until 15-4-1934, had paid rent up to that date, claimed nothing was payable by him and alleged the judgment-debtors owed him money from his advance rent; he attorned to a successor tenant (Muthulakshmi Ammal) and executed a registered lease in her favour, asserting he could not be made to pay under this E.P.

Note: The opinion does not contain a detailed adversarial presentation of arguments for the judgment-debtors in respect of the closure question beyond the factual statements of the tenants and the lower courts' conclusions. Several respondents were absent or ex parte at stages of the proceedings.

Table of Precedents Cited

Precedent Rule or Principle Cited For Application by the Court
Hemangini Dassee v. Kumodc Ghunder, 3 C.W.N. 139 (26 Cal. 441) In a decree for maintenance charged on immovable property, a receiver should generally be appointed in suitable cases to realise the E.P. dues. Used to support the proposition that the mere appointment of a receiver and immediate closure of an E.P. (without the receiver collecting funds or making required reports) does not constitute valid termination of the E.P.; the E.P. should remain on file until the receiver has performed the duties or a final order otherwise disposes of the reliefs sought.

Court's Reasoning and Analysis

The court reviewed the record and the lower courts' findings and identified the correct legal principle: if an execution petition is "struck off", "lodged", "recorded" or "closed" while one or more reliefs remain undisposed of and without a final order granting or refusing those reliefs, the petition remains on the court file despite such procedural entries.

The court found the lower courts erred in concluding that all reliefs in E.P. No. 272 of 1934 had been disposed of by the District Munsif on 28-7-1934. One of the key reliefs was appointment of a receiver to collect past and future rents from the two shops and to pay the decree-holder's dues out of those collections. The District Munsif had appointed the decree-holder herself as receiver and immediately "closed" the E.P. without waiting for any collections, reports from the receiver, or orders on whether suits should be filed against tenants.

The judge reasoned that (a) the appointment of a receiver makes that person an officer of the court with duties to collect and report; (b) the mere appointment of the decree-holder as receiver did not, by itself, dispose of the relief asked for because she did not make reports or collect funds; (c) there was no record of receiver's accounts being maintained or directions given to the receiver; and (d) the closure appeared to be for statistical or expedient purposes rather than a lawful final disposition. The appointment therefore was "ephemeral" and had given no effective relief to the decree-holder.

Because E.P. No. 272 of 1934 had not been validly terminated by a recognized method of law, it must be deemed still pending on the file. The court also analyzed E.P. No. 505 of 1943 and concluded it was a composite petition: (i) part of it sought the same sums claimed in E.P. No. 272 of 1934 (which the court held still subsisted), (ii) part of it represented a fresh claim subject to limitation, and (iii) part comprised amounts that had become barred by limitation between the two petitions. Accordingly, E.P. No. 505 should be split and separately proceeded with in respect of those distinct components.

Holding and Implications

Core Ruling: The court set aside the judgment and decree of the District Judge in A.S. No. 321 of 1943 and held that E.P. No. 272 of 1934 was improperly closed and remains pending; it must be restored to the file and proceeded with until lawfully terminated.

Direct orders and practical consequences as declared by the court:

  • The District Munsif, Tiruchirapalli, is directed to restore E.P. No. 272 of 1934 to the file and proceed with it until terminated by a method known to law — for example, by appointing a fresh receiver or by sale of the charged properties.
  • The petitioner (assignee) is entitled to have E.P. No. 272 proceeded with as the assignee decree-holder and to remind the court about it, as he did by E.P. No. 505 of 1943.
  • E.P. No. 505 of 1943 is to be treated as a fresh petition for the portion that is new and limited by law of limitation; the court fixed the claimable period in E.P. No. 505 of 1943 as from 3-6-1939 to 20-2-1942 (because the petition was filed on 3-6-1942 and assignment took place on 20-2-1942 and future maintenance could not be assigned).
  • The composite E.P. No. 505 should be split into two petitions to be separately proceeded with: one continuing the original E.P. No. 272 claim and the other as a fresh E.P. limited by limitation law.
  • Costs: the court directed all parties to bear their own costs in A.S. No. 321 of 1943 and in the present proceedings, but also instructed the District Munsif to pass suitable orders regarding costs in both execution petitions when disposing of them afresh.

Broader implications: The opinion emphasizes that courts must not close execution petitions for statistical convenience while reliefs remain undetermined; the law requires effective disposal and appropriate follow-up (for example, receiver accounts, reports, or sale) before an execution petition can be finally terminated. The opinion applies an existing precedent (Hemangini Dassee) to underline that a receiver's duties and reports are essential components of lawful execution procedure.

Order: Accordingly, orders as above were made and the matter remitted for fresh disposal of the execution petitions.

Show all summary ...

1. This civil misc. second appeal is against the order of the Dist. J., Tiruchirapalli, dated 13-2-1946, in A.S no. 321 of 1943 filed against the order of the Dist. Munsif of Tiruchirapalli, dated 8-7-1943, in E.P no. 505 of 1943 in O.S No. 251 of 1932. The facts are briefly these:

One Kanakavallithayarammal sued her step sod, Muthuvankatarama Chettiar, & his minor son, Bhaskara Chettiar, for maintenance in o. S. No. 251 of 1932, District Munsif's Ct., Tiruchirapalli. The suit was decreed on 29-11-1932. Both the defts. were directed by the decree to pay, on or before 29-3-1933, the maintenance accrued duo to the pltf. at Rs. 14 per month from 1-7-1931 till the date of the decree, & future maintenance to the pltf. at Rs. 14 p.m from the date of the decree during the life of the pltf., at the end of each year, & pltf.'s costs Rs. 85-2-6. The decree-holder, Kanakavallithayarammal, filed E.P No. 272 of 1934 praying for the recovery of maintenance which had accrued due till 1-1-1934 & costs of suit & execution. The amount claimed was Es. 518-13-0. The reliefs claimed in that E.P were: (1) to attach the arrears of rents of Rs. 30 due at Rs. 15 each, per month from Ponnusami Pillai & Baluaami Naidu, two tenants, regarding two shops belonging to the judgment-debtors; (2) for collecting the future rents from these two shops every month from them & depositing them regularly into ??? with correct accounts, by appointing pelinr. or anybody else, as the Ct. thought fit, as receiver for that purpose; (3) out of the rents thus attached, or collected by the receiver, the amount claimed in the E.P to be paid to the petnr, & for that purpose, accounts of collections to be filed regularly every month by the Eeceiver appointed. The Dist. Munsif ordered the attachment of the arrears of rents payable by Ponnusami Pillai & Balusami. The E.P was filed in January 1934. On 11-5-1934, Ponnusami Pillai appeared in Ct. & said that he had paid advance rent enough to cover the rent payable till 15-5-1934 on which date he was quitting the premises. The fact has not now been disputed & Mr. Srinivasa Aiyar, for the appltsassures me that Ponnusami Pillai actually quitted the shop on 15-5-1934. Balusami Naidu appeared in Ct. on 28-6-1934 & stated that he had been a tenant under the judgment-debtors only till 15-4-1934, & had paid up his rent in full till then, & that nothing was payable by bin, & that, indeed, the judgment-debtors owed him some money out of the advance of rent paid by him, & that he had attorned after 15-4-1934, to the knowledge of the judgment debtors to the mtgee. of the shop, one Muthulakshmi Ammal, from them & executed a registered lease-deed in her favour, & so could not be made to pay any rent into of under this E.P The Dist. Munsif found the contentions of these two tenants to be too complicated to be gone into in the E.P So, he appointed the decree-holder herself, as Receiver, in E.A No. 1274 of 1934, a petn. filed by the petnr. in that E.P for the appointment of Receiver on 28-7-1934, & directed her to collect the arrears of rents from the two shops in question filing suits, if necessary, against Ponnusami Pillai & Balusami Naidu if they were really liable & to collect the future rents from the premises, from those liable, & deposit the amounts in of to the credit of the E.P as prayed for. Curiously enough, he ‘closed’ E.P No. 272 of 1934 on 28-7-1934 itself without waiting for the Receiver to collect the arrear rents or future rents or to report inability to collect anything, or about the liability of Ponnuswami or Balusami & the advisability of filing suits against them & passing suitable orders, or asking or allowing the decree-holder to amend the E.P and pursue other remedies like bringing the properties to sale. Sale did not been asked for in the first instance as the E.P amount was small & was expected to “be easily recovered from the rents. The decree-holder did not apply for permission to file a suit, & was also not able to collect a pie as rent. She was, it is said, a helpless & ignorant woman. She assigned her rights to the arrears of maintenance till 20-2-1942 to the present petnr., finally, in despair. He filed E.P No. 505 of 1943 for recognising him as the assignee decree-holder; for treating this petn. as a continuation of the E.P No. 272 of 1934, which, he contended, had been improperly closed for statistical purposes; for continuing the old receiver & making her collect the rents or for discharging her & appointing another receiver; & for the sale of all the charged properties to realise the E.P amount which now amounted to nearly Es. 1900 odd.

2. The learned Dist. Munsif of Tiruchirapalli held that E.P No. 272 of 1934 had not been improperly “closed” for statistical or other collateral purposes; that it was properly “closed” after granting or refusing all the reliefs prayed for, & that, therefore, it could not be revived; & that E.P No. 505 of 1943 should be treated not as a continuation of E-. P. No. 272 of 1934, as prayed for by the petnr., but as an entirely new petn. & only the amount claimable under the limitation law under this E.P should be claimed. He dismissed the E.P with costs because the petnr. was persisting in his plea that E.P No. 272 of 1934 had been improperly closed: & it was clear that he would not amend E.P No. 505 of 1943, treating it as a new E.P & reducing the amount to the amount claimable on that basis.

3. On appeal, by the present applt; the learned Dist. J. of Tiruchirapalli agreed with the Dist. Munsif, that E.P No. 272 of 1934 had not been shown to have been improperly or irregularly “closed” & that it could not, therefore, be revived & continued. But he gave the applt. an opportunity to amend E.P No. 505 of 1943 so as to convert it into a fresh petn. claimable on that basis. This civil misc. second appeal is against that judgment & decree (in A.S No. ??? of 1943).

4. After the filing of the second appeal, the first resp. Muthuvenkatarama Chettiar, the step-son of Kanakavallithayarammal, was sectenced to death for murder, & hanged. The second resp. Bhaskara Chettiar, whe was a minor when the E.P was filed, became a major even by the time of A.S No. 321 of 1943. He was ex parte in the appeal. Mr. E.A Viswanathan presented a vakalat for him in this civil Misc. S.A at first, but did not represent it when it was returned to him for rectifying certain defects. So Mr. E.A Viswanathan does not represent him, & does not want to file a proper vakalat & represent him. There was thus no vakil legally on record, & as no other vakil appeared for Bhaskara Chettiar, the second resp. was served by substituted service. He has remained absent & has been declared ex parte. The third & fourth resps. are also absent, & ex parte in this Civil Misc. S. a. The 4th resp. was ex parte even in A.S No. 321 of 1943. The 3rd resp. bad appeared by vakil there. Kanakavallithayarammal is still alive, as admitted by Mr. Srmivasa Aiyar, but has no interest in this civil M sc. S. a. Hence, only the counsel for the applt. argued. None of the resps. were present in person or by counsel.

5. It is clear to me, after a perusal of the records, & after hearing Mr. Srinivasa Aiyar, for the applt. that both the lower Cts were wrong in holding that E.P No. 272 of 1934 had been validly terminated in one of the ways known to law. The correct principle has been laid down by the Dist. Munsif, Tiruchirappalli, viz., that if an execution petn. is “struck off” “lodged”, “recorded” or “closed”, while yet the reliefs prayed for, or some of them, remain undisposed of, without being covered by final orders either granting or refusing those reliefs, then the petn. will continue to be on the file of the Ct. despite its being “struck off”, “lodged”, “recorded” or “closed”. But he went wrong in considering that all the reliefs prayed for in E.P no. 272 of 1934 had been disposed of by 28-7-1934, when the Dist. Munsif appointed the decree-holder as receiver & “closed” the E.P by a final order granting or refusing them. One of the reliefs prayed for was that a receiver should be appointed to collect the past and future rents of the two shops from Ponnusami & Balusami or any others occupying those shops & deposit the same in Ci. & that the E.P amount be paid out of those deposits. But the learned Dist. Munsif simply appointed the decree-holder as a receiver & directed her to collect the renrs from the lessees of the ??? shops & pay them into Ct. (for paymer 6 towards the E.P dues) seeking the Ct's permission to file suits if necessary against Balusami & Ponnuswami, & closed the E.P on the very day he appointed the receiver. This closing could only have been for statistical purposes & could not be deemed to be a valid order according to law terminating the E.P or a final order regarding the reliefs prayed for. The E.P had asked for the appointment of a receiver to collect the rents & pay the decree-holder's dues. As held in Hemangini Dassee v. Kumodc Ghunder, 3 C.W.N 139: (26 Cal. 441) in a decree for maintenance charged on immovable property, a receiver should generally be appointed in suitable cases to realise the E.P dues. But the E.P could be terminated validly by the Cs. (as apart from consent of parties) only by waiting till the receiver had collected enough to pay the amount, (here Rs. 518-130) claimed & made the reports required (like the desirability of filing suits), as a receiver is an officer of Ct. The mere appointment of the decree-holder as a receiver (in which capacty she was an officer of Ct.) by itself, had not disposed of the relief asked for in E.P no. 272 of 1934. She did not report whether Ponnusami or Balusami deserved to be sued for arrears or do anything else. In the circumstances, it served no useful purpose at all as the woman could Dot collect a pie & as Ponnusami & Balusami could not evidently be sued as they were ??? liable & as the tenant who succeeded Ponnusami paid nothing to the receiver, & the judgment-debtors went on collecting the rents merrily ignoring the helpless receiver. Mr. Srinvasa ??? urges that no receiver's account was kept by the Dist. Munsif regarding this E.P to watch the collections & ensure the satisfaction of the B.P dues from them. Nor did the Ct. give any directions so the receiver. It appointed the receiver & closed the B.P that very moment. The decree holder gained little by this ephemeral act. It was in the circumstances, like closing the E.P after an order to attach & before sale proceedings. The appointment was thus only a pretext to close the E.P at once. Nor did the decree-holder want the E.P to be closed; nor was the E.P dismissed owing to impossibility of collecting anything from the lessees of the shops as, for instance, on the ground that the shops did not belong to the judgment-debtors or had been validly alienated.

6. It is the clear duty of a Ct. to dispose of an E.P really, effectively & validly in one of the ways known to law. It should not close it for stasistical purposes in its anxiety for quick disposal. The law is there to give redress & relief not for nominal & quick disposals giving no relief or redress. I hold that E.P No. 272 of 1934 was improperly closed, for statistical or other purposes, & had not been really, effectively & validly terminated by one of the methods known to law, & that it must be deemed to be, therefore, still pending, & that the applt. is entitled to have it proceeded with, as the assignee decree-holder, by reminding the Ct. about it, as he did in E.P no. 505 of 1943. His E.P (E.P No. 505 of 1943) is a composite one. It comprises not only a claim to Rs. 518-13-0 claimed in E.P No. 272 of 1934, & the amount claimable on the basis of treating this E.P as a fresh E.P but also a large sum which had become barred by limitation in between the two E.Ps So, it he to be split up into two E.Ps to be separately proceeded with.

7. In the end, therefore, I set aside the judgment & decree of the Dist. J., Tiruchirapalli in A.S No. 321 of 1943 & direct the Diet. Munsif, Tiruchirapalli, to restore E.P No. 272 of 1934 to file & proceed with it till it is terminated in a way known to law, by either appointing a fresh receiver or by sale of the properties, & to allow the petnr. to amend E.P No. 505 of 1943, treating it as a fresh E.P & claiming therein only the maintenance amount due from 3-6-1939 till 20-2-1942. The E.P was filed only on 3-6-1942, & of course, only the maintenance due from 3-6-1939 could be claimed therein under the law of limitation. The assignment was on 20-2-1942 & of course, the decree-holder could not assign future maintenance. That is how the period of claim in E.P No. 505 of 1943 has been fixed by me as from 3-6-1939 to 20-2-1942. In the circumstances, I direct all the parties to bear their own costs in A.S No. 321 of 1943 & here, themselves, but direct the Dist.

8. Munsif, Tiruchirapalli, to pass suitable orders regarding costs in both the E.Ps when disposing of them afresh.

C.R.K/V.B.B

9. Order accordingly.