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Bai Atrani v. Deepsing Baria
Judgment Summary — Batchelor, J. (with Hayward, J. concurring)
Factual and Procedural Background
The suit concerned the plaintiff's claim that he was the son, or at least the dasiputra, of a deceased Thakor. Along with his plaint the plaintiff applied for an injunction restraining the Thakor's senior-widow from making an adoption until the plaintiff's status was determined. A Subordinate Judge initially granted a temporary injunction against the widow but later dissolved it. The plaintiff appealed to the District Judge, who granted a temporary injunction restraining the widow from adopting pending the suit. The present application to the High Court seeks revision of the District Judge's injunction.
Legal Issues Presented
- Whether an application to the High Court under Section 115 of the Code of Civil Procedure (CPC) is competent to revise an interlocutory order (a temporary injunction granted on first appeal) when a final decree and an appeal from that decree may subsequently lie.
- Whether the High Court has extraordinary supervisory jurisdiction (derived from Regulation II of 1827 and preserved by later statutory provisions) to entertain the application in the absence of an adequate statutory remedy.
- Whether, on the merits, a court should grant an injunction restraining a Hindu widow from adopting pending the outcome of long-running litigation.
Arguments of the Parties
Plaintiff's Arguments (Mr. Coyajee)
- The preliminary contention was that the application to revise the District Judge's interlocutory order was not competent under Section 115 CPC.
- Mr. Coyajee relied on authorities (Chatter Singh v. Lekhraj Singh; In re Nizam of Hyderabad; Farid Ahmed v. Dulari Bibi) holding that there is no jurisdiction under S.115 to revise an interlocutory order when an appeal from the final decree will thereafter be available.
- He argued that where a statutory remedy exists (as in the past under S.591 of the Code of 1882 and in the present code provisions), revisional jurisdiction under S.115 should not be invoked.
Petitioner's/Respondent's Arguments (Mr. Rao)
- Mr. Rao relied on Dhapi v. Ram Pershad and on the intermediate approach in Motilal Kashibhai v. Nana, arguing that S.115 is sufficiently broad to permit revision of an interlocutory order where otherwise grave injustice might result.
- He contended that, in the present circumstances, the applicant (the widow) had no other adequate remedy; if the petition were summarily dismissed, irreparable and unremediable injustice could follow (for example, the widow might be permanently prevented from adopting during litigation lasting many years).
- Alternatively, he argued that the High Court's extraordinary supervisory jurisdiction (derived from Regulation II of 1827 and continued by statute) permitted the Court to entertain the application irrespective of S.115.
Table of Precedents Cited
| Precedent | Rule or Principle Cited For | Application by the Court |
|---|---|---|
| Chatter Singh v. Lekhraj Singh | Authority for the proposition that S.115 does not permit revision of interlocutory orders when a subsequent appeal from final decree will lie. | Noted as part of authorities relied on by counsel for the plaintiff to argue that the application was not competent under S.115; treated as one side of the authorities on the point. |
| In re Nizam of Hyderabad | Grouped with other decisions holding against revisional jurisdiction under S.115 in respect of interlocutory orders. | Noted as authority relied on by plaintiff's counsel; considered in contrast with other decisions. |
| Farid Ahmed v. Dulari Bibi | Another authority cited for the limited view of S.115's revisional jurisdiction over interlocutory orders. | Cited by plaintiff's counsel; recorded and weighed against conflicting authorities. |
| Dhapi v. Ram Pershad | Calcutta High Court decision taking the view that S.115's use of the word "case" is comprehensive and that S.115 may be used to revise interlocutory orders to prevent grave injustice. | Noted as a contrary authority supporting a broader view of S.115; relied upon by the petitioner’s counsel to show revisional jurisdiction may exist to prevent injustice. |
| Motilal Kashibhai v. Nana | Took an intermediate course between the conflicting views; recognised the wide import of the word "case" in S.115 but held that where a statutory remedy exists (old S.591 / present provisions) revisional jurisdiction may not be invoked. | Regarded as laying down the law applicable in the Presidency; the Court treated Motilal as the guiding precedent and applied its approach to determine whether any remedy was available to exclude S.115 in the present case. |
Court's Reasoning and Analysis
The main opinion (Batchelor, J.) proceeded in two stages: jurisdictional competence and merits.
1. Interpretation of S.115 CPC and precedents.
- Batchelor, J. accepted that the word "case" in S.115 is of wide, comprehensive import (as noted in Motilal Kashibhai v. Nana) and declined to adopt any narrow formal definition of "case."
- He recognised conflicting authorities: some (Chatter Singh, In re Nizam, Farid Ahmed) deny revisional jurisdiction over interlocutory orders where a final appeal will lie, while Dhapi v. Ram Pershad supported a broader reading to avoid grave injustice.
- The Court treated Motilal Kashibhai v. Nana as the controlling precedent for the Presidency, which requires inquiry whether a statutory remedy was available that would make S.115 unnecessary.
2. Whether a statutory remedy excluded S.115 in the present facts.
- The Judge examined the present Code provisions: S.104 (orders from which a first appeal lies), S.105 (other orders), and the relevant rules (O. XLIII, R.1; O. XXXIX Rrs.1 and 2) that provide for an appeal in respect of temporary injunctions of the kind before the Court.
- He concluded that the District Judge's order fell within the scope of S.104 (i.e., it was an order from which an appeal is permitted), and consequently it would be excluded from S.105; therefore, it could not be said that a remedy was supplied by S.105 which would bar S.115.
- Counter-argument by counsel for the plaintiff was that there was only a single appeal under S.104 from the original Subordinate Judge's order (which had been in the petitioner’s favour), and consequently, practical relief against the District Judge's interlocutory order might be lacking. The Judge accepted this practical point: because the petitioner might otherwise have no effective remedy and could suffer irremediable injury, the application should be held competent under S.115 consistent with Motilal's reasoning.
3. Alternative jurisdiction — extraordinary supervisory power.
- The Court held alternatively that the High Court had power to entertain the application under its extraordinary jurisdiction derived from Regulation II of 1827, which was transferred to the High Court by Section 9 of the High Courts Act, 1861, and preserved by the Repealing Act (Act XII of 1873).
- The Judge reasoned that the repeal of the regulating statute did not affect the established jurisdiction and that those surviving powers allowed the High Court to exercise general superintendence over subordinate courts.
4. Merits — whether the injunction should be maintained.
- On the merits, the Court concluded that in the circumstances before it there was no justification for restraining a Hindu widow from adopting.
- The Court noted the lack of reported instances where a court had restrained such an adoption and emphasised the practical consequences: the litigation concerned a large estate likely to be protracted (possibly to the Privy Council), during which time the widow might die or the chosen boy die, thereby potentially causing irreparable frustration of the widow's right to adopt for the benefit of her deceased husband's soul.
- The Court observed that the estate, being in the hands of the Collector, was not in immediate danger; and that the plaintiff would not suffer substantial prejudice if the injunction were discharged (since any adoption would be void if the plaintiff were the legal son).
- Balancing these considerations, the Judge found that present convenience and justice overwhelmingly favoured the widow and discharged the injunction, awarding her costs of the application throughout.
5. Concurring opinion (Hayward, J.).
- Hayward, J. concurred with the result and addressed whether the temporary injunction on first appeal is a "case decided in which no appeal lies" under S.115. He concluded that the ordinary wide meaning of "case decided" includes such an order.
- He reasoned the order is passed under sub-clause (i) of sub-S.1 of S.104 and, by virtue of sub-S.2, no appeal lies from it; it does not affect the final decision of the suit and so is not open to challenge under S.105 on final appeal, hence it falls within S.115.
- He also agreed that the older Regulation-based supervisory jurisdiction (continued by statute and saved by the Repealing Act) provided an additional basis for the High Court to entertain the application.
Holding and Implications
Holding: Revision allowed; the injunction granted by the District Judge was dissolved; the widow is to have the costs of this application throughout.
Implications:
- Direct effect on the parties: The temporary injunction restraining the Thakor's senior-widow from adopting was discharged, freeing her to proceed with adoption subject to other law. The widow was awarded the costs of the application.
- Jurisdictional clarification applied in the judgment: The Court applied a broad interpretation of the word "case" in S.115 and followed Motilal Kashibhai v. Nana as the guiding precedent for the Presidency, while also finding that where no adequate statutory remedy effectively exists, S.115 (or the High Court's extraordinary supervisory jurisdiction) may be invoked to prevent grave injustice. The opinion, however, addresses these questions in the context of the facts of this application rather than announcing an expansive new rule beyond those principles.
Note: This summary is based exclusively on the provided opinion text and does not add external material or infer facts beyond those stated therein.
Batchelor, J.:— This application arises, in the course of a pending suit in which: the plaintiff claims to be the son, or at least the dasiputra, of a certain deceased Thakor; with his plaint the plaintiff presented an application praying for an injunction against the Thakor's senior-widow, restraining her from making adoption pending the decision of his status. The learned Subordinate Judge at first, granted a temporary injunction against the widow, but afterwards, for reasons, with which we are not at present concerned, he dissolved it. The plaintiff appealed to the District Judge, who has granted a temporary injunction restraining the-widow from adopting pending the decision, of this suit. This application is made in order that the District Judge's injunction: should be revised by this Court.
2. Mr. Coyajee for the plaintiff takes the preliminary point that the application is not competent under section 115 of the cpc, and he relies mainly upon such cases as Chatter Singh v. Lekhraj Singh (1), In re Nizam of Hyderabad (2) and Farid Ahmed v. Dulari Bibi (3), where the Courts have held that there is no jurisdiction under S. 115 to revise an interlocutory order when there is an appeal from the final decree thereafter to-be passed. These Allahabad cases were, however, considered in Dhapi v. Ram Per-shad (4), where the learned Judges of the-Calcutta High Court took a different view and having regard to the comprehensiveness of the word ‘case’ occurring in S. 115 and to the possibility of grave injustice which might result from the adoption of the other principle, decided that under S. 115 of the Code the Court had jurisdiction to revise an interlocutory order. This decision was considered by Sir Charles Sargent and Mr. Justice Candy in, Motilal Kashibhai v. Nana (5) which took, a course between the two extremes, and which admittedly lays down the law applicable in this Presidency to the present point. The learned Chief justice concedes for the pursose of argument that the word ‘case’ may be wide enough to include an interlocutory order, but he points out that a word of such general import must be controlled by the purpose with which the section was framed. That purpose, he observes, was clearly to enable a party to obtain the rectification of a decision or order of a lower Court by the High Court when there would otherwise be no remedy. In the facts then before the Court a remedy was supplied by S. 591 of the Code of 1882, and on that ground it was decided that the revisional jurisdiction of the Court could not successfully be invoked. Mr. Rao contends that this decision in Motilal's case is in favour of the present petitioner, inasmuch as in the circumstances of this application the applicant has no other remedy available to him and may, if this petition is summarily dismissed, be exposed to injustice, otherwise incapable of remedy. It appears to me that this contention should prevail.
3. I make no attempt to fasten any formal definition upon the word ‘case’ which occurs in S. 115. I note only that, as was held in Motilal Kashibhai v. Nana , it is a word of wide or comprehensive import and clearly covers a far larger area than would be covered by such a word as ‘suit’ or ‘appeal.’ There is, therefore, in my opinion nothing incongruous or repugnant in holding that the word ‘case’ may cover such an order as we have here, restraining a Hindu widow from adopting. I am further of opinion that inasmuch as S. 115 is merely an empowering section granting certain jurisdiction to the High Court, and as the use or exercise of that jurisdiction will, within the prescribed limits, be regulated by the discretion of the High Court, the section ought to receive rather a liberal than a narrow interpretation. Reverting now to Sir Charles Sargeant's decision in Motilal's case it is necessary to say that the present S. 115 of our Code is a reproduction of S. 622 of the Code of 1882 and that the old S. 591 reappears without alteration in the present S. 105. We must, therefore, in accordance with the Chief Justice's ruling, enquire whether in this particular case a remedy against the order of injunction was supplied to the present petitioner by S. 105 of the Code. To understand S. 105, reference first must be made to S. 104, which specifies the orders from which a first appeal is permitted; while S. 105, as the marginal description shows, refers to “other orders.” Under Cl. (i) of sub-S. 1 of S. 104, it is enacted that an appeal is allowed from any order made under rules from which an appeal is expressly allowed by rules. To ascertain which are the orders here referred to, we must turn to O. XLIII, R. 1, which describes the orders from which an appeal lies. Clause (r) of this rule mentions an order under Rr. 1 and 2 of O. 39, and these rules provide for the grant of a temporary injunction in such a case as that now before us. It follows, therefore, that the District Judge's order falls within the scope of S. 104 of the Code and is, therefore, in my opinion, excluded from the scope of S. 105. If that is so, then it clearly cannot be said that the petitioner had against this order a remedy supplied to him by S. 105. Mr. Coyaji answers that there was, under S. 104, a single appeal from the original order made by the Subordinate Judge; but that order was in the petitioner's favour, and unless this application can now be considered, the petitioner has no remedy against the order of which alone she complains and it seems to me impossible to say that the injury caused by the order, if it is wrong, may not be irremediable; for the petitioner, or the boy chosen for adoption, may well the long before this litigation reaches its end. That being so, I think that, consistently with the ruling in Motilal Kashibhai v. Nana , we ought to hold that this application is competent under S. 115.
4. I think also that Mr. Rao's alternative contention must be conceded, that the application is in any event within the extraordinary jurisdiction vested in this Court. That jurisdiction is derived from Regulation II of 1827 which empowered the Sadar Diwanee Adalut to exercise general superintendence over all Subordinate Courts. By Section 9 of the High Courts Act the jurisdiction thus originally granted to the Sadar Diwanee Adalut was transferred to the High Court when that Court was constituted in 1861. It is true that the Regulation of 1827 was repealed in 1873 by Act XII of that year. But the third paragraph of the first section of the Repealing Act provides that:
“It shall not affect any established jurisdiction, form or procedure or existing usage, custom or privilege, notwithstanding that the same respectively may have been in any manner affirmed, re cognized or derived by, in, or from, any enactment hereby repealed.” It follows, I think, that the jurisdiction established in the Sadar Diwanee Adalut in 1827 and in the High Court in 1861 was not affected by the repeal of the Regulation in 1873.
5. On these grounds I am of opinion that this Court has jurisdiction to entertain the application which, therefore, should be considered on its merits.
6. The only remaining question is, whether the injunction, which the learned District Judge granted to the plaintiff, can be allowed to stand. I think not. We have had a learned and exhaustive argument, and in the course of it has been admitted at the Bar that there is no instance in the Reports where a Court has restrained a Hindu widow from adopting to her deceased husband. I will not say that the Court has no jurisdiction to grant such an injunction in any conceivable circumstances, but I think I may safely say that in the circumstances now before us there is no justification for such an order. The order is made in a suit which involves a claim to a very large estate, and it is extremely probable that the litigation may ultimately find its way to the Privy Council, in which event it would be a sanguine estimate to suppose that the controversy will be terminated within the next eight or ten years. Yet throughout that period this widow will be debarred from adopting, if the injunction is to be maintained. During that period it is, as I have said, possible that the widow may die. It is possible also that the boy selected for adoption and, as we are told, approved by the Collector, may also die. If things are thus left for the indefinite period of the duration of this litigation it appears to me probable that the widow may never be able to exercise her inherent right of benefiting her deceased husband's soul by making this adoption to him. In the meanwhile the estate, which is in the bands of the Collector, is in no danger. On the other hand, I cannot discern any real or grave inconvenience to which the plaintiff will be put by discharging the injunction. The plaintiff either is or is not the legally recognized son of the Thakor. If he is not, he cannot suffer from the adoption. If he is, he is equally saved from prejudice, because the adoption would is that event be void.
7. I think that all considerations, not only of present convenience but of present justice, are so overwhelmingly in favour of the widow that we ought, in our extraordinary jurisdiction, to discharge the order of the learned Judge below. In my judgment, therefore, the injunction should be dissolved and the widow should have the costs of this application throughout.
Hayward, J.:— I concur. The question briefly is, whether an order granting a temporary injunction on first appeal is a “case decided in which no appeal lies” within the meaning of Section 115 of the CPC.
8. Now, it seems to me clear that such an order must be held to be a “case decided” in view of the very wide meaning ordinarily attachable to that word.
9. Next, such an order is an order passed under Cl. (i) of sub-S. 1 of S. 104, and no appeal lies from such an order by virtue of sub-S. 2 of S. 104. But it must further be considered, whether such an order is one affecting the decision of the suit in which it was made and so an order which could be questioned on the final appeal from the decree under S. 105.
10. It appears to me it is not. It stands by itself. It is an order having force temporarily only pending the suit. It cannot be said to be an order affecting the decision of the suit and could, therefore, not be called in question upon final appeal from the decree under S. 105. For these reasons it seems to me that such an order must be held to be a “case decided in which no appeal lies” within the meaning of Section 115 of the CPC. I also concur that the order would be open to consideration under the still wider provisions of S. 5 of Regulation II of 1827, continued in force by virtue of Section 9 of the High Courts Act of 1861. Those provisions have been saved from repeal by the operative sections of the General Repealing Act (XII of 1873). This has been indicated in the decisions holding the proceedings under the Mamlatdars Courts' Act are subject to the supervision of this Court, a jurisdiction which has been impliedly recognized in Section 24 of the Mamlatdars Courts' Act of 1906.
11. It seems to me, therefore, on both these grounds that this application is open to consideration by this Court.
12. Revision allowed.
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