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Smart Summary

Factual and Procedural Background

The appellant was a tenant against whom the respondent-landlord initiated eviction proceedings. The High Court dismissed the tenant's second appeal but granted time to vacate until December 31, 1984, conditional on the tenant furnishing an undertaking before the trial court within one month; failure to furnish the undertaking or breach of its terms would make the tenant liable to immediate eviction.

The tenant furnished an undertaking dated October 10, 1984, but added a unilateral rider making it “subject to any order of the Supreme Court,” which was not contemplated by the High Court’s order. On the same day, the tenant filed a special leave petition (SLP) in the Supreme Court, stating that he had not filed any undertaking because he was aggrieved by the High Court’s judgment.

Legal Issues Presented

  1. Whether the tenant’s SLP/civil appeal was maintainable in view of the undertaking furnished pursuant to the High Court’s order granting time to vacate.
  2. Whether the tenant’s rider in the undertaking (making it subject to Supreme Court orders/right to appeal) affected the bar on challenging the eviction order.

Arguments of the Parties

The opinion does not contain a detailed account of the parties' legal arguments.

Table of Precedents Cited

Precedent Rule or Principle Cited For Application by the Court
R.N Gosain v. Yashpal Dhir (1992) 4 SCC 683 Once a tenant files an undertaking to vacate pursuant to a court’s conditional grant of time, the tenant cannot be permitted to assail the eviction order by filing a special leave petition; even an undertaking purporting to reserve a right to appeal to the Supreme Court makes no difference. The Court treated the tenant’s furnished undertaking as rendering the present challenge non-maintainable, holding itself bound by the principle reiterated in R.N Gosain.
Three earlier decisions of this Court (as referred to in R.N Gosain v. Yashpal Dhir (1992) 4 SCC 683) The same principle: filing such an undertaking precludes a later challenge to the eviction order, even where the undertaking reserves a right to approach the Supreme Court. The Court relied on these as binding through their adoption in R.N Gosain and noted that the principle applied even in civil appeals.

Court's Reasoning and Analysis

The Court upheld the respondent-landlord’s preliminary objection and found, first, that the tenant’s statement in the SLP—claiming no undertaking had been filed—was incorrect because an undertaking had in fact been furnished on October 10, 1984. More importantly, the Court held that the SLP was not maintainable because the tenant had already furnished the undertaking in compliance with the High Court’s conditional order granting time to vacate.

Relying on R.N Gosain v. Yashpal Dhir (1992) 4 SCC 683 (which followed three earlier Supreme Court decisions), the Court applied the rule that once such an undertaking is filed, the tenant cannot be allowed to challenge the eviction order by approaching the Supreme Court. The Court further held that even if the undertaking purported to reserve a right to appeal to the Supreme Court, it “makes no difference” and the tenant remains precluded. The Court considered itself bound by these decisions, and clarified that the grant of special leave does not cure the infirmity; the same principle had been applied even where the matters were civil appeals.

Holding and Implications

DISMISSED: The civil appeal was dismissed. No costs were awarded.

The direct effect was that the tenant’s challenge to the eviction order failed on maintainability grounds because of the undertaking furnished pursuant to the High Court’s conditional grant of time to vacate. The opinion indicates no broader implications beyond applying binding Supreme Court authority to preclude the appeal.

    Mohan Lal v. Raghunath Singh .

    Order

    1. The civil appeal is liable to be dismissed upholding the preliminary objection raised by the learned counsel for the respondent-landlord. The appellant is the tenant. Eviction proceedings were taken against him by the landlord. The High Court dismissed the second appeal filed by the appellant. At the same time it granted him time to vacate till December 31, 1984 subject to his furnishing an undertaking in terms indicated by it, before the trial court, within one month from the date of the order. It was also stated that if no such undertaking is furnished within the time specified or if any of the terms of the undertaking is contravened by the defendant, he shall be liable to be evicted forthwith. In accordance with the said order, the appellant furnished an undertaking on October 10, 1984, a copy of which is filed as Annexure ‘C’ of the counter-affidavit filed by the respondent-landlord in this Court. In this undertaking, the appellant-tenant while undertaking to abide by the order granted by the High Court, has no doubt, made the said undertaking subject to any order of the Supreme Court. This rider was not provided in the order of the High Court; it was a unilateral addition made by the appellant. Having furnished the said undertaking of October 10, 1984, he filed the present special leave petition in this Court on that very day, viz., on October 10, 1984. In the special leave petition, a positive statement was made that “the petitioner has not filed any undertaking as the petitioner is aggrieved with the judgment of the High Court …”.

    2. Firstly, it may be seen that the statement in the special leave petition that the tenant-appellant has not filed any undertaking is not correct inasmuch as he did file such an undertaking in the High Court, no doubt on that very day. Even so, it was an incorrect statement. Secondly — and more important — his SLP is not maintainable in view of the undertaking furnished by him in the High Court. It has been held by this Court in R.N Gosain v. Yashpal Dhir (1992) 4 SCC 683 following three earlier decisions of this Court that once the tenant files such an undertaking he cannot be permitted to assail the eviction order by filing a special leave petition in this Court. It has also been held that even if the undertaking says that it was subject to his right to file an appeal before the Supreme Court against the order of eviction, it makes no difference that even in such a case he is precluded from filing such a special leave petition. The said decisions are binding upon us. The grant of special leave does not cure the aforesaid infirmities. Indeed, all the three decisions referred to and followed in R.N Gosain (1992) 4 SCC 683 were civil appeals and yet the same principle was applied.

    3. For the above reasons, the appeal fails and is accordingly dismissed. No costs.

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    Comments

    Mohan Lal v. Raghunath Singh .
    (Feb 10, 1993)