Sunday, 3 September 2023

Under which circumstance the court can reject application of defendant for production of document at the stage of their evidence?

 The revision-petitioners though stated that they referred

the documents during the cross-examination of P.W.1, did not

produce the said documents at that time, but filed the

documents when the suit is at the stage of defendants evidence

and sought the leave of the Court. As already stated above,

except the document No.6, no other document is referred in the

written statement by the revision-petitioners. No reason was also

assigned in the written statement for retaining the said

documents with the defendants at that time.{Para 11}

12. The affidavit filed by the revision-petitioners before the

Trial Court would show that documents were very much available with the defendants at the time of filing the written statement, but they did not file and now, they want to show that they retained them as they were required for taking loan from banks or getting benefits from the Government. But, no material is coming forthwith to support the same.

13. This Court in Ravi Satish and Voruganti Narayana Rao

cases (supra) held that grant of leave is not for mere asking, nor

is the Court a mere Post-Office to receive documents even in the

absence of any reasons being furnished for failure to file the said

documents along with the written statement.

14. In those circumstances, there are no grounds to interfere

with the Order of the Trial Court, as this Court did not find any

material irregularity in the impugned Order of the learned Trial

Court and the revision-petition is deserved to be dismissed.

 HIGH COURT OF ANDHRA PRADESH AT AMARAVATI

CIVIL REVISION PETITION NO.4776 of 2016

Kottakota Lakkappa  Vs B.Lakkappagari Chikkaiah 

DATE OF ORDER PRONOUNCED : 18.08.2023

Coram:  SRI JUSTICE B.V.L.N.CHAKRAVARTHI


Heard Ms. G.Sree Deepthi, learned counsel representing on

behalf of Sri N.Ranga Reddy, learned counsel for the revisionpetitioners.

2. This revision-petition is directed against the impugned

Order, dated 09.09.2016 in I.A.No.447 of 2016 in O.S.No.8 of

2011 by the defendants in the suit.

3. The application under the impugned Order was filed under

Order VIII Rule 1-A of the Code of Civil Procedure, 1908 (for

brevity ‘CPC’) to receive the documents mentioned in the list and it appears that the said application was filed by the revision petitioners/ defendants at the stage when the suit is coming for the evidence of defendants.

4. The reason assigned by the revision-petitioners in the

affidavit is that, the documents mentioned in the list were not

filed earlier along with the written statement as they were

required for taking loans and other benefits from the Banks and

the Government and that as the suit is now coming for

defendants evidence, they are seeking the leave of the Court

under Order VIII Rule 1-A CPC to receive the documents.

5. The learned Trial Court, on considering the above

submissions made for the revision-petitioners and relying on the

Judgments of this Court in Ravi Satish vs. Edala Durga Prasad1

and Voruganti Narayana Rao vs. Bodla Rammurthy2 held that

though the defendants in possession of the said documents on

the date of filing of the written statement, they did not file the

same without assigning any reasons in the written statement.

6. In the light of above contentions, the point that would arise

for consideration in this Civil Revision Petition is as under:

“Whether the Senior Civil Judge’s Court, Hindupur

committed any material irregularity in its Order,

dated 09.09.2016 in I.A.No.447 of 2016 in O.S.No.8

of 2011?”

7. P O I N T: -

The learned counsel for the revision-petitioners would

contend that the said documents were not filed along with the

1 2009 (3) ALT 236.

2 2011 (6) ALT 299.

written statement as they were in the bank. It is against the

affidavit version filed before the Trial Court, whereunder it was

stated that the documents are required for taking loans.

8. It is pertinent to note down that except document No.6/

Registered Sale Deed, dated 08.10.2008 mentioned in the list

filed with the application, the other documents were neither

referred in the written statement, nor mentioned in the list of

documents filed along with the written statement. The revision petitioners in their affidavit stated that these documents are

referred in the cross-examination of P.W.1 when the suit is at the

stage of plaintiffs side evidence. It is also pertinent to note down

that the revision-petitioners did not choose to file those

documents even at that stage.

9. Sub-Rule 3 of Rule 1A of Order VIII CPC mandates that

documents ought to be produced in Court by the defendant

under this rule, but, is not so produced shall not, without the

leave of the Court, be received in evidence on his behalf at the

hearing of the suit.

10. Sub-Rule 4 of Rule 1A of Order VIII CPC says that nothing

in this rule shall apply to the documents produced for cross

examination of plaintiff’s witnesses; or handed over to a witness

merely to refresh his memory.

11. The revision-petitioners though stated that they referred

the documents during the cross-examination of P.W.1, did not

produce the said documents at that time, but filed the

documents when the suit is at the stage of defendants evidence

and sought the leave of the Court. As already stated above,

except the document No.6, no other document is referred in the

written statement by the revision-petitioners. No reason was also

assigned in the written statement for retaining the said

documents with the defendants at that time.

12. The affidavit filed by the revision-petitioners before the

Trial Court would show that documents were very much available

with the defendants at the time of filing the written statement,

but they did not file and now, they want to show that they

retained them as they were required for taking loan from banks

or getting benefits from the Government. But, no material is

coming forthwith to support the same.

13. This Court in Ravi Satish and Voruganti Narayana Rao

cases (supra) held that grant of leave is not for mere asking, nor

is the Court a mere Post-Office to receive documents even in the

absence of any reasons being furnished for failure to file the said

documents along with the written statement.

14. In those circumstances, there are no grounds to interfere

with the Order of the Trial Court, as this Court did not find any

material irregularity in the impugned Order of the learned Trial

Court and the revision-petition is deserved to be dismissed.

15. Accordingly, the Civil Revision Petition is Dismissed at the

stage of admission. There shall be no order as to costs.

16 As a sequel, miscellaneous applications pending, if any,

shall stand closed.

JUSTICE B.V.L.N.CHAKRAVARTHI

18th August, 2023.


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