Briefly stated, the facts are that the appellant herein had filed O.S. No.1144/1988 on the file of the V-Senior Civil Judge, City Civil Court, Hyderabad seeking a decree of specific performance of an agreement to sell dated 26.04.1985. In the said suit, the respondent(s) herein were set ex-parte. Thereafter, an ex-parte decree was passed on 15.02.1999. It is stated that execution proceedings as against the ex-parte decree are still pending before the Executing Court. However, the first respondent herein filed an application on 07.01.2016 seeking setting aside of ex-parte decree dated 15.02.1999 along with an application under Section 5 of the Limitation Act, 1963 seeking condonation of 5767 days delay in filing the said application seeking setting aside of ex-parte decree. (Para 4)
The said application was considered by the Trial Court and by order dated 07.06.2018, the application seeking condonation of delay was dismissed. Consequently, the petition filed under Order IX Rule 13 CPC seeking setting aside of the ex-parte decree also stood dismissed. (Para 5)
Being aggrieved, the first respondent herein filed a Civil Revision Petition under Section 115 of the CPC before the High Court contending that Trial Court was not right in dismissing the application seeking condonation of delay of 5767 days in filing the petition to set aside the ex-parte decree dated 15.02.1999. (Para 6)
By the impugned order dated 08.01.2021, the High Court has set aside Order dated 07.06.2018 passed in I.A. No.30/2016 in O.S. No.1144/1988, which also implies that the petition filed under Order IX Rule 13 CPC which had also stood dismissed has been allowed. In the Civil Revision Petition, the High Court condoned the delay of 5767 days in filing the petition filed under Order IX Rule 13 CPC seeking setting aside the ex-parte decree dated 15.02.1999 by directing the Trial Court to dispose of the petition filed under Order IX Rule 13 CPC and to complete the trial of the suit expeditiously, within a period of four months from the date of receipt of certified copy of this order. (Para 7)
In the circumstances, we set aside the impugned order on the ground that the said order was passed in a Civil Revision Petition which was not at all maintainable under Section 115 of the CPC. However, liberty is reserved to the first respondent herein to file an appeal under Order XLIII Rule 1(d) CPC, if so advised, on or before 31.12.2023. (Para 20)
SUPREME COURT OF INDIA
2023 STPL(Web) 482 SC
[2023 INSC 1065]
Koushik Mutually Aided Co-Operative Housing Society Vs. Ameena Begum & Another
Civil appeal no. 7903 of 2023 (@ Special Leave Petition (C) No.5489 of 2021)-Decided on 1-12-2023
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