Pakistan Case Lawโ† Search
2021 MLD 556, 2020 PHC 406

Sohail Maqbool vs Fahad Idrees

Citation2021 MLD 556, 2020 PHC 406
CourtPeshawar High Court
Case No.Civil Revision No.284-A/2014
Date2020-07-15
Judge(s)Shakeel Ahmad
ResultPetition dismissed

SHAKEEL AHMAD, J. The instant revision petition is directed against the order dated 27th of June 2014 rendered by the learned Civil Judge-V , Haripur , dismissing the petitioner 's execution petitio n on account of non-deposit of court fee within the stipulated period, incorporated in the judgment and decree dated 19th of March 2012.

2. The relevant facts for disposal of the present revision petition are that petitioner was granted a decree for cancellation of agreement dated 04.10.2010, declaration to the effect that he and proforma defendants No.3 to 5 are owners of the suit factory , alongwith all its affixtures, inclusive of land, building vehicles, furniture and supply contracts etc, recovery of rupees five crore alongwith profits earned by the respondent / defendant No.1, permanent injunction restraining the respondent from alienating the suit property by way of sale etc. On 19.03.2012 ex-parte decree was granted in favour of the petitioner subject to deposit of balance court fee within fifteen (15) days, failing which the suit would be deemed to have been dismissed. The petitione r / decree holder filed execution petition on 16.04.2012, however , he failed to deposit the requisite court fee within the stipulated time. Such petition for execution of decree was dismissed vide judgment / order dated 27.06.2014, hence, this revision.

3. It was contended by the learned counsel for the petitioner that petitioner was not in the knowledge of conditional decree passed by the learned trial court on 19.03.2012. He next contended that petitioner had deposited the balance court fee on 07.04.2012, which is well within time but the court below has failed to take into consideration the date of receipt of the court fee mentioned in the court fee, which resulted in gross-miscarriage of justice, thus, warrants interference.

4. Conversely , learned counsel appearing on behalf of the respondent argued that the petitioner failed to deposit the court fee within the stipulated period incorporated in the judgment and decree dated 19.03.2012, therefore, the execution petition was rightly dismissed by the learned executing court. He added that the impugned judgment passed by the learned executing court does not suffer from jurisdictional defect or result of mis-reading and non- reading of relevant law, therefore, needs no interference.5. I have heard the learned counsel for the parties at length and gone through the record with their valuable assistance.

6. It is evident from the record that vide judgment dated 19.03.2012, the suit of the petitioner was decreed ex-parte against the respondent / defendant No.1 subject to deposit of balance court fee within fifteen (15) days, failing which the suit shall be treated as dismis sed. A perusal of the record reflects that court fee of Rs.12,000/- was placed on record without any judicial order and without the signatures of the learned Presiding Officer bearing the date as 07.04.2012, however , the court fee / stamp paper issued by the District Accounts Treasury Haripur reveals that it was issued on 6th of April 2013. Though it was contended by the learned counsel for the petitioner that the year of issuance of court fee was mistakenly written as 2013 instead of 2012. If this argument of the learned counsel for the petitioner is accepted even then the court fee was deposited in the court beyond the stipulated period incorporated in the judgment and decree dated 19.03.2012.

7. Furthermore, the order sheet No. 16 dated 19.03.2012 reveals that the conditional decree was announced in presence of the petitioner / plaintif f and not in his absence, therefore, his plea that he was not aware of the conditional decree passed on 19.03.2012 does not carry weight.

8. It is by now settled that the learned trial court once having passed a conditional decree, the suit stood automatically dismissed for non-deposit of court fee within the stipulated time incorporated in the judgment and decree, the court passing the decree would become functus officio and the time could not be enlarged by the learned executing court not only because non-compliance had operated into automatic dismissal of suit, but also because a valuable right had thereby accrued to the respondent. In this behalf reliance can be placed on the judgment reported as Mt, Lal Rain Vs. Durga Das Narain (AIR 1924 Pat 387) wherein it was held that the court cannot extend the time under Section 148 CPC where the period is fixed or granted by the decree or final order .

9. In this context reference may also be made to the case reported as Himmurs Vs. Fauja (AIR 1921 Lah 06). In this case it was observed by the Full Bench that a decree can be altered by review or appeal or revision, but neither section 148 nor Section 151 CPC can be utilized for the purpose of altering a decree.

10. I, for the aforesaid reasons, dismiss this revision petition and hold that the impugned judgment / order dated 27th June of 2014 of the learned Executing Court, dismissing the execution petition holding it to be not maintainable is in conformity with law and does not warrant interference by this court. Resultantly , this petition is dismissed with no order as to costs.

For educational and research use only โ€” not legal advice. Verify against the official report before relying on it. See our Disclaimer.
DisclaimerยทPrivacyยทTermsยทSearch