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2003 DIGILAW 84 (MP)

Bherulal v. Resham Bai

2003-01-14

A.M.SAPRE

body2003
JUDGMENT Having heard the learned counsel for the applicant (defendant) and having perused the record of the case, I find no merit in the revision. It is accordingly liable to be dismissed in limine . It is a revision filed by the plaintiff. He obtained ex parte decree in matrimonial case against the respondent. The respondent then applied for its setting aside. This application made under Order 9 Rule 13 of CP Code was contested by the applicant. It was rejected. An appeal was filed by the respondent. By impugned order dated 29.11.2002, passed by learned VII Additional District Judge (Fast Track), Ujjain in Miscellaneous Appeal No.9 of 2002, the learned first appellate Judge allowed the appeal and as a consequence, set aside the ex parte decree. It is against this order, the plaintiff has come up in revision. The plaintiff says that ex parte decree should not have been set aside by the first appellate Court. I find no case to interfere. When the first appellate Court held that the application constitutes a sufficient cause for setting aside of the exparte decree, such finding is a finding of fact and does not really call for any interference in revision. The jurisdiction of revisionary Court is confined to issue relating to jurisdiction and legal one. This Court cannot examine the sufficiency of cause in revisional jurisdiction. Even otherwise, when I read the impugned order, it is in conformity with the requirement of Order 9 Rule 13 ibid. it is held, and in my opinion, rightly, that when lawyer reported no instructions and none appeared for defendant (lady), she ought to have been noticed. Indeed, this is the view of Supreme Court in one recent case where Their Lordships had observed that notice to party should have been sent before he was placed ex parte. In view of this, placing reliance by learned counsel on a decision reported in 2002 (I) MPWN 18 is of no consequence. In any event, the setting aside of an ex parte decree does not cause any prejudice to plaintiff because he will get full opportunity to prove his case on merits. It is always better to have judicial verdict on merits rather than to have it ex parte. Civil revision thus, fails and is dismissed in limine.