Mst. Bhabia
Devi Vs. Permanand Pd. Yadav [1997] INSC 221 (24 February 1997)
K.
RAMASWAMY, G.T. NANAVATI
ACT:
HEAD NOTE:
O R D
E R
This special leave petition arises from the order of the High Court of Patna,
made in Appeal from the Original Order No.406/86 on July 24, 1996.
The
respondent had filed a suit for specific performance on the foot of an
agreement alleged to have been executed by the petitioner. The petitioner was
served notice but since she did not contest the suit, ex-parte decree was
granted. Subsequently, the petitioner filed an application under Order IX, Rule
13, C.P.C. seeking setting aside of the ex-parte decree. Therein, her specific
case was that she was not residing at Garhia Village and, therefore, the notice could
not be deemed to have been served on her. The endorsement is not correct. The
question was gone into by the courts below after recording the evidence of one Laxuman
Yadav, Mahendra Yadav and process server. It is their case that on January 15,
1985 when the summons were handed over to Mst. Bhabia Devi and when she was
acquainted with the facts, she refused to sign or put thumb impression on the
notice. When the process server had gone to serve it on her personally on April 2, 1984 to the village and also on April 9, 1984 when the registered card
acknowledgement was sent, she refused to acknowledge it. Under those
circumstance, the courts below have concluded and the High Court has recorded
as under:
"Apart
from the aforementioned two modes for service of notice, as I have already
noticed, there was yet anther mode by way of Gazette publication. An attempt
has been made on behalf of the appellant to say that she being illiterate lady
could not learn about the Gazette publication." This is a finding of fact
on appreciation of the evidence. Thereby, it is clear that petitioner had
refused to accept the notice. Consequently, she was rightly set ex- parte. The
learned counsel for the petitioner seeks to contest the case on merits. We
cannot go into the merits since the appeal was not subject matter in any of the
appeals filed either under Section 96 or Section 100, C.P.C.
The
special leave petition is dismissed.
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