Sikka Star Satellites
Vs. Star (I) Pvt. Ltd. [2008] INSC 1287 (1 August 2008)
Judgment
CIVIL APPELLATE
JURISDICTION CIVIL APPEAL NO. 4450 OF 2008 Sikka Star Satellites .......
Appellant (s) Star (India) Pvt. Ltd. ...... Respondent (s)
ORDER
1.
This
appeal is filed against the order dated 23.5.2008 passed by the Telecom
Disputes and Settlement Appellate Tribunal [for short `the Tribunal'],
rejecting Petition No. 325 (C) of 2006 filed by the appellant seeking a
direction to the respondent to provide decoders to the appellant and resume
signals.
2.
The
appellant, a proprietary concern of one Shakuntla Sikka, is a registered cable
operator. Its business is run by her son and Attorney Holder Dharmendra Sikka
alias Tony Sikka. The appellant was receiving signals 2 for its customers from
respondent though the decoders supplied by the respondent under an agreement
dated 5.10.1999.
3.
The
said Dharmendra Sikka is a promoter and director of Lucknow Entertainment
Network Systems Pvt. Ltd. [for short `LENS'], a franchisee of Siti Cable
Network Ltd. [for short `Siti Cable']. The appellant had shifted the said
decoders supplied by the respondent to the premises of LENS. The appellant also
failed to pay the subscription fee and other fees to respondent in spite of demands.
Therefore, the respondent disconnected the signals with effect from 17.4.2002.
More than four years later, the appellant filed a petition before the Tribunal
seeking restoration of signals. In the said complaint, the appellant alleged
that it had no connection with LENS or Siti Cable; that it had shifted the
decoders supplied by Respondent to LENS on the request of respondent; that it
was regularly paying the dues to LENS;
and that it was not
therefore due in any amount to the respondent.
4.
The
respondent filed a reply stating that the signals to appellant were
disconnected on 17.4.2002 due to non-payment of the dues (subscription fee and
other dues); that the decoders supplied by it for the exclusive use of
appellant had been illegally transferred by the appellant to LENS and shifted
to the premises of LENS; that Dharmendra Sikka who was in charge of the
business of both appellant and LENS, was indulging in piracy by 3 illegally
transmitting signals of respondent; that respondent had lodged an FIR dated
13.12.2006 and an anti-piracy raid was conducted on the same day on the
premises of the appellant; that it had also initiated criminal proceedings
against the appellant and Dharmendra Sikka for offences under section 138 of
the Negotiable Instruments Act; and that the appellant had suppressed all these
relevant facts in the petition dated 21.12.2006.
Respondent contended
that the appellant was not therefore entitled to receive signals from it.
5.
The
Tribunal by its impugned order dated 23.5.2008 dismissed the petition. It has
recorded the following findings :
(a) Though Smt.
Shakuntla Sikka, a 75 years old handicapped widow, was stated to be the
proprietor of the appellant, its business was actually managed by her son
Dharmendra Sikka.
(b) The said Dharmender
Sikka floated a Company (LENS) and without the consent of the respondent,
shifted and transferred the decoders given by respondent to the appellant, to
the said LENS (a franchisee of Siti Cable), controlled by Dharmendra Sikka.
(c) The appellant falsely
alleged that it had transferred respondent's decoders to LENS on the
instructions of respondent. The same 4 were passed on surreptitiously to LENS
without the consent of the respondent.
(d) The respondent
disconnected the signals to appellant as large amounts due to it had not been
paid. In fact in a letter dated 21.2.2002 written by Dharmendra Sikka as
Director to LENS, he had admitted that Rs. 17.44 lakhs were due to respondent
on account of the dues of appellant and LENS would pay it.
(e) Four cheques for
Rs. 4 lakhs each issued towards the dues were dishonoured and large amounts
were due by appellant to respondent.
The Tribunal held
that the respondent was justified in disconnecting the supply of signals to
appellant; and as the appellant had suppressed material facts and approached
the Tribunal with unclean hands practicing deception, the appellant was not
entitled to any relief. The said order is challenged in this appeal.
6.
Dharmendra
Sikka appeared in person as attorney holder of the appellant. He submitted that
the appellant had nothing to do with LENS and that LENS was controlled by Siti
Cable and appellant could not be punished for any alleged breach or violation
by LENS. He however was not able to 5 deny that he was the founder Director of
LENS. Nor was he able to deny the fact that decoders entrusted by the
respondent to the appellant had been given to LENS and they were in possession
of LENS. He could not point out anything in writing to show that respondent had
consented to or requested the appellant to transfer the decoders to LENS. He
was also not in a position to point out any material to show that appellant had
cleared the dues to respondent. In the circumstances, we find no reason to
interfere with the order of the Tribunal. The appeal is therefore dismissed as
having no merit.
..................................J
[R. V. Raveendran]
...................................J
[Lokeshwar Singh Panta]
New
Delhi;
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