Ltatipamula Naga Raju
Vs Pattem Padmavathi
J U D G M E N T
lANIL R. DAVE, J
1.
Leave
granted.
2.
Being
aggrieved by the dismissal of Second Appeal No.587 of 2008 by the High Court of
Andhra Pradesh, the defendant (appellant herein) has filed this appeal.
3.
For
the sake of convenience, parties to the litigation have been described as
arrayed in the trial court.
4.
The
suit had been filed by the plaintiff (respondent herein) for recovery of Rs.1,90,000/-
from the defendant, who is the appellant herein, with interest and the claim was
based on a promissory note, which was alleged to have been executed by the
defendant for Rs.1,25,000/-.
5.
The
trial court dismissed the suit in the circumstances stated herein below:
6.
The
case of the plaintiff was that a sum of Rs.1,25,000/- had been borrowed by the
defendant and the defendant had, therefore, executed a Promissory note for Rs.1,25,000/-
on 18th September, 2001. In spite of demand, as the amount was not repaid, the
plaintiff was constraint to file Original Suit No.933 of 2003 for recovery of the
said amount along with interest thereon.
7.
The
case of the defendant was that though the Promissory note had been executed by
him, no amount was payable by the defendant to the plaintiff. According to the defendant,
he had borrowed Rs.1,25,000/- from the son of the plaintiff, namely Pattem Nanaji
Sanker @ Nanaji. According to the defendant, four Promissory notes had been
executed by him. One Promissory note was for Rs.50,000/- and three Promissory
notes were for Rs. 25,000/- each. The defendant was having financial difficulties
and, therefore, he could not pay the said amount to Nanaji but with the help of
certain mediators, he had settled the dues with Nanaji for Rs.90,000/- and paid
the same to him.
8.
Upon
payment of Rs.90,000/- by the defendant in full settlement of his dues, Nanaji
ought to have returned the aforestated four Promissory notes to the defendant
but he returned only three Promissory notes and did not return one Promissory note
for Rs.25,000/-, as he had misplaced the same and he promised that he would return
the said promissory note for Rs. 25,000/- as and when he would find it.
9.
According
to the defendant, the plaintiff had used the said fourth Promissory note of
Rs.25,000/- which had been given by the defendant to Nanaji. According to the defendant,
by adding a figure `1' before `Rs.25,000/-' the plaintiff had made an amount of
Rs.1,25,000/- from Rs.25,000/-. The plaintiff had taken undue advantage by interpolating
figure `1' before `25,000/-' because Rs.25,000/- had not been written in words.
10.
Thus,
according to the case of the defendant, no amount was payable by him to the plaintiff
but the plaintiff had misused the Promissory note given by him to Nanaji by interpolating
figure `1' before figure 6`25,000'.
11.
At
the time of trial, hand-writing expert, DW-4 had been examined, who stated that
figure `1' had been interpolated in the Promissory note whereby figure `25,000/-'
was made `1,25,000/-'.
12.
The
hand-writing expert was of the said opinion for the reason that he could show
that space between figure `1' and `2' was not regular and the entire figure of
Rs.1,25,000/- was not written in one line. Figure `1', which was added subsequently
was not in the same line of Rs. 25,000/-. His report was accepted by the trial
court and after considering the evidence, more particularly
13.
the
evidence of the hand-writing expert, the trial court came to the conclusion
that the Promissory note, which had been executed for Rs.25,000/- was tampered
with by the plaintiff by adding figure `1' so as to make Rs.1,25,000/-.
14.
The
trial court also discussed the evidence led by the mediators i.e. DW-2 and DW-3,
in whose presence the defendant had settled his dues with Nanaji, the son of the
plaintiff. The suit was, therefore, dismissed.
15.
Being
aggrieved by the dismissal of the suit, the plaintiff had filed an appeal, being
Appeal Suit No.346 of 2006 which had been allowed by the learned Additional District
and Sessions Judge (Fast Track Court) Vijayawada. The appeal was allowed because
the lower appellate court put more stress on the execution of the Promissory note
which had been admitted by the defendant. Moreover, the lower appellate court
was of the view that if the dues had been settled, the defendant would not have
permitted Nanaji to retain one Promissory note for Rs.25,000/- In the
circumstances, the appeal was allowed and the suit was decreed with costs for
Rs.1,90,000/- with interest thereon.
16.
Being
aggrieved by the order passed in the appeal, the defendant filed Second Appeal
No. 587 of 2008 in the High Court of Andhra Pradesh and the said appeal was dismissed
by the High Court because no substantial question of law was involved in the
appeal.
17.
We
have heard the learned counsel and have considered the judgments of all the
three courts.
18.
After
careful consideration, we are of the view that the trial court had properly appreciated
the evidence, especially the evidence of the hand-writing expert - DW-4. Upon perusal
of the discussion of evidence in the judgment, it is clear that in the opinion of
the expert, figure `1' had been written subsequently before `25,000/-' in the Promissory
note. The trial court rightly appreciated the evidence of the mediators, in whose
presence the dues of the defendant had been settled and Nanaji, son of the plaintiff
was paid Rs.90,000/- in full settlement of Rs.1,25,000/- borrowed by the
defendant from Nanaji. The defendant had admitted the earlier transactions
which he had with the son of the plaintiff. In our opinion, the evidence of the
mediators and hand-writing expert was duly considered and appreciated by the trial
court and the trial court had come to a right conclusion. There was absolutely no
reason for the lower appellate court to arrive at a different conclusion than
the one arrived at by the trial court. We are, therefore, of the opinion that the
findings arrived at by the trial court are absolutely correct and no justifiable
reasons have been given by the lower appellate court for arriving at a
different conclusion.
19.
In
our opinion, simply because the defendant had fairly admitted his signature,
the court should not have come to the conclusion that the amount was payable by
the defendant especially when there was an expert's evidence that figure `1' was
added so as to make the figure 1,25,000/- from figure 25,000/- and when the mediators
had deposed to the effect that there were transactions between the defendant
and the son of the plaintiff and in pursuance of the said transaction, Promissory
notes were executed by the defendant and one of the Promissory notes was not returned
to the defendant. The explanation given by the defendant, which was supported by
ample evidence, ought to have considered by the lower appellate court and the lower
appellate court should not have been guided by a mere fact that the defendant had
admitted execution of the Promissory note. In our opinion, in such a set of circumstances,
the defendant ought not to have been saddled with a liability to pay the amount
in pursuance of the tampered Promissory note for which no consideration had
ever passed from the plaintiff to the defendant.
20.
As
the High Court did not find any substantial question of law, it did not entertain
the second appeal.
21.
For
the aforestated reasons, we are in agreement with the conclusion arrived at by
the trial court and, therefore, we set aside the order passed by the High Court
as well as the order passed by the lower appellate court and restore the order passed
by the trial court whereby the suit had been dismissed.
22.
The
appeal is allowed accordingly but without any order as to costs.
........................................J.
(Dr. MUKUNDAKAM SHARMA)
……….
.............................J. (ANIL R. DAVE)
New
Delhi
February
24, 2011
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