Full Order Text
Final Order 1 · 04 Nov 2023 · CNR MHCC010017362019
Order Details: Order below exhibit Pdf Text: Order below Exh.1 1 IN SUIT 523-2019 IN THE BOMBAY CITY CIVIL COURT AT BOMBAY ORDER BELOW EXH.1 IN SUIT NO.523 OF 2019 Ramesh Babaji Kadam ] ...Plaintiff. Versus MHADA & Others ]…Defendants. Appearance: Ld. Advocate Archana Gaikwad for Plaintiff. Ld. Advocate Trivedi for Defendant No.2/SRA. Ld. Advocate Lata Wadhwani for Defendant No.4. CORAM : V.G.RAGHUWANSHI JUDGE, (C.R.NO.08) DATE : 04/11/2023. ORAL ORDER 1. This suit for mandatory injunction was presented on 13/02/2019. Plaintiff prayed for following directions:- a) Defendant No.1 and 2 to deliver photo pass regarding hutments mentioned in para No.1 of suit. b) Defendant No.1 and 2 to issue permission to plaintiff in respect of suit property. c) Defendant No.3 and 4 to open the road used by plaintiff to access plaintiff’s property. d) To restrain defendants from obstructing peaceful possession of plaintiff over suit property etc. It was contention of plaintiff that cause of action for this suit arose when road to suit property was closed by defendants. -- 1 of 7 -- Order below Exh.1 2 IN SUIT 523-2019 2. Plaintiff submits that he is permanently residing in suit property from 17/06/1986. He wrote letters to defendant No.1 and 2 and other concerned authorities to issue photo pass of his hut. But, nobody paid attention to his request. Sometime in 1996 premises of defendant No.7 and 8 were declared as slum. Defendant No.7 and 8 appointed defendant No.3 and 4 as developers of their properties and defendant No.3 and 4 with assistance of defendant No.5 and 6 prepared redevelopment plan. They submitted said plan to defendant No.2 for approval. While preparing those documents defendant No.3 to 8 intentionally omitted to show house of plaintiff in the premises of defendant No.7 and 8 societies. Plaintiff’s house was shown outside boundaries of the societies. In this way plaintiff was not considered as eligible for redevelopment scheme and his name is not included in the members list. 3. Defendant No.7 wrote a letter to defendant No.1 and questioned about the location of hut of plaintiff. The defendant No.1 by letter dated 03/04/2003 informed defendant No.7 that name of plaintiff is not included in the members list by defendant No.7. So defendant No.1 did not include name of plaintiff in Annexure - II. Plaintiff alleged that defendant No.7 intentionally omitted plaintiff from redevelopment scheme. Plaintiff further alleged that he requested defendant No.2 to consider his hut for redevelopment scheme. The defendant No.2 intimated plaintiff by letter dated 01/09/2004 and rejected lawful claim of plaintiff on flimsy ground. Plaintiff approached authorities and complained to them about the injustice vide his letter dated 26/06/2006. It was duty to defendant No.3 to 6 to keep open the way to hut of the plaintiff because except plaintiff’s hut all other -- 2 of 7 -- Order below Exh.1 3 IN SUIT 523-2019 houses were demolished by defendant No.3 and 4. They did not include plaintiff in Annexure - II as hut was not included in redevelopment scheme. 4. Plaintiff further alleged that he wrote a letter. Concern authority on 10/02/2015 and sought permission to construct his hut. But the application was not decided by the authorities. 5. Plaintiff further submits that he filed a civil suit bearing No.1213/13 before city civil court Mumbai against defendant No.3 to 8. In that suit ad interim relief was refused on technical grounds. There were many irregularities in the suit and therefore he withdrew the suit with permission to file a fresh suit. Eventually he filed this suit. 6. I have heard plaintiff in person. He submitted that his way was obstructed in 2013. Therefore, he filed suit. Thereafter, he withdrew suit with liberty to file fresh suit. It was granted subject to law of limitation. Said order was passed on 20/12/2018. He submits that cause of action arose on 20/04/2015 and suit is filed on 12/02/2019. 7. Ld. Counsel for defendant No.1 submitted that house of plaintiff was not MHADA’s plot. Therefore, MHADA could not grant permission to plaintiff. Plaintiff did not made a single statement in his complaint showing plaintiff’s ownership over the plot. Building was demolished in 2013. Cause of action arose before 2013. Therefore, suit is clearly barred by limitation. Ld. Counsel for defendant No.2 and 3 drew my attention towards pleadings and order of this court on notice of motion and order passed by Hon’ble High Court in appeal from Order No.280 of 2021 with interim application No.2478/2021 dated 21/10/2021. It was -- 3 of 7 -- Order below Exh.1 4 IN SUIT 523-2019 observed by Hon’ble High Court in said order, “ 1. Record clearly indicates that, for a cause of action which had arisen on 20/04/2015, the Appellant/plaintiff filed present suit on 13th February, 2019. Thus, the suit is clearly barred by law of limitation. The trial court has rightly taken into consideration the said vital aspect of the matter while dismissing the notice of motion No.1280 of 2019 filed by the Appellant in the present suit bearing S.C. Suit No.523 of 2019. 2. Record further indicates that, for the cause of action arisen on 20th April 2015 the plaintiff had earlier filed suit No.1213 of 2013, which was allowed to be withdrawn with liberty to file a fresh suit for same cause of action, subject to the law of limitation, as mentioned in para No.13 of the impugned order. The plaintiff has filed present suit on 13th February 2019 which is clearly barred by law of limitation.” 8. Ld. Counsel for defendant No.2 drew my attention towards para No.7 and para No.8 to point out that claim of plaintiff was rejected by defendants in 2004 itself. Suit should have been filed before 2008. He submitted that plaintiff contended in para No.6 that he complained to authorities on 26/06/2006 and he is fighting for his grievance since 2005. Ld. Counsel for defendant No.2 submits that this shows that suit is clearly barred by limitation. First suit of the plaintiff was filed in 2013 and it is withdrawn in 2018. In that suit cause of action was of year 2004 to 2006. Ld. Counsel for SRA/defendant No.2 prayed that suit is hopelessly barred by limitation and prayed for dismissal as barred by limitation. 9. Ld. Counsel for plaintiff submitted that an order passed by Hon’ble High Court pertains to relief to injunction only. It cannot -- 4 of 7 -- Order below Exh.1 5 IN SUIT 523-2019 affect other reliefs sought by plaintiff. Section 9-A of Code of Civil Procedure is deleted. Cause of action is continuous and there is pleading in this respect. Ld. Counsel for plaintiff relied upon Sau Rajani vs Sau Smita & Anr 2022 LiveLaw (SC) 702 in support of its contention. 10. I have given thoughtful consideration to submissions of counsels of plaintiff and defendants. In this case it is clear from pleadings in para No.7 and 8 that he was informed by defendants in 2004 that his claim has been rejected. Thereafter, again in 2006 his claim was rejected. Therefore, in any case suit should have been presented within three years from those dates. Plaintiff filed its first suit in 2013. That means the cause of action was prior to 2013. Thereafter, he withdrew that suit with liberty to file fresh suit. Liberty was granted to plaintiff subject to law of limitation. But, the incidents pleaded by plaintiff clearly show that his claim was turned down by defendants in 2004 itself. Therefore, the suit is hopelessly barred by limitation. Same observations were made by Hon’ble High Court in the appeal filed by plaintiff against rejection of this notice of motion. Plaintiff tried to harp upon matter of Sau Rajni (supra), but that matter is based on entirely different set of facts. Section 71 of Maharashtra Housing & Development Authorities Act bars jurisdiction to civil court in respect of any order made or to be made or any action taken or to be taken by the competent authority in exercise of powers conferred by or under the said Act. Section 177 of said Act bars jurisdiction of civil court in respect of any matter which the authority or tribunal is empowered by or under act to determine. Principles laid down by Hon’ble Apex Court in matter of Rajni are not applicable to this case. The pleadings prima facie disclose -- 5 of 7 -- Order below Exh.1 6 IN SUIT 523-2019 that suit is hopelessly barred by limitation and therefore, I pass following order:- ORDER Suit is dismissed as barred by limitation. Date : 04/11/2023 (Shri. V.G. RAGHUWANSHI) Judge City Civil Court, Gr. Mumbai. Dictated on :04/11/2023. Transcribed on :06/11/2023. Signed on :07/11/2023. -- 6 of 7 -- Order below Exh.1 7 IN SUIT 523-2019 “CERTIFIED TO BE TRUE AND CORRECT COPY OF THE ORIGINAL SIGNED JUDGMENT/ORDER.” UPLOAD DATE AND TIME NAME OF STENOGRAPHER 23/11/2023 Mrs. S.A. Shekade. Name of the Judge (With Court room no.) SHRI V.G. Raghuwanshi (Court Room No.08) Date of Pronouncement of JUDGMENT/ORDER 04/11/2023 JUDGMENT/ORDER signed by P.O. on 07/11/2023 JUDGMENT/ORDER uploaded on 23/11/2023 -- 7 of 7 --
