Code of Civil Procedure 1908 – Comprehensive Page-wise Revision Notes

PAGE 1 – DECREES, JUDGMENTS & MESNE PROFITS

Key statutory anchors: Sections 2(2), 2(9), 2(12) CPC.

• Three statutory faces of a decree – \text{preliminary}, \text{final}, or \text{partly preliminary \& partly final}. (S.2(2))
• Items expressly outside the definition:
 – Adjudications appealable as orders (e.g., under O.43 r.1).
 – Orders of dismissal for default.
• Rejection of plaint = decree (triggers appeal as a first appeal, not O.43).
• Non-decrees (illustrative list): return of plaint for presentation to proper court, refusal of leave to sue in forma pauperis, dismissal for default.
• Rejection for non-payment of court-fee is nevertheless a decree (Ker 2001 (2) KLT 588).
• Order that a suit abates ⇒ decree.
• “Judgment” (S.2(9)) = reasons for a decree/order – not the decree itself.
• Mesne profits (S.2(12)): profits a wrongful possessor actually/constructively received. Improvements made by the trespasser are excluded.
• Essence of mesne profits = wrongful possession plus gain.
• Interest on mesne profits is integral (AIR 1965 SC 1231).

PAGE 2 – SUITS OF CIVIL NATURE & JURISDICTIONAL BARS

Section 9 & Explanation

• Principal test – enforcement of a civil right. If the principal question is caste/ritual, ⇒ not of civil nature. If property/office is central and ritual only collateral, civil court can decide both.
• Typical civil-nature inclusions: expulsion from caste involving proprietary/office right.
• Exclusions: mere social privileges (e.g., denial of invitation to dinners).

Section 10 – Res-Sub Judice / Stay of Suit

Six cumulative conditions:

1. Prior suit pending.
2. Matters directly & substantially in issue are identical.
3. Previously instituted suit pending in same / any Indian court of competent jurisdiction / court abroad established by GoI / Supreme Court.
4. Prior court competent to grant later relief.
5. Parties common.
6. Parties litigate under same title.

PAGE 3 – RES JUDICATA (S.11) & RELATED DOCTRINES

• Bar extends to suit or individual issue.
• Constructive res judicata – Exp. IV: “might & ought to have been” grounds are deemed directly & substantially in issue.
• Non-pleaded relief deemed refused (Exp. V).
• Underlying maxims: \textit{nemo debet bis vexari} and \textit{interest reipublicae ut sit finis litium}.
• Principle applies to arbitrations & election petitions.
• Not a jurisdictional ouster but a rule of law (and of evidence).

PAGE 4 – TERRITORIAL JURISDICTION (SS.16–20) & INTEREST (S.34)

• S.16 – Immovables: mandatory jurisdiction of the court where property sits, but proviso allows personal-obedience suits (trespass, nuisance) also at defendant’s residence/business.
• S.17 – Property spread over several districts → plaintiff can sue where any part situates.
• S.19 – Tort to person/movable: option between place of wrong & place of defendant’s residence/work.
• S.20 – Residual rule based on defendant’s domicile or cause‐of‐action fraction.
• S.34 – Post-decretal interest: ordinary ceiling 6\%; commercial matters can exceed 6\% up to contractual or notified bank rate.

PAGE 5 – MODES & LIMITS OF EXECUTION (SS.51–60)

• Permissible modes (S.51): delivery, attachment ± sale, arrest & civil prison, appointment of receiver, “any other manner” per rules.
• Women exempt from arrest in money decree (S.56).
• Civil-prison detention ceilings (S.58):
 > >₹5000 → up to 3 mo;
 > ₹2000 ≤ sum ≤ ₹5000 → up to 6 wk;
 ≤ ₹2000 → no detention.
• Mandatory early release grounds – payment, full satisfaction, decree-holder’s request, failure to pay subsistence – all in S.58(1-2).
• S.60 – catalogue of attachable & non-attachable property (read in exam!).

PAGE 6 – ATTACHMENT, PRIVATE TRANSFERS & RATEABLE DISTRIBUTION

• Registered transfer prior to attachment stands (S.64(2)) – attachment does not relate back.
• S.73 – Execution sale proceeds prioritisation (encumbered property): expenses → decree in execution → subsequent encumbrances → rateable distribution among other decree-holders.

PAGE 7 – NOTICE & PRIVILEGED DEFENDANTS (SS.80–82)

• Suits against Government / Public Officer in official capacity: mandatory two-month notice (S.80).
• Post-decree grace: execution cannot issue for 3 months (S.82).
• Public-nuisance suits (S.91) → Advocate General or 2 persons with court leave.
• Charitable/religious trust breaches (S.92): Advocate General or ≥2 interested persons with leave; suit lies in principal civil court or specially empowered court; decree acts in rem.
• Cy-prés doctrine – court re-applies charitable property to nearest possible object if original impossible.

PAGE 8 – COMPENSATORY COSTS & APPEAL STRUCTURE (SS.95–104)

• S.95 – False arrest/attachment/injunction → compensation up to ₹50\,000 (or court’s pecuniary limit).
• First appeal (S.96): barred against consent decrees; Small-Cause-type suits valued ≤ ₹10,000 – appeal only on law.
• Preliminary decree un-appealed is conclusive (S.97).
• Second appeal (S.100): lies only on “substantial question of law”; value bar – no second appeal if original money suit ≤ ₹25,000 (S.102).
• Appealable orders catalogue in S.104 & O.43 r.1.

PAGE 9 – REFERENCE, REVIEW, REVISION (SS.113–115)

• Any court (including Small-Cause) may make reference to HC on doubtful question of law (S.113).
• Review power – S.114 read with O.47; available when appeal either not allowed or allowed but not filed.
• HC’s revision (S.115) – only where no appeal lies and subordinate court: (a) exercised jurisdiction not vested; (b) failed to exercise; (c) acted illegally with jurisdiction. Proviso bars interference with interlocutory orders unless they dispose of suit.

PAGE 10 – LEGISLATIVE PRIVILEGE, RESTITUTION, CAVEAT (SS.135A, 144, 148, 148A, 151)

• MPs/MLAs immune from arrest forty days before & after session/committee sitting (S.135-A).
• Restitution (S.144) – mandatory, by application to court that varied/reversed decree; separate suit barred.
• Enlargement of court-fixed period (S.148) – up to aggregate 30 days.
• Caveat (S.148-A) survives 90 days unless substantive application filed sooner.
• S.151 – inherent power only when Code silent; cannot override statute or act as substitute for appeal.

PAGE 11 – ORDER I & II : PARTIES AND CAUSES OF ACTION

• O.I r.9: Mis-/non-joinder (other than necessary party) never defeats suit.
• O.I r.10: necessary parties may be added, non-joinder fatal.
• Necessary party = required for effective & complete adjudication.
• O.II r.2: whole claim must be sued upon; omission or intentional relinquishment bars second suit.
• Objection to mis-joinder of causes must be raised earliest (O.II r.7).

PAGE 12 – PLEADINGS, PLAINT & WRITTEN STATEMENT (O.IV–O.VIII)

• Suit begins by presenting plaint in duplicate (O.IV r.1).
• W.S. timeline: normal 30 days; court may extend, but not beyond 90 (O.VIII r.1 & proviso).
• Summons must carry copy of plaint (O.V r.2).
• Plaint particulars: exact money claim (O.VII r.2); separate/distinct grounds pleaded separately (r.8).
• Rejection grounds (O.VII r.11): no CoA, undervaluation, insufficient stamp, barred by law, not in duplicate, non-compliance with r.9 … etc. Rejection ≠ dismissal; fresh suit possible unless barred (r.13).
• Set-off (O.VIII r.6) – mutual liquidated claims; Counter-claim (r.6-A) – any cause accruing before/after suit up to filing of defence.

PAGE 13 – LIMITATION FOR APPEALS & ORDER IX (APPEARANCE / DEFAULT)

• HC appeal time: 90 days (Arts. 116–117 Lim.Act).
• Dismissal for non-service due to plaintiff’s default – O.IX r.2, but cannot be dismissed if defendant appears.
• O.IX r.3 – neither side appears ⇒ court may dismiss.
• O.IX r.6 – plaintiff alone appears ⇒ ex parte hearing if summons duly served.
• Ex parte decree may be set aside (r.13) on non-service or sufficient cause; bar after dismissal of appeal (Explanation).

PAGE 14 – EXECUTION: CROSS-DECREES & CROSS-CLAIMS (O.XXI rr.18–19)

• Same parties holding money decrees against each other → automatic set-off in execution: equal sums satisfy both, larger survives for balance. Applies whether decrees are in same suit (r.19) or separate suits (r.18).
• Garnishee orders (r.46-A et seq.): attach debtor of judgment-debtor (e.g., tenant paying rent) – court can compel garnishee to pay into court.

PAGE 15 – SALE IN EXECUTION (O.XXI rr.65–85)

• All execution sales via public auction.
• Partial lot sale permissible (r.66(2)(a)).
• Only courts other than Small-Cause may sell immovable (r.82).
• Winning bidder must pay 25 % immediately (r.84) and full balance within 15 days (r.85). Failure ⇒ resale at risk plus forfeiture of deposit.
• Sale becomes absolute only after 60 days and disposal of any r.89–91 applications.

PAGE 16 – ABATEMENT, SURVIVAL & PERSONAL CAUSES (O.XXII)

• Death doesn’t abate when right survives; abates when purely personal (e.g., defamation, malicious prosecution).
• Pre-emption suits survive (right runs with land).
• Pending judgment after hearing closed – death won’t abate (r.6).
• Marriage of female party has no effect; decree may run against husband if liable (r.7).
• Abatement/dis-missal under O.XXII bars fresh suit on same cause (r.9).
• Compromise decree cannot be challenged by separate suit on ground that compromise unlawful (O.XXIII r.3-A) – must be attacked in same suit.

PAGE 17 – SUITS BY/AGAINST GOVERNMENT & PUBLIC OFFICERS (O.XXVII); MINORS & INDIGENTS

• Govt. Pleader is authorised officer to receive process (O.27 r.4).
• Govt must be joined when public officer sued for official act (r.5-A).
• Minor suits: must be through next friend (O.32 r.1); minor defendant needs court-appointed guardian (r.3).
• Indigent person procedure – Order 33. Test: unable to pay prescribed court-fee and possesses no property ≥ ₹1000 (excluding exempt property). Costs of inquiry are costs in cause (r.16).

PAGE 18 – MORTGAGE SUITS (O.34), INTERPLEADER (SS.88–O.35)

• Mortgage suits have unique redemption/foreclosure decrees and time-tables (O.34).
• Interpleader: stakeholder uninterested except for charges; cannot be agent/tenant against principal/landlord (O.35 r.5 exception).
• Pendency of another suit between claimants bars fresh interpleader (S.88 proviso).
• Example: bank holding disputed SB account may interplead.

PAGE 19 – TEMPORARY & MANDATORY INJUNCTIONS (O.XXXIX) & RECEIVERS (O.XL)

• Injunction operative only on communication (Ker. 1994 (2) KLT SN 25).
• Breach – property attachable, civil prison ≤ 6 mo (r.2-A). Attachment auto-lifts after 1 yr unless sale ordered.
• Attachment not prerequisite for detention (Ker & SC precedents).
• Court may appoint receiver (O.XL) when just & convenient; may remove, require security, etc.

PAGE 20 – APPEALS (O.XLI), STAY & PROCEDURE

• Memorandum must enclose copy of judgment (r.1).
• Appeal doesn’t stay decree automatically (r.5); stay effective only when communicated to trial court.
• Register of appeals (r.9).
• Non-appearance of appellant: dismissal (r.17) or ex parte decision on merits. Respondent absent ⇒ ex parte hearing.

PAGE 21 – REFERENCE (O.XLVI), REVIEW (O.XLVII), SUPREME COURT SPECIAL LEAVE & MISC.

• O.XLVI: Reference on point of law from non-appealable decree/order.
• O.XLVII: Review within 30 days; lies only when appeal not preferred/allowed; no appeal against review refusal.
• S.100-A (post-2002): no further intra-court appeal from single-judge appellate decision.
• Amendment to O.VI r.17 (2002): no amendment after trial begins except despite due diligence.

QUICK RECALL – HIGH-FREQUENCY NUMBERS & LIMITS

• Govt. notice = 2 months; execution embargo = 3 months.
• Caveat life = 90 days.
• Enlargement cap under S.148 = 30 days aggregate.
• Deposit at court sale = 25\% immediate; balance within 15 days.
• Civil-prison ceilings: ≤₹2k no arrest; ₹2–5k \le 6 wk; >₹5k \le 3 mo.
• Small-Cause appeal bar threshold ₹10k (first) / ₹25k (second).
• Written statement window 30\to90 days.
• Appeals limitation: District = 30/60, High Court = 90.

THEMES & POLICY CONSIDERATIONS

1. Finality v. Fairness – res judicata & sub judice prevent multiplicity but constructive limbs ensure diligence.
2. Access to Justice – Order 33, low-value suit appeal bars, cost sanctions (S.35-A, 95) balance frivolous litigation and indigency.
3. Parliamentary privilege & gender equity – S.135-A immunity; S.56 exempts women from arrest in money decrees.
4. Swift disposal – CPC amendments (1999/2002) tightened adjournments, pleadings amendment, WS deadlines, introduced ADR (S.89).

These notes cover every statutory reference, ratio, illustration & quantitative limit expressly mentioned across the supplied 19 pages. They are organised page-wise but cross-referenced topically to serve as a one-stop revision sheet for CPC 1908 examinations.