LexaceLexace Ask the AI ›
⚖️ Ask the AI about your situation:🚗 Car Accident💼 Work / Job🏠 Housing / Eviction👪 Family / Divorce📋 Contract Dispute💰 Money Owed

NUSLI NEVILLE WADIA versus IVORY PROPERTIES & ORS.

Citation: [2019] 15 S.C.R. 795 · Decided: 04-10-2019 · Supreme Court of India · Bench: ARUN MISHRA · Disposal: Reference answered

Cited by 6 judgment(s) · cites 16 · see the full citation network in Lexace

Open in Lexace · Ask the AI about this case

Judgment (excerpt)

A
B
C
D
E
F
G
H
795
NUSLI NEVILLE WADIA
v.
IVORY PROPERTIES & ORS.
(Special Leave Petition (Civil) Nos. 31982-31983 of 2013)
OCTOBER 04, 2019
[ARUN MISHRA,  M. R. SHAH AND B. R. GAVAI, JJ.]
Code of Civil Procedure, 1908: s.9A (as inserted by
Maharashtra Amendment Act, 1977) – Jurisdiction – Preliminary
issue of limitation – Held: Issue of limitation cannot be decided
as preliminary issue – The decision in Kamlakar Shantaram has
been correctly decided and cannot be said to be per incurium as
held in Foreshore Cooperative Housing Society Limited.
Code of Civil Procedure, 1908: s.9A (as inserted by
Maharashtra Amendment Act, 1977) – Jurisdiction – Under the
provisions of s.9A and Order XIV Rule 2, it is open to decide
preliminary issues if it is purely a question of law not a mixed
question of law and fact by recording evidence.
Code of Civil Procedure, 1908: s.9A (as inserted by
Maharashtra Amendment Act, 1977) – Jurisdiction – When
considering what colour expression “jurisdiction” has in s.9A, it
is clearly in the context of power to entertain, jurisdiction takes
colour from accompanying word ‘entertain’; i.e. the Court should
have jurisdiction to receive a case for consideration or to try it –
In case  there is no jurisdiction, court has no competence to give
the relief, but if it has, it cannot give such relief for the reason
that claim is time-barred by limitation or is barred by the principle
of res judicata or by bar created under any other law for the time
being in force.
Code of Civil Procedure, 1908: s.9A (as inserted by
Maharashtra Amendment Act, 1977) – Jurisdiction – When a case
is barred by res judicata or limitation, it is not that the Court has
no power to entertain it, but it is not possible to grant the relief –
Due to expiry of limitation to file a suit, extinguishment of right to
property is provided under s.27 of the Limitation Act – When Court
   [2019] 15 S.C.R. 795
795
A
B
C
D
E
F
G
H
796
SUPREME COURT REPORTS
[2019] 15 S.C.R.
dismisses a suit on the ground of limitation, right to property is
lost, to hold so the court must have jurisdiction to entertain it –
The Court is enjoined with a duty under s.3 of the Limitation Act
to take into consideration the bar of limitation by itself – The
expression “bar to file a suit under any other law for the time being
in force” includes the one created by the Limitation Act – It cannot
be said to be included in the expression “jurisdiction to entertain”
suit used in s.9A – The Court has to receive a case for
consideration and entertain it, to look into the facts constituting
limitation or bar created by any other law to give relief, it has to
decide the question on merits; then it has the power to dismiss the
same on the ground of limitation or such other bar created by any
other law – Thus, the meaning to be given to jurisdiction to
entertain in s.9A is a narrow one as to maintainability, the
competence of the court to receive the suit for adjudication is only
covered under the provisions.
Code of Civil Procedure, 1908: Or.XIV r.2(2)(b) and s.9 –
Preliminary issue – In a case question of limitation can be decided
based on admitted facts, it can be decided as a preliminary issue
under Or.XIV r.2(2)(b) – However, when facts are disputed about
limitation, the determination of the question of limitation also
cannot be made under Or.XIV r.2(2)(b) as a preliminary issue or
any other such issue of law which requires examination of the
disputed facts – In case of dispute as to facts, is necessary to be
determined to give a finding on a question of law – Such question
cannot be decided as a preliminary issue – Thus, a mixed question
of law and fact cannot be decided as a preliminary issue, either
under s.9A or under Or.XIV r.2 – Before or after its amendment of
CPC concerning both provisions, the position is the same –
Limitation.
Jurisdiction: Meaning of – Held: Jurisdiction is the authority
by which a judicial officer takes cognizance and decides the cases.
It only presupposes the existence of a duly constituted court having
control over subject-matter which comes within classification limits
of the law under which court has been established. It should have
control over the parties litigant, control over the parties’ territory,
it may also relate to pecuniary as well as the nature of the class
of cases.
A
B
C
D
E
F
G
H
797
Jurisdiction: Existence of jurisdiction and the exercise of
jurisdiction – Distinction between – Held: The jurisdiction to
entertain has differ

Excerpt shown. Read the full judgment & AI analysis in Lexace.