Aditya Birla Housing Finance Ltd., … vs Shri. Rajeev S/O Late Shri. Chunnilal … on 28 March, 2025

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Bombay High Court

Aditya Birla Housing Finance Ltd., … vs Shri. Rajeev S/O Late Shri. Chunnilal … on 28 March, 2025

2025:BHC-NAG:3320




              Judgment

                                                               378 cra77.24

                                          1

               IN THE HIGH COURT OF JUDICATURE AT BOMBAY,
                         NAGPUR BENCH, NAGPUR.

                    CIVIL REVISION APPLICATION NO.77 OF 2024

              Aditya Birla Housing Finance Limited, a Financial
              Institution having one of its Branches at 701/A,
              Shree Ram Shyam Towers, LIC Square, Sadar
              Nagpur acting through one of its Authorised
              officer, having authority to file the application
              which includes the authority to verify and sign the
              application.                        ..... Applicant.

                                  :: V E R S U S ::

              1. Shri Rajeev s/o Late Shri Chunnilal
              Agrawal, aged about 60 years,
              occupation : business, r/o 301,
              Ashirwad Enclave, 222 Khare Town,
              Dharampeth, Nagpur-440 010.

              2. Shri Durwas s/o Shrawanji Vaidya,
              aged about 62 years, occupation:
              service, r/o plot No.46, flat No.101
              Shravaan Apartment,
              Vidhya Nagar, Pandhan Road,
              Wathoda, Nagpur-441 107.

              3. Shri Rahul s/o Prabhakar Chole,
              aged about 44 years, occupation:
              not known, r/o house No.990,
              Tulsibagh Road, Chitnavispura,
              opposite Chhatrapati High School,


                                                                    .....2/-
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                                                378 cra77.24

                            2

Mahal, Nagpur-440 032.

4. Shri Saddan Alia Javed Ali,
aged about 32 years, occupation:
private, r/o plot No.46, flat No.401,
Shravaan Apartment,
Vidhya Nagar, Pandhan Road,
Wathoda, Nagpur-441 107
and also at Navaj Nagar,
Uppalwadi, Nagpur-440 008.            ..... Non-applicants.

Shri M.Anilkumar, Counsel for the Applicant.
Shri Sahil Dewani, Counsel for NA No.1.

CORAM : URMILA JOSHI-PHALKE, J.
CLOSED ON : 17/02/2025
PRONOUNCED ON : 28/03/2025

JUDGMENT

1. Challenging the order passed by learned 8th Joint

Civil Judge Senior Division, Nagpur in SCS No.1040/2023

below Exh.15 by which application for rejection of plaint

under Order VII Rule 11 of the CPC which is rejected by

order dated 1.11.2023, the present revision application is

preferred.

…..3/-

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3

2. The applicant is original defendant No.4, a

Financial Institution registered as the Securitization and

Reconstruction Company pursuant to Section 3 of the The

Securitisation and Reconstruction of Financial Assets and

Enforcement of Security Interest Act, 2002 (SARFAESI

Act). The non-applicant No.1 is the original plaintiff who

filed the suit for declaration, permanent injunction, and

cancellation of sale deed. As per the contention of the

plaintiff, he is owner of structure comprising

apartment/flat No.401, situated at 4th floor of the building

to be known as “Shraawan Apartment” admeasuring 820

square feet and part and parcel of land khasra No.49/4 of

mauza Wathoda. Original defendant No.1 Durwas Vaidya

has purchased land bearing plot No.46 from Kailash

Sahakari Gruh Nirman Sanstha vide sale deed dated

6.9.1985. Defendant No.1 who was owner of the said

plot developed the said plot by constructing building. The

…..4/-

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4

plaintiff approached the defendant No.1 to purchase a flat

and entered into registered agreement of sale for

consideration of Rs.30.00 lacs on 15.11.2019. Since the

construction work was in progress, it was agreed between

the plaintiff and defendant No.1 that the sale deed would

be executed on completion of remaining work. Defendant

No.1 also executed power of attorney in favour of the

plaintiff for executing sale deed on 15.11.2019. As per

the plaintiff, though the sale deed was not executed in his

favour, possession was handed over to him on

15.11.2019. The sale deed was executed in his favour on

8.7.2021. It is alleged by the plaintiff that on 7.2.2023 he

came to know that the applicant who is original

defendant No.4 issued possession notice. On enquiry, it

revealed that defendant No.1 fraudulently executed

power of attorney in favour of defendant No.2 dated

6.7.2020 authorizing defendant No.2 to sale the suit

…..5/-

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5

property. The defendant No.2 executed sale deed of suit

property in favour of defendant No.3 on 20.5.2021.

Defendant No.3 mortgaged the suit flat availing loan of

Rs.27,42,291/- from defendant No.4 that is the present

applicant. As the defendant No.3 committed defaults in

repayments, the present applicant had classified the loan

account as non performing assets (NPA) and consequently

took the recourse of provisions of the SARFAESI Act

against the defendant No.3. The applicant issued

possession letter on 7.2.2023. It is alleged by the plaintiff

that defendant No.3 had availed the loan facility by

mortgaging the said flat on 20.5.2021 although plaintiff

was legal and absolute owner of the said flat and was in

possession since 15.11.2019. It is further alleged that

applicant who is defendant No.4 governed by the RBI and

was under legal obligation to verity or scrutinize or

proper verification before sanctioning the loan which is

…..6/-

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6

not followed by the applicant and, therefore, the plaintiff

issued notice to the applicant on 9.6.2023. As per the

contention of the plaintiff, the said flat cannot be subject-

matter of possession under the SARFAESI Act. The

plaintiff already approached to the Debt Recovery

Tribunal and challenged the notice under Section 17 of

the SARFAESI Act and the present suit is filed for

declaration and injunction.

3. On service of the notice, the present applicant

appeared and filed an application under Order VII Rule

11 of the CPC on the ground that in view of Section 34 of

the SARFAESI Act, the civil court has no jurisdiction to try

and entertain the suit. The further ground raised is that

the plaintiff has already initiated the action under Section

17 of the SARFAESI Act and on the similar cause of

action, the suit is not maintainable. It is further

contended that in fact no cause of action arose against the

…..7/-

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7

applicant as the suit property is lawfully mortgaged by the

owner. Defendant No.4 has taken the possession of the

property on 7.2.2023 pursuant to the provisions of the

SARFAESI Act. Learned CJSD by observing that civil

court has jurisdiction to decide the civil rights of the

plaintiff who is neither borrower nor guarantor to the

loan advanced by the applicant to the defendant No.3

and, therefore, the suit is not maintainable and rejected

the application.

4. Being aggrieved and dissatisfied with the same, the

present revision application is preferred.

5. Before considering the submissions, it is necessary

to reproduce the admitted facts, as under:

(1) original defendant No.1 Durwas Vaidya was

original owner who had purchased the plot No.46

…..8/-

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8

from Kailash Sahakari Gruh Nirman Sanstha vide

sale deed dated 6.9.1985;

(2) defendant No.1 developed the plot and

constructed building. The plaintiff approached to

him to purchase the flat and registered agreement

of sale dated 15.11.2019 was executed between

them;

(3) defendant No.1 also executed power of

attorney in favour of plaintiff for executing a sale

deed on 15.11.2019. The possession was also

handed over to the plaintiff on 15.11.2019;

(4) the sale deed was executed in favour of

plaintiff on 8.7.2021;

(5) the defendant No.1 executed power of attorney

in favour of defendant No.2 on 6.7.2020 to sale

the suit property;

…..9/-

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9

(6) defendant No.2 executed sale deed of the suit

flat in favour of defendant No.3 on 20.5.2021;

(7) defendant No.3 mortgaged the suit flat availing

loan of Rs.27,42,291/- from the present applicant,

and

(8) defendant No.3 committed defaults in

repayment and, therefore, the applicant has

initiated the action under the Rs.27,42,291/- and

issued possession letter on 7.2.2023.

6. Heard learned counsel Shri M.Anilkumar for the

applicant who submitted that the application is filed

under Order VII Rule 11 especially on the ground that in

view of Section 34 of the SARFAESI Act, no civil court has

jurisdiction to entertain any suit or proceeding in respect

of any matter which Debts Recovery Tribunal or the

Appellate Tribunal is empowered by or under this Act to

…..10/-

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10

determine and no injunction shall be granted by any court

or by any authority in respect of any action taken or to be

taken in pursuance of any power conferred by or under

this Act. Section 34 of the SARFAESI Act provides that

the said Act would have overriding effect. The plaintiff

has already initiated an action and challenged the notice

under Section 17 of the SARFAESI Act which confers right

of appeal to any person including borrower, if that person

is aggrieved by any of “measures” referred to in Sub-

section (4) of Section 13 taken by the secured creditor.

The expression “any person” has wide import and takes

within its scope not only the borrowers but also the

guarantor or any other person who may be affected by

action taken under Section 13(4) of the SARFAESI Act.

He further submitted that a Debt Recovery Tribunal or an

Appellate Tribunal is empowered to determine in respect

of any action taken or to be taken in pursuance of any

…..11/-

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11

power conferred under the SARFAESI Act. The civil

courts’ jurisdiction is completely barred so far as measures

taken by the secured creditor under Sub-section (4) of

Section 13 of the SARFAESI Act against which an

aggrieved person has right of appeal before the DRT or

the Appellate Tribunal to determine as to whether there

has been any illegality in the measures taken. The said

action is already taken by the plaintiff. He further

submitted that as far as the cause of action against the

present applicant is concerned, the plaintiff nowhere

discloses the same. On the contrary, the documents filed

by the plaintiff itself shows that it nowhere reflects that

the applicant was aware as to the earlier transaction by

the defendant No.1 with the plaintiff. The title

documents and the search report obtained by the present

applicant nowhere disclose that on the basis of the

agreement of sale, possession was handed over to the

…..12/-

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12

plaintiff and he obtained the title. Thus, no cause of

action arose as far as the present applicant is concerned

and, therefore, the plaint deserves to be rejected against

the present applicant.

7. In support of his contentions, learned counsel for

the applicant placed reliance on following decisions:

(1) Sunil Kumar Jain vs. Kishan, reported in 1995
LawSuits (SC) 573;

(2) Standard Chartered Bank vs. Dharminder
Bhohi and ors
, reported in 2013 LawSuit (SC) 913;
(3) Jagdish Singh vs. Heeralal and ors, reported in
2013 LawSuit (SS) 1010;

(4) Savita Bhagwantrao Patil and ors vs. Shyam
Pukhraj Asopa and ors
, reported in 2014 LawSuit
(Bom)678;

(5) Bank of Rajasthan vs. Suryakant Sukhdeo Gite
and ors, reported in 2014 LawSuit (Bom) 763;
(6) Axis Bank Limited vs. Madhav Prasad Aggarwal
and ors
, reported in 2018 LawSuit (Bom) 2051;
(7) State Bank of India vs. Allvvyn Alloys Pvt.Ltd.

and ors, reported in 2018 LawSuit (SC) 517;

…..13/-

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13

(8) State Bank of India vs. Aurelio Jose DA Costa,
reported in 2017 LawSuit (Bom) 280;
(9) Bank of Baroda vs. Paramount Conductors
Limited
, reported in 2019 DGLS (Bom) 1589;
(10) Punjab and Sindh Bank vs. Frontline
Corporation Ltd.
, reported in 2023 LawSuit (SC)
427;

(11) Charu Kishan Mehta vs. Prakash Patel,
reported in 2020 LawSuit (SC) 1369;
(12) Union Bank of India vs. M/s.Gnandrum
Enterprises, reported in 20234 LawSuit (Bom)
129;

(13) G.Vikram Kumar vs. State Bank of Hyderabad,
reported in 2023 LawSuit (SC) 485;

(14) Smita vs. Jitendra, reported in 2022 DGLS
(Bom) 1693, and
(15) Madhav Prasad Aggarwal and anr vs. Axis
Bank Ltd. and anr
, reported in 2019 LawSuit (SC)
1268.

8. Learned counsel for non-applicant No.1 also filed

his written submissions and submitted that it is well

settled principle of law that only on the basis of the

averments made in the plaint, it could be ascertained as

…..14/-

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14

to whether cause of action is made out or not. In fact, the

entire pleading in the plaint will have to be read and that

too at its face value and defence taken by the defendants

cannot be looked into. The applicant being a non-banking

financial institution regulated by the RBI has clearly

omitted in its obligation to carry out due diligence while

advancing the loan. It was also specifically pointed out

that the reliefs which were claimed by the answering non-

applicants herein could only granted by the civil court and

not by the Debt Recovery Tribunal. The trial court while

considering, categorically concluded that civil rights of

the plaintiff who is neither the borrower nor the

guarantor are affected and rightly rejected the

application. He further submitted that the decisions

relied upon by the applicant are judicial precedent as to

the nature and extent of bar under Section 34 of

SARFAESI Act. There are certain reliefs which only can

…..15/-

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15

be granted by the civil court and, therefore, the revision

application is devoid of merits and liable to be dismissed.

9. In support of his contentions, learned counsel for

non-applicant No.1 placed reliance on following

decisions:

(1) Eldeco Housing and Industries Limited vs.
Ashok Vidyarthi and ors
, reported in 2023 SCC
OnLine SC 1612;

(2) Bank of Baroda, thr.its Branch Manager vs.
Gopal Shriram Panda and anr
, reported in 2021
SCC OnLine Bom 466;

(3) Civil Appeal No.1876/2016 (Central Bank of
India and anr vs. Smt.Prabha Jain and ors
) decided
by the Hon’ble Apex Court on 91.2025, and

(4) Bank of Rajasthan Limited vs. VCK Shares and
Stock Broking Services Limited
, reported in
(2023)1 SCC 1.

10. In view of the admitted position, the suit is filed for

declaration and injunction as the action is taken by

issuing the notice of possession by the applicant as the

…..16/-

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16

defendant No.3 has committed default in payment of the

loan amount. As far as the applicant who is defendant

No.4 is concerned, allegation in the plaint is that the

applicant had legal duty and obligation to check,

scrutinize and perform proper verification of the security

before sanctioning any loan against it. The defendant

No.4 has failed to perform and not followed the rules and

regulations and by joining hands in glove to cause the loss

to the plaintiff initiated the action against the plaintiff.

The cause of action shown against the applicant is that

the plaintiff received notice from the applicant under

Section 13(2) of the SARFAESI Act. The cause of action

as per the plaintiff arose as fraud is played by the

defendant in respect of the said flat which he is in

possession. The application is filed by the applicant for

rejection of the plaint under Order VII Rule 11(a) and (d)

of the CPC on the ground that no cause of action arose

…..17/-

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17

against the applicant and the suit is barred in view of

Section 34 of the SARFAESI Act.

11. Before entering into the merits of the case, it would

be relevant to refer the relevant provisions of the

SARFAESI Act.

12. Section 13(2) of the SARFAESI Act reads as

follows:

Section 13. Enforcement of security interest.

(1) Notwithstanding anything contained …..

(2) Where any borrower, who is under a liability
to a secured creditor under a security
agreement, makes any default in repayment of
secured debt or any instalment thereof, and his
account in respect of such debt is classified by
the secured creditor as non-performing asset,
then, the secured creditor may require the
borrower by notice in writing to discharge in
full his liabilities to the secured creditor within
sixty days from the date of notice failing which

…..18/-

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the secured creditor shall be entitled to exercise
all or any of the rights under sub-section (4).

13. Section 17 of the SARFAESI Act confers a right of

appeal to any person including borrower, if that person is

aggrieved by any of the measures referred to in Sub-

section (4) of Section 13 taken by the secured creditor.

Section 17 is reproduced for the reference as under:

“17. [Application against measures to recover
secured debts.] [Substituted ‘Right to appeal’ by
Act No. 44 of 2016.]

(1) Any person (including borrower), aggrieved by
any of the measures referred to in sub-section (4)
of section 13 taken by the secured creditor or his
authorised officer under this Chapter, [may make
an application alongwith such fee, as may be
prescribed,] [Substituted by the Enforcement of
Security Interest and Recovery of Debts Laws
(Amendment) Act, 2004 (30 ofr 2004), Section 10,
for “may prefer an appeal” (w..e.f. 21.6.2002).] to
the Debts Recovery Tribunal having jurisdiction in

…..19/-

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the matter within forty-five days from the date on
which such measures had been taken:

[Provided that different fees may be prescribed for
making the application by the borrower and the
person other than the borrower.] [Inserted by the
Enforcement of Security Interest and Recovery of
Debts Laws (Amendment) Act, 2004 (30of 2004),
Section 10 (w.r.e.f. 21.6.2002).]

[Explanation. For the removal of doubts, it is
hereby declared that the communication of the
reasons to the borrower by the secured creditor for
not having accepted his representation or objection
or the likely action of the secured creditor at the
stage of communication of reasons to the borrower
shall not entitle the person (including borrower) to
make an application to the Debts Recovery
Tribunal under this sub-section.] [Inserted by the
Enforcement of Security Interest and Recovery of
Debts Laws (Amendment) Act, 2004 (30 of 2004),
Section 10 (w.r.e.f. 11.11.2004).]

(1A)[An application under sub-section (1) shall be
filed before the Debts Recovery Tribunal within the
local limits of whose jurisdiction-

(a) the cause of action, wholly or in part, arises;

…..20/-

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20

(b) where the secured asset is located; or

(c) the branch or any other office of a bank or
financial institution is maintaining an account in
which debt claimed is outstanding for the time
being.]

(2) [The Debts Recovery Tribunal shall consider
whether any of the measures referred to in sub-
section (4) of section 13 taken by the secured
creditor for enforcement of security are in
accordance with the provisions of this Act and the
rules made thereunder.] [ Sub-sections (2) and (3)
substituted by the Enforcement of Security Interest
and Recovery of Debts Laws (Amendment) Act,
2004 (30 of 2004), Section 10, (w.e.f. 11-11-
2004)]

(3)[If, the Debts Recovery Tribunal, after
examining the facts and circumstances of the case
and evidence produced by the parties, comes to the
conclusion that any of the measures referred to in
sub-section (4) of section 13, taken by the secured
creditor are not in accordance with the provisions
of this Act and the rules made thereunder, and
require restoration of the management or
restoration of possession, of the secured assets to

…..21/-

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21

the borrower or other aggrieved person, it may, by
order,-

(a) declare the recourse to any one or more
measures referred to in sub-section (4) of section
13
taken by the secured creditor as invalid; and

(b) restore the possession of secured assets or
management of secured assets to the borrower or
such other aggrieved person, who has made an
application under sub-section (1), as the case may
be; and

(c) pass such other direction as it may consider
appropriate and necessary in relation to any of the
recourse taken by the secured creditor under sub-
section (4) of section 13.]

(4) If, the Debts Recovery Tribunal declares the
recourse taken by a secured creditor under sub-
section (4) of section 13, is in accordance with the
provisions of this Act and the rules made
thereunder, then, notwithstanding anything
contained in any other law for the time being in
force, the secured creditor shall be entitled to take
recourse to one or more of the measures specified
under sub-section (4) of section 13 to recover his
secured debt.

…..22/-

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(4A) [Where-

(i) any person, in an application under sub-section
(1), claims any tenancy or leasehold rights upon
the secured asset, the Debt Recovery Tribunal, after
examining the facts of the case and evidence
produced by the parties in relation to such claims
shall, for the purposes of enforcement of security
interest, have the jurisdiction to examine whether
lease or tenancy,-

(a) has expired or stood determined; or

(b) is contrary to section 65A of the Transfer of
Property Act, 1882; or

(c) is contrary to terms of mortgage; or

(d) is created after the issuance of notice of default
and demand by the Bank under sub-section (2) of
section 13 of the Act; and

(ii) )the Debt Recovery Tribunal is satisfied that
tenancy right or leasehold rights claimed in
secured asset falls under the sub-clause (a) or sub-
clause (b) or sub-clause (c) or sub-clause (d) of
clause (i), then notwithstanding anything to the
contrary contained in any other law for the time

…..23/-

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23

being in force, the Debt Recovery Tribunal may
pass such order as it deems fit in accordance with
the provisions of this Act.]

(5) Any application made under sub-section (1)
shall be dealt with by the Debts Recovery Tribunal
as expeditiously as possible and disposed of within
sixty days from the date of such
application:Provided that the Debts Recovery
Tribunal may, from time to time, extend the said
period for reasons to be recorded in writing, so,
however, that the total period of pendency of the
application with the Debts Recovery Tribunal, shall
not exceed four months from the date of making of
such application made under sub-section (1).

(6) If the application is not disposed of by the
Debts Recovery Tribunal within the period of four
months as specified in sub-section (5), any party to
the application may make an application, in such
form as may be prescribed, to the Appellate
Tribunal for directing the Debts Recovery Tribunal
for expeditious disposal of the application pending
before the Debts Recovery Tribunal and the
Appellate Tribunal may, on such application, make
an order for expeditious disposal of the pending
application by the Debts Recovery Tribunal.

…..24/-

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(7) Save as otherwise provided in this Act, the
Debts Recovery Tribunal shall, as far as may be,
dispose of the application in accordance with the
provisions of the Recovery of Debts Due to Banks
and Financial Institutions Act, 1993
(51 of 1993)
and the rules made thereunder.”

14. Section 34 of the SARFAESI Act oust civil court

jurisdiction. For reference, Section 34 is reproduced as

under:

“34. Civil Court not to have jurisdiction.

No Civil Court shall have jurisdiction to entertain

any suit or proceeding in respect of any matter

which a Debts Recovery Tribunal or the Appellate

Tribunal is empowered by or under this Act to

determine and no injunction shall be granted by

any Court or other authority in respect of any

action taken or to be taken in pursuance of any

power conferred by or under this Act or under the

…..25/-

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25

Recovery of Debts Due to Banks and Financial

Institutions Act, 1993 (51 of 1993).”

15. The above said Section 34 deals with that no Civil

Court shall have jurisdiction to entertain any suit or

proceeding in respect of any matter which a Debts

Recovery Tribunal or the Appellate Tribunal is empowered

by or under this Act to determine and no injunction shall

be granted by any Court or other authority in respect of

any action taken or to be taken in pursuance of any power

conferred by or under this Act or under the Recovery of

Debts Due to Banks and Financial Institutions Act, 1993.

The scope of Section 34 was considered by the Hon’ble

Apex court in the case of Mardia Chemicals Limited UOI

and ors, reported in (2004)4 SCC 311 and held that a full

reading of Section 34 shows that the jurisdiction of the

civil court is barred in respect of matters which a Debt

Recovery Tribunal or appellate Tribunal is empowered to

…..26/-

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26

determine in respect of any action taken “or to be taken in

pursuance of any power conferred under this Act”. That is

to say the prohibition covers even matters which can be

taken cognizance of by the Debt Recovery Tribunal

though no measure in that direction has so far been taken

under sub-section (4) of Section 34. It is further to be

noted that the bar of jurisdiction is in respect of a

proceeding which matter may be taken to the Tribunal.

Therefore, any matter in respect of which an action may

be taken even later on, the civil court shall have no

jurisdiction to entertain any proceeding thereof. The bar

of civil court thus applies to all such matters which may

be taken cognizance of by the Debt Recovery Tribunal,

apart from those matters in which measures have already

been taken under sub-section (4) of Section 34.

16. Various decisions relied upon by the applicant and

the non-applicant are based on the observation of the

…..27/-

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27

Hon’ble Apex Court in the case of Jagdish Singh vs.

Heeralal and ors supra wherein the Hon’ble Apex Court

extensively dealt with Sections 13, 17 and 34 of the

SARFAESI Act. Section 13 deals with the circumstance of

enforcement of security interest. In view of Section

13(4), in case the borrower fails to discharge his liability

in full within the period specified in sub-section (2), the

secured creditor may take recourse to one or more of the

following measures to recover his secured debt, namely

(a) take possession of the secured assets of the borrower

including the right to transfer by way of lease, assignment

or sale for realising the secured asset; (b) take over the

management of the business of the borrower including

the right to transfer by way of lease, assignment or sale

for realising the secured asset;

Proviso to sub clause (2) of sub section (4) of Section 13

provides that the right to transfer by way of lease,

…..28/-

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assignment or sale shall be exercised only where the

substantial part of the business of the borrower is held as

security for the debt.

Second proviso to sub clause (2) of sub section (4) of

Section 13 states that where the management of whole of

the business or part of the business is severable, the

secured creditor shall take over the management of such

business of the borrower which is relatable to the security

or the debt.

17. Section 17 of the SARFAESI Act deals with the

right of the appeal which states that Any person aggrieved

by any order made by the DRT under Section 17 may also

prefer an appeal to the Appellate Tribunal under Section

18 of the Act.

18. The Hon’ble Apex Court in the case of Jagdish

Singh vs. Heeralal and ors supra interpreted the

…..29/-

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expression “any person” and observed in para Nos.17 and

18 as follows:

“17. The expression ‘any person’ used in Section 17
is of wide import and takes within its fold not only
the borrower but also the guarantor or any other
person who may be affected by action taken under
Section 13(4) of the Securitisation Act. Reference
may be made to the Judgment of this Court in
Satyavati Tondon’s case (supra).

18. Therefore, the expression ‘any person’ referred
to in Section 17 would take in the plaintiffs in the
suit as well. Therefore, irrespective of the question
whether the civil suit is maintainable or not, under
the Securitisatoin Act itself, a remedy is provided
to such persons so that they can invoke the
provisions of Section 17 of the Securitisation Act,
in case the bank (secured creditor) adopt any
measure including the sale of the secured assets,
on which the plaintiffs claim interest.”

…..30/-

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19. Sub-section (2) of Section 17 of the SARFAESI Act

cast a duty on the tribunal to consider whether measures

taken by the the secured creditor for enforcement of

security interest are in accordance with the provisions of

the Act and Rules made thereunder. If, the Debts

Recovery Tribunal, after examining the facts and

circumstances of the case and evidence produced by the

parties, comes to the conclusion that any of the measures

referred to in sub-section (4) of Section 13, taken by the

secured creditor are not in accordance with the provisions

of this Act and the rules made thereunder, and require

restoration of the management of the secured assets to

the borrower. On the other hand, if the tribunal finds that

the recourse taken by a secured creditor under sub-

section (4) of Section 13, is in accordance with the

provisions of this Act and the rules made thereunder,

then, notwithstanding anything contained in any other

…..31/-

Judgment

378 cra77.24

31

law for the time being in force, the secured creditor shall

be entitled to take recourse to one or more of the

measures specified under sub-section (4) of Section 13 to

recover his secured debt.

20. Thus, the right of appeal is provided when any

person besides the borrower or guarantor who is

aggrieved by the action taken by the secured creditor in

view of Section 13(2) or 13(4) of the SARFAESI Act.

21. Here, in the present case, the plaintiff has already

filed an appeal by invoking the provisions of the

SARFAESI Act. One of the contentions raised by the

applicant is that there is express bar under Section 34 as

to the jurisdiction of the civil court. Section 34 of the

SARFAESI Act is having overriding effect. The purpose

behind the establishment of the tribunal is to put the

controversy to resolve between the banks and the

…..32/-

Judgment

378 cra77.24

32

borrowers and any third party who acquired any interest.

They have been conferred jurisdiction by special

legislation to exercise a particular power as provided

under the Act. It cannot assume the role of a court of

different nature which really can grant liberty to initiate

any action against the bank.

22. Thus, the civil court’s jurisdiction is barred so far as

the measures taken by the secured creditor under Sub-

section (4) of Section 13 of the SARFAESI Act against

which an aggrieved person has a right of appeal before

the DRT or the Appellate Tribunal to determine as to

whether there has been any illegal measures taken.

23. This aspect is considered by the Hon’ble Apex

Court in the cases of Standard Chartered Bank vs.

Dharminder Bhohi and ors supra; Jagdish Singh vs.

Heeralal and ors supra; Savita Bhagwantrao Patil and ors

…..33/-

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33

vs. Shyam Pukhraj Asopa and ors supra; Bank of

Rajasthan vs. Suryakant Sukhdeo Gite and ors supra, Axis

Bank Limited vs. Madhav Prasad Aggarwal and ors supra;

State Bank of India vs. Aurelio Jose DA Costa supra;

Bank of Baroda vs. Paramount Conductors Limited supra;

Punjab and Sindh Bank vs. Frontline Corporation Ltd

supra Charu Kishan Mehta vs. Prakash Patel supra;

Union Bank of India vs. M/s.Gnandrum Enterprises supra;

G.Vikram Kumar vs. State Bank of Hyderabad supra,

Smita vs. Jitendra, reported in 2022 DGLS (Bom)

wherein the aspect as to the jurisdiction of the civil court

in view of Section 34 is extensively dealt with. The legal

position settled is that the object of the SARFAESI Act is

very good aiming at reducing “non performing asset”.

The constitutional court had to interpret provisions of the

Act dealing with many complicated issues and keeping in

view the interest of borrowers. Many issues under the

…..34/-

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378 cra77.24

34

provisions of the SARFAESI Act are settled now. In two

important decisions in the cases of Mardia Chemicals

Limited UOI and ors supra and M/s.Transcore vs. Union

of India and ors, reported in 2007 AIR (SC)712, the

Hon’ble Apex Court has settled the legal position with

regard to the SARFAESI Act. The Hon’ble Apex Court has

settled legal position with regard to the SARFAESI Act and

made the rigor of the SARFAESI Act for recovery of NPAs

effective in letter and spirit. When the statute creating

rights and obligations constituted the form to enforce

them, such special forum ordinarily are considered right

over the above the general law. Section 9 of the CPC

makes the intention of the legislature clear. Civil court

does not have plenary jurisdiction to try all civil suits

unless barred expressly or by necessary implication.

24. It is well settled that Ouster of the jurisdiction is

not to be readily inferred. But, at the same time,

…..35/-

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378 cra77.24

35

jurisdiction cannot be conferred where there is none.

When the special Statute has provided the adequate or

sufficient alternative efficacious remedy, jurisdiction of

the Civil Court is excluded expressly or by necessary

implication.

25. When the special Statute has provided the

adequate or sufficient alternative efficacious remedy,

jurisdiction of the Civil Court is excluded expressly or by

necessary implication.

26. Section 34 of the SARFAESI Act mentions expressly

that the Civil Court has no jurisdiction to entertain the

Civil Suit in relation to the matter required to be

determined by the Debt recovery Tribunal or the

Appellate Tribunal. The Civil Court cannot grant

injunction against an action under the SURFAESI Act or

its Rules.

…..36/-

Judgment

378 cra77.24

36

27. Section 35 of the SARFAESI Act states about the

non-obstante clause which has overriding effect. If

remedy is available to get the right or obligation

adjudicated under the special Act, the suit would not be

entertained by the Civil Court as it would not lie in the

Civil Court. Plenary jurisdiction of the Civil Court under

general law could be resorted to when the statutory

Authorities/Forum/Tribunal have acted without

jurisdiction or when fundamental principles of the judicial

procedure was not complied with.

28. A Constitution Bench of the Hon’ble Apex Court in

the case of Firm and Illuri Subbayya Chetty and sons vs.

The State of Andhra Pradesh, reported in 1964 AIR SC

322 relied upon the decisions of he case of Privy Council

The Secretary Of State vs Mask And Co., reported in

(1940) 42 BOM LR 767 and Reliegh Investment Co. Ltd.

vs. Governor General in ‘Council’, 1947 AIR (PCO) held

…..37/-

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37

that, “there is a general presumption that there must be a

remedy in the ordinary civil courts to a citizen claiming

that an amount has been recovered from him illegally

and such a remedy could be held to be barred only on

very clear and unmistakable indications to the contrary.

The exclusion of jurisdiction of civil courts to entertain

civil causes will not be assumed unless the relevant

statute contains an express provision to the effect or

leads to a necessary and inevitable implication of that

nature.:

29. The Constitution Bench of the Hon’ble Apex Court

in the case of Lala Ram Swarup and ors vs. Shikar Chand

and anr, reported in 1966 AIR 893 held that the

jurisdiction of the civil courts to deal with civil causes be

excluded by the Legislature by the Special Act which may

dealt with special subject matter, but the exclusion of the

jurisdiction of the civil courts must be made by a statutory

…..38/-

Judgment

378 cra77.24

38

provision which expressly provides for it, or which

necessarily and inevitably leads to that inference.

However, the said bar would not be relevant if the plea

before the civil court goes to the root of the matter and if

upheld, leads to the conclusion that the impugned order

is a nullity.

30. The Hon’ble Apex Court in the case of Punjab and

Sindh Bank vs. Frontline Corporation Ltd. supra, relied

upon by the applicant, by taking into consideration catena

of decisions observed in para No.12 that, the issue as to

the exclusion of the jurisdiction of a civil court is no more

res integra. The provisions of Section 34 of the SARFAESI

Act have been considered by a Bench of three Judges of

this Court in the case of Mardia Chemicals Limited and

Others v. Union of India and Others supra. It will be

relevant to refer to the following observations of this

Court in the said case

…..39/-

Judgment

378 cra77.24

39

“50. It has also been submitted that an appeal is
entertainable before the Debts Recovery Tribunal
only after such measures as provided in sub-section
(4) of Section 13 are taken and Section 34 bars to
entertain any proceeding in respect of a matter
which the Debts Recovery Tribunal or the Appellate
Tribunal is empowered to determine. Thus before
any action or measure is taken under sub-section
(4) of Section 13, it is submitted by Mr Salve, one
of the counsel for the respondents that there would
be no bar to approach the civil court. Therefore, it
cannot be said that no remedy is available to the
borrowers. We, however, find that this contention
as advanced by Shri Salve is not correct. A full
reading of Section 34 shows that the jurisdiction of
the civil court is barred in respect of matters which
a Debts Recovery Tribunal or an Appellate Tribunal
is empowered to determine in respect of any action
taken “or to be taken in pursuance of any power
conferred under this Act”. That is to say, the
prohibition covers even matters which can be
taken cognizance of by the Debts Recovery
Tribunal though no measure in that direction has
…..40/-

Judgment

378 cra77.24

40

so far been taken under sub-section (4) of Section

13.”

31. The Division Bench of this Court in the case of

Bank of Baroda, thr.its Branch Manager vs. Gopal Shriram

Panda and anr supra wherein the reference was made for

answering the following question:

Whether the jurisdiction of the civil court to decide

all the matters of civil nature excluding those to be tried

by the DRT under Section 17 of the SARFAESI Act in

relation to enforcement of security interest of secured

creditor is barred by Section 34 of the SARFAESI Act and

while answering the same, observed that:

(A) Jurisdiction of the Debts Recovery Tribunal, to

decide all matters relating to Sections 13 and 17 of the

SARFAESI Act, is exclusive.

…..41/-

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378 cra77.24

41

(B) In all cases, where the title to the property, in

respect of which a ‘security interest’, has been created in

favour of the Bank or Financial Institution, stands in the

name of the borrower and/or guarantor, and the borrower

has availed the financial assistance, it would be only the

DRT which would have exclusive jurisdiction to try such

matters, to the total exclusion of the Civil Court. Any

pleas as raised by the borrowers or guarantors, vis-a-vis

the security interest, will have to be determined by the

DRT.

(C) The jurisdiction of the Civil Court to decide all

the matters of civil nature, excluding those to be tried by

the Debts Recovery Tribunal under Sections 13 and 17 of

the SARFAESI Act, in relation to enforcement of security

interest of a secured creditor, is not barred by Section 34

of the SARFAESI Act.

…..42/-

Judgment

378 cra77.24

42

(D) Where civil rights of persons other than the

borrower(s) or guarantor (s) are involved, the Civil Court

would have jurisdiction, that too, when it is prima facie

apparent from the face of record that the relief claimed, is

incapable of being decided by the DRT, under Section 17

of the DRT Act, 1993 read with Sections 13 and 17 of the

SARFAESI Act.

32. Thus, the consistent view in various decisions is

that the civil court’s jurisdiction is completely barred so

far as measures taken by the secured creditor under Sub-

section (4) of Section 13 of the SARFAESI Act against

which an aggrieved persons has right of appeal before

DRT or the Appellate Tribunal to determine as to whether

there has been any illegality in the measures taken.

33. The Bank in the instant case has proceeded only

against the secured assets of the borrowers on which the

…..43/-

Judgment

378 cra77.24

43

plaintiff has claimed the rights on the basis of agreement

to sale executed in his favour before creating security

interest in respect of the secured assets.

34. Looking to the entire purpose and object of the Act,

it is evident that the Act provides for various remedies to

the secured creditors for recovery of the dues. An

effective remedy of the application to DRT is also

provided to the aggrieved person under Section 17(1) of

the Act and as per Section 34 of the Act therefore the

jurisdiction of the civil court is expressly barred in respect

of any matter which the DRT is empowered to determine.

It is also specifically provides that no injunction can be

granted by any court in respect of any action taken in

pursuance of any act due to the Banks and Financial

Institutions Act. As observed earlier, Section 35 of the Act

shall have overriding effect, on provisions of any other

law time being in force. Thus, it can be seen that the

…..44/-

Judgment

378 cra77.24

44

SARFAESI Act is complete code in itself which provides

effective measures for the banks and financial institutions

to recover their dues without intervention of the court

and adequate remedies are also provided in the Act itself

to the persons aggrieved by those measures.

35. Thus, consistent view is that the civil court has no

jurisdiction to entertain the suit as far as the action or

measures taken by the financial institutions are

concerned. Even, the Division Bench of this court in the

case of Bank of Baroda, thr.its Branch Manager vs. Gopal

Shriram Panda and anr supra, while considering the

reference on question Whether the jurisdiction of a Civil

Court to decide all the matters of civil nature, excluding

those to be tried by the Debts Recovery Tribunal under

Section 17 of the Securitisation Act, in relation to

enforcement of security interest of a secured creditor, is

barred by Section 34 of the Securitisation Act, held that

…..45/-

Judgment

378 cra77.24

45

the jurisdiction of the Civil Court to decide all the matters

of civil nature, excluding those to be tried by the Debts

Recovery Tribunal under Sections 13 and 17 of the

SARFAESI Act, in relation to enforcement of security

interest of a secured creditor, is not barred by Section 34

of the SARFAESI Act. Thus, in the reference, the Division

Bench of this court clarified that excluding the issue lies

under Sections 13 and 17 of the SARFAESI Act cannot be

questioned as it is barred under Section 34 of the

SARFAESI Act.

36. While considering the interpretation of “barred by

any law” the Hon’ble Apex Court in Prem Lala Nahata and

anr vs. Chandi Prasad Sikaria, reported in (2007)2 SCC

551 held that, “Order VII Rule 11 (d) speaks of the suit

being “barred by any law”. According to the Black’s Law

Dictionary, bar means, a plea arresting a law suit or legal

claim. It means as a verb, to prevent by legal objection.

…..46/-

Judgment

378 cra77.24

46

According to Ramanatha Aiyar’s Law Lexicon, ‘bar’ is that

which obstructs entry or egress; to exclude from

consideration. It is therefore necessary to see whether a

suit bad for misjoinder of parties or of causes of action is

excluded from consideration or is barred entry for

adjudication. As pointed out already, on the scheme of the

Code, there is no such prohibition or a prevention at the

entry of a suit defective for misjoinder of parties or of

causes of action. The court is still competent to try and

decide the suit, though the court may also be competent

to tell the plaintiffs either to elect to proceed at the

instance of one of the plaintiffs or to proceed with one of

the causes of action. On the scheme of the Code of Civil

Procedure, it cannot therefore be held that a suit barred

for misjoinder of parties or of causes of action is barred by

a law. This may be contrasted with the failure to comply

with Section 80 of the Code. In a case not covered by sub-

…..47/-

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47

section (2) of Section 80, it is provided in sub-section (1)

of Section 80 that “no suit shall be instituted”. This is

therefore a bar to the institution of the suit and that is

why courts have taken the view that in a case where

notice under Section 80 of the Code is mandatory, if the

averments in the plaint indicate the absence of a notice,

the plaint is liable to be rejected. For, in that case, the

entertaining of the suit would be barred by Section 80 of

the Code. The same would be the position when a suit hit

by Section 86 of the Code is filed without pleading the

obtaining of consent of the Central Government if the suit

is not for rent from a tenant.”

37. By applying these principles, if the facts and the

pleadings of the present case are taken into consideration,

it reveals that by the suit, the plaintiff has challenged

notice issued by the present applicant for possession of

the suit property. Thus, admittedly, the measures taken

…..48/-

Judgment

378 cra77.24

48

by the applicant against the borrower is challenged by the

plaintiff by filing the suit. In the suit, in fact, no prayer is

made against the present applicant.

38. As far as the cause of action raised by the plaintiff

is that the present applicant has issued the notice of

possession against borrower and the plaintiff has also

challenged the execution of the sale deed in favour of

defendant No.3 by the defendant No.1 when the

agreement of sale was executed in his favour. As

observed earlier, the plaintiff has an alternative remedy to

challenge the action of the present applicant by invoking

the provisions under Section 17 of the SARFAESI Act.

39. The expression ‘any person’ used in Section 17 is of

wide import and takes within its fold not only the

borrower but also the guarantor or any other person who

may be affected by action taken under Section 13(4) of

…..49/-

Judgment

378 cra77.24

49

the Securitisation Act. Reference may be made to the

Judgment of this Court in United Bank of India vs.

Satyavati Tondon and ors, reported in (2010)8 SCC 110

case. Thus, while interpreting the expression “any

person” referred to in Section 17, the Hon’ble Apex Court

held that besides the borrower and guarantor any other

person who affected by action or measures taken under

Section 13(4) of the SARFAESI Act can challenge the

legality or illegality of the action before the DRT or the

Appellate Tribunal as Section 17 confers right of appeal to

any person if that person is aggrieved by any or measures

referred to in Sub-section (4) of Section 13 of the

SARFAESI Act taken by the secured creditor.

40. In the present case, the plaintiff has already filed

an appeal under Section 17 before the Appellate Aribunal

or DRT.

…..50/-

Judgment

378 cra77.24

50

41. The application has been filed by the applicant

under Order VII Rule 11 of the CPC on the ground that no

cause of action arose and the suit is barred in view of

Section 34 of the SARFAESI Act.

42. In view of the above discussion, admittedly,

jurisdiction of the civil court is barred under Section 34 of

the SARFAESI Act when the action of taking measures

under Section 13 are challenged. The consistent view is

that civil court’s jurisdiction is completely barred so far as

measures taken by a secured creditor under Sub-section

(4) of Section 13 of the SARFAESI Act is concerned

against which an aggrieved person has right of appeal

before the DRT or the Appellate Tribunal to determine

whether there has been illegality in the measures taken.

43. Under Order VII Rule 11 of the CPC, duty casts

upon a court to determine whether the plaint discloses a

…..51/-

Judgment

378 cra77.24

51

cause of action by scrutinizing the averments in the plaint

read in conjunction with the documents relied upon or

whether the suit is barred by any law. While considering

an application, under Order VII Rule 11 of the CPC, it is

not only the plaint averments but also the documents

annexed with the plaint can be looked into for the

purposes of determining whether requirements under

Order VII Rule 11 of the CPC are satisfied. The logic on

which it is based appears to be that the documents

annexed with the plaint are relied upon by the plaintiff

for the purposes of the plaint averments and thus formed

an integral part of the plaint. The matter, therefore, has

to be viewed in the light of the above legal position.

Even, the decision in Eldeco Housing and Industries

Limited vs. Ashok Vidyarthi and ors supra relied upon by

learned counsel for the plaintiff also by referring various

judgments held that the law applicable for deciding an

…..52/-

Judgment

378 cra77.24

52

application under Order VII Rule 11 of the CPC was

summoned up by this court in Dahiben vs. Arvindbhai

Kalyanji Bhanusali (Gajra), dead through legal

representatives and others , reported in AIR 2020 SC

3310. The remedy under Order VII Rule11 CPC is an

independent and special remedy where the court is

empowered to summarily dismiss the suit at the threshold

without proceeding to record evidence and conducting

trial on the basis of the evidence adduced, if it is satisfied

that the action should be terminated on any of grounds

contained in this provision.

44. The decision in Bank of Rajasthan Limited vs. VCK

Shares and Stock Broking Services Limited, relied upon by

learned counsel for the plaintiff, is not helpful as the same

is not identical with the present case.

…..53/-

Judgment

378 cra77.24

53

45. Now, only question whether the plaint can be

rejected against some of the defendants or it is to be

rejected as a whole.

46. In Sejal Glass Limited vs. Navilan Merchants

Private Limited, reported in (2018)11 SCC 780 and

Madhav Prasad Aggarwal and anr vs. Axis Bank Ltd. and

anr supra wherein it is held that it is not permissible to

reject plaint qua any particular portion of a plaint

including some of defendants and continued the same

against the others.

47. In the case of The Church of Christ Charitable Trust

& Educational Charitable Society, represented by its

Chairman vs. M/s.Ponniamman Educational Trust

represented by its Chairperson/Managing Trustee,

reported in (2012)8 SCC 706 which is a prior decision of

Madhav Prasad Aggarwal and anr vs. Axis Bank Ltd. and

…..54/-

Judgment

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54

anr supra wherein the Hon’ble Apex Court had ruled that

the plaint as a whole can be rejected against some of

defendants in terms of Order VII Rule 11 of the CPC. On

going through the decision in the case of The Church of

Christ Charitable Trust & Educational Charitable Society

supra it is ruled that a plaint as a whole can be rejected

against some of defendants. The said decision was

rendered by two judges bench of the Hon’ble Apex Court.

The later decision in Madhav Prasad Aggarwal and anr

supra is also rendered by two Judges bench of the Hon’ble

Apex Court wherein the earlier decision in the case of The

Church of Christ Charitable Trust & Educational

Charitable Society supra was not considered. In this

context, the Hon’ble Apex Court in the case of Sundeep

Kumar Bafna vs. State of Maharashtra and anr, reported

in (2014)16 SCC 623 observed that he decision rendered

by co-equal bench or larger bench earlier in time would

…..55/-

Judgment

378 cra77.24

55

prevail. The relevant observations in this regard are as

follows:

The Constitution Bench in Union of India vs.

Raghubir Singh, 1989(2) SCC 754, has come to the

conclusion extracted below:

“27. What then should be the position in regard to

the effect of the law pronounced by a Division

Bench in relation to a case raising the same point

subsequently before a Division Bench of a smaller

number of Judges? There is no constitutional or

statutory prescription in the matter, and the point is

governed entirely by the practice in India of the

courts sanctified by repeated affirmation over a

century of time. It cannot be doubted that in order

to promote consistency and certainty in the law laid

down by a superior Court, the ideal condition

…..56/-

Judgment

378 cra77.24

56

would be that the entire Court should sit in all

cases to decide questions of law, and for that reason

the Supreme Court of the United States does so.

But having regard to the volume of work

demanding the attention of the Court, it has been

found necessary in India as a general rule of

practice and convenience that the Court should sit

in Divisions, each Division being constituted of

Judges whose number may be determined by the

exigencies of judicial need, by the nature of the

case including any statutory mandate relative

thereto, and by such other considerations which the

Chief Justice, in whom such authority devolves by

convention, may find most appropriate. It is in

order to guard against the possibility of

inconsistent decisions on points of law by different

Division Benches that the Rule has been evolved, in

…..57/-

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378 cra77.24

57

order to promote consistency and certainty in the

development of the law and its contemporary

status, that the statement of the law by a Division

Bench is considered binding on a Division Bench of

the same or lesser number of Judges. This principle

has been followed in India by several generations of

Judges. …”

48. In view of the foregoing settled position of law, I

am of the view that earlier decision rendered by the

Hon’ble Apex Court in the case of The Church of Christ

Charitable Trust & Educational Charitable Society supra

needs to be followed which has laid down that the plaint

as a whole can be rejected against some of defendants.

This position has also been considered by the Division

Bench of this Court in the case of Sheela Ram Vidhani and

ors vs. S.K.Trading Company and ors, reported in 2021(4)

ABI 713.

…..58/-

Judgment

378 cra77.24

58

49. Looking to the entire purpose and object of the Act,

it is evident that the Act provides various remedies to the

secured creditor for recovery of dues. An effective

remedy of making an application to DRT or the appellate

tribunal is also provided to the aggrieved persons under

Section 17 of the SARFAESI Act and as per Section 34 of

the Act, the jurisdiction of the civil court is expressly

barred in respect of any matter which DRT is empowered

to determine. It also specifically provides that no

injunction can be granted by any court in respect of any

action taken in pursuance of the Act under the The

Recovery of Debts Due to Banks and Financial Institutions

Act, 1993. Section 35 of the Act further provides that the

provisions of the SARFAESI Act shall have overriding

effect. The provisions of this Act shall have effect,

notwithstanding anything inconsistent therewith

contained in any other law for the time being in force.

…..59/-

Judgment

378 cra77.24

59

50. Thus, it can be seen that the SARFAESI Act is

complete self contained code in itself, which provides

effective measures for the banks and financial institutions

to recover their dues without intervention of the courts

and adequate remedies are also provided in the act itself

to the persons aggrieved by those measures.

51. The facts of the present case, if taken into

consideration, by which the action of the present

applicant is questioned, learned trial court has not

considered this aspect and rejected the application. The

settled position of law laid down by the Hon’ble Apex

Court and now the issue as to the exclusion of jurisdiction

of the civil courts is no more res integra.

52. Learned counsel counsel appearing for the

applicant bank is justified in contending that in what

essence the challenge raised by the plaintiff is the action

…..60/-

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60

undertaken by the applicant under Section 13(4) of the

SARFAESI Act. The question as to whether the action

taken is legal or not can clearly be agitated under Section

17 of the SARFAESI Act which the court below completely

failed to consider while passing the impugned order. The

trial court also failed to consider the words used in

Section 34 of the SARFAESI Act which states that no civil

courts shall have jurisdiction to entertain any suit or

proceeding in respect of any matter, which the tribunal is

empowered to entertain under the provisions of the

SARFAESI Act.

53. In the present case, the nature of grievances sought

to be raised by the non-applicant could have been

agitated only under Section 17 of the SARFAESI Act and

the DRT and Appellate Tribunal have powers to grant

relief to the plaintiff. The plaintiff has already filed

appeal before the said tribunal and, therefore, no cause of

…..61/-

Judgment

378 cra77.24

61

action arose to the plaintiff to proceed against the present

applicant. Whether the action taken by the applicant was

not in consonance with the provisions of the SARFAESI

Act and the rules framed thereunder, the tribunal has

power to grant relief to the plaintiffs.

54. As observed earlier, applying the law laid down by

the Hon’ble Apex Court in the case of The Church of

Christ Charitable Trust & Educational Charitable Society

supra to the facts of the present case and accepting the

contentions raised by the applicant which is justified and

amounts to rejection of plaint as a whole, it cannot be

said that the plaint is being split and that only a part of

plaint is being rejected which is not permitted.

55. In view of the above, the impugned order passed

by the trial court is unsustainable. As such, following

order is passed:

…..62/-

Judgment

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62

ORDER

(1) The Civil Revision Application is allowed.

(2) The order impugned passed by learned 8 th Joint Civil

Judge Senior Division, Nagpur in SCS No.1040/2023

below Exh.15 by which application for rejection of plaint

under Order VII Rule 11 of the CPC which is rejected by

order dated 1.11.2023 is quashed and set aside.

(3) The application filed by the applicant under Order VII

Rule 11 of the CPC for rejection of the plaint is allowed to

the extent of applicant-defendant No.4.

The Civil Revision Application stands disposed of.

(URMILA JOSHI-PHALKE, J.)
!! BrWankhede !!

Signed by: Mr. B. R. Wankhede
Designation: PS To Honourable Judge …../-
Date: 02/04/2025 11:14:48

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