Code of Civil Procedure, 1908 –Or.VII, r.14(3) and Or. XI, R.1 (as amended by the amendment in the Commercial Courts Act) – Filing of additional documents –The appellant-original plaintiff filed the commercial suit claiming a decree of permanent injunction against the defendant from using the Trade Mark of appellant – Appellant filed an application u/Or.VII, r.14(3) and sought to file additional documents – The said application was dismissed by the Commercial Court –The High Court confirmed the order by the Commercial Courts – On appeal, held: Or. XI, R.1 as amended by the amendment in the Commercial Courts Act, with respect to the suits before the commercial division and the Commercial Court, the provisions of Or.VII, R.14 (3) were not applicable – Therefore, as such the plaintiff applied the wrong provision seeking leave of the court to place on record the additional documents – Now, before the Supreme Court, the application submitted by the appellant was considered submitted u/Or. XI R.1(4) of the CPC as both the Commercial Court and the High Court had considered and applied Or.XI, R.1 –In the said application for additional documents, it was specifically mentioned that so far as the invoices are concerned, the same were not in its possession at the time of the filing of the plaint and so far as the other documents are concerned they were not filed due to they being voluminous – Therefore, so far as the invoices sought to be relied on/produced as additional documents ought to have been permitted – Insofar as, the non-filing of the additional documents other than the invoices on the ground of they being voluminous cannot be said to be a reasonable cause for nondisclosure/filing along with plaint – Both the courts below rightly not permitted the plaintiff to rely upon the documents, other than the invoices as additional documents in exercise of the powers u/Or. XI R.1 (4) r/w. Or. XI R. 1 (5).
Partly allowing the appeal, the Court
HELD: 1. It emerges from the record that the first suit was filed by the plaintiff in the month of October, 2018, bearing TM No.236 of 2018, restraining the defendant from infringing and passing-off plaintiff’s Trade Marks. That an ex-parte interim injunction was passed in favour of the plaintiff by order dated 29.10.2018. It appears having realized and found that the earlier suit was not in consonance with the provisions of the Commercial Courts Act, the plaintiff withdrew the said suit being TM No.236 of 2018 on 27.07.2019 with liberty to file a fresh suit as per the Commercial Courts Act, 2015. Therefore, the second suit wasfiled on 31.08.2019 and within a period of thirty days from filing of the second suit the appellant herein – original plaintiff preferred the present application seeking leave of the court to file additional documents. In the application, it was specifically mentioned that so far as the invoices are concerned, the same were not in its possession at the time of the filing of the plaint and so far as the other documents are concerned they were not filed due to they being voluminous. Therefore, so far as the invoices sought to be relied on/produced as additional documents ought to have been permitted to be relied on/produced as it was specifically asserted that they were not in his possession at the time of filing of the plaint/suit.[Para 8.1][747-A-E]
2. Now, so far as the other documents sought to be relied on/produced as additional documents other than the invoices are concerned the same stands on different footing. It is not disputed and in fact it was specifically admitted and so stated in the application that those additional documents other than the invoices were in their possession but not produced being voluminous and that the suit was filed urgently. However, it is to be noted that when the second suit was filed, it cannot be said to be urgent filing of the suit for injunction, as the first suit was filed in the month of October, 2018 and there was an exparte ad interim injunction vide order dated 29.10.2018 and thereafter plaintiff withdrew the said first suit on 27.07.2019 with liberty to file a fresh suit as per the Commercial Courts Act and the second suit came to be filed on 31.08.2019 after period of one month of the withdrawal of first suit. Therefore the case on behalf of the plaintiff that when the second suit was filed, it was urgently filed therefore, the additional documents sought to be relied upon other than the invoices were not filed as the same were voluminous cannot be accepted. And therefore as such Order XI Rule 1 (4) shall not be applicable, though the application was filed within thirty days of filing of the second suit. While seeking leave of the court to rely on documents, which were in his power, possession, control or custody and not disclosed along with plaint or within the extended period set out in Order XI Rule 1 (4), the plaintiff has to establish the reasonable cause for non disclosure along with plaint. [Para 8.4][748-B-G]
3. In view of the facts and circumstances and in view of the filing of the first suit in the month of October, 2018; the ex-parte ad interim injunction order in favour of the plaintiff dated 29.10.2018; withdrawal of the first suit on 27.07.2019 and subsequently the filing of the second suit on 31.08.2019, non filing of the additional documents other than the invoices on the ground of they being voluminous cannot be said to be a reasonable cause for non disclosure/filing alongwith plaint. There was sufficient time gap between the filing of the first suit and filing of the second suit i.e. approximately 10 months and therefore when the second suit was filed the plaintiff was having sufficient time after filing of the first suit, to file the additional documents other than the invoices at the time when the second suit was filed. Therefore, as such, both the courts below have rightly not permitted the plaintiff to rely upon the documents, other than the invoices as additional documents in exercise of the powers under Order XI Rule 1 (4) read with Order XI Rule 1 (5). [Para 8.5][748-G-H; 749-A-C]
As published in the Supreme Court Reports, Supreme Court of India. Text from the Indian Supreme Court Judgments open data set (Dattam Labs), CC BY 4.0.
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