Power of High Court to determine issue of fact
Full Text
In any second appeal, the High Court may, if the evidence on the record is sufficient, determine any issue necessary for the disposal of the appeal,—
(a) which has not been determined by the lower Appellate Court or both by the Court of first instance and the lower Appellate Court, or
(b) which has been wrongly determined by such Court or Courts by reason of a decision on such question of law as is referred to in section 100.
Plain English Summary
Section 103 empowers the High Court in a Second Appeal, where record evidence is sufficient, to directly determine essential issues of fact that were left undecided or wrongly decided by subordinate courts due to legal errors, avoiding prolonged and unnecessary remands.
Key Legal Elements
- Prerequisite of Sufficient Record Evidence: The existing evidence on the trial record must be complete and sufficient to decide the issue.
- Omitted Factual Issues (Clause a): High Court may determine issues left undecided by the lower appellate court or both lower courts.
- Legally Vitiated Factual Findings (Clause b): High Court may correct factual issues wrongly determined due to an error on a Section 100 question of law.
- Anti-Remand Objective: Aimed at curbing litigation fatigue by facilitating final disposal rather than routinely remanding matters back to trial courts.
Practical Note
Factual Adjudication in Second Appeal & Avoiding Unnecessary Remands: (1) Exception to General Ban on Factual Inquiry: While Section 100 bars entertaining appeals on questions of fact, Section 103 provides a vital statutory safety valve enabling the High Court to appreciate evidence and decide factual issues itself if the record contains sufficient evidence (*Municipal Committee, Hoshiarpur v. Punjab SEB, 2010*). (2) Two Specific Triggers: (a) An issue was framed but completely omitted/left undecided by the lower appellate court, or (b) An issue of fact was decided wrongly because the lower court misdirected itself on a question of law (e.g. wrongly placed burden of proof or misapplied statutory presumption). (3) Evidence Must Already Be on Record: Section 103 does not allow recording fresh oral evidence; the existing trial record must contain sufficient materials to enable the High Court to arrive at a definitive factual finding without remanding the matter.
हिंदी पाठ
किसी द्वितीय अपील में, यदि अभिलेख पर साक्ष्य पर्याप्त है, तो उच्च न्यायालय अपील के निस्तारण के लिए आवश्यक किसी ऐसे विवाद्यक (issue) को अवधारित कर सकेगा,—
(क) जिसे निचले अपीलीय न्यायालय द्वारा अथवा प्रथम बार के न्यायालय और निचले अपीलीय न्यायालय दोनों द्वारा अवधारित नहीं किया गया है, या
(ख) जिसे धारा 100 में निर्दिष्ट विधि के प्रश्न पर किसी विनिश्चय के कारण ऐसे न्यायालय या न्यायालयों द्वारा गलत अवधारित किया गया है।