Right to lodge a caveat
Full Text
(1) Where an application is expected to be made, or has been made, in a suit or proceeding instituted, or about to be instituted, in a Court, any person claiming a right to appear before the Court on the hearing of such application may lodge a caveat in respect thereof.
(2) Where a caveat has been lodged under sub-section (1), the person by whom the caveat has been lodged (hereinafter referred to as the caveator) shall serve a notice of the caveat by registered post, acknowledgement due, on the person by whom the application has been, or is expected to be, made, under sub-section (1).
(3) Where, after a caveat has been lodged under sub-section (1), any application is filed in any suit or proceeding, the Court shall serve a notice of the application on the caveator.
(4) Where a notice of any caveat has been served on the applicant, he shall forthwith furnish the caveator at the caveator’s expense, with a copy of the application made by him and also with copies of any paper or document which has been, or may be, filed by him in support of the application.
(5) Where a caveat has been lodged under sub-section (1), such caveat shall not remain in force after the expiry of ninety days from the date on which it was lodged unless the application referred to in sub-section (1) has been made before the expiry of the said period.
Plain English Summary
Section 148A codifies the statutory right to lodge a caveat in anticipated or pending civil proceedings, preventing ex-parte interim orders by mandating prior notice and supply of petition copies to the caveator, while limiting the legal lifespan of a caveat to ninety days.
Key Legal Elements
- Right to Lodge Caveat (Sub-section 1): Available to any person claiming a right to appear in pending or anticipated suits/proceedings.
- Caveator's Duty of Notice (Sub-section 2): Caveator must serve a notice of the caveat by registered post with A.D. upon the prospective applicant.
- Court's Mandatory Duty (Sub-section 3): The court is statutorily bound to issue notice of any subsequent application to the caveator before passing orders.
- Supply of Pleadings and Documents (Sub-section 4): The applicant must forthwith furnish copies of the application, affidavits, and supporting documents to the caveator.
- Ninety-Day Lifespan (Sub-section 5): A caveat automatically expires after 90 days from filing unless the anticipated application has been filed within that window.
Practical Note
Litigation Strategy: Caveat Practice and Consequence of Ex-Parte Orders Passed in Ignorance of Caveat: 1. Primary Objective: Caveats under Section 148A are universally filed by successful trial litigants or parties anticipating adverse interim injunctions (Order XXXIX Rules 1 & 2) or stay orders in pending/anticipated appeals or revisions. It prevents 'stealth injunctions' without a hearing. 2. Mandatory Duty on Registry and Court: Under Section 148A(3), once a caveat is registered, the court cannot proceed ex-parte. The court must notify the caveator and hear them before granting an ad-interim ex-parte injunction. 3. Legal Effect of Orders Passed in Breach of Caveat: High Courts (e.g., C. Seethaiah v. Govt. of A.P., AIR 1983 AP 443; Reserve Bank of India v. Ashis Ray, 2003) have consistently held that an ex-parte interim order passed in violation of Section 148A(3) without serving notice to the caveator is an order in breach of statutory natural justice and is liable to be recalled and set aside immediately on application. 4. The 90-Day Renewal Rule: Caveats expire strictly on the 90th day under Sub-section (5). If the opposing party has not instituted the suit or appeal within 90 days, the caveator must file a fresh caveat to retain continuous preemptive protection.
हिंदी पाठ
(1) जहां किसी न्यायालय में संस्थित किए गए या संस्थित किए जाने वाले किसी वाद या कार्यवाही में किसी आवेदन के किए जाने की संभावना है, या आवेदन किया जा चुका है, वहां ऐसा कोई भी व्यक्ति, जो ऐसे आवेदन की सुनवाई पर न्यायालय के समक्ष उपस्थित होने के अधिकार का दावा करता है, उसके संबंध में एक कैवियट (Caveat / सावधानी-सूचना) दाखिल कर सकेगा।
(2) जहां उपधारा (1) के अधीन कोई कैवियट दाखिल किया गया है, वहां वह व्यक्ति जिसके द्वारा कैवियट दाखिल किया गया है (जिसे इसमें इसके पश्चात् कैवियटकर्ता / Caveator कहा गया है), उस व्यक्ति पर जिसके द्वारा उपधारा (1) के अधीन आवेदन किया गया है या किए जाने की संभावना है, पावती-सहित रजिस्ट्रीकृत डाक (Registered Post AD) द्वारा कैवियट की सूचना की तामील करेगा।
(3) जहां उपधारा (1) के अधीन कैवियट दाखिल किए जाने के पश्चात् किसी वाद या कार्यवाही में कोई आवेदन प्रस्तुत किया जाता है, वहां न्यायालय कैवियटकर्ता पर उस आवेदन की सूचना की तामील करेगा।
(4) जहां आवेदक पर किसी कैवियट की सूचना तामील की जा चुकी है, वहां वह कैवियटकर्ता के खर्चे पर कैवियटकर्ता को अपने द्वारा किए गए आवेदन की एक प्रति तथा ऐसे किसी कागज या दस्तावेज की प्रतियां भी तुरंत उपलब्ध कराएगा जो उसने आवेदन के समर्थन में दाखिल किए हैं या जो वह दाखिल करे।
(5) जहां उपधारा (1) के अधीन कोई कैवियट दाखिल किया गया है, वहां ऐसा कैवियट उस तारीख से, जिसको वह दाखिल किया गया था, नब्बे (90) दिन की समाप्ति के पश्चात् प्रवृत्त नहीं रहेगा, जब तक कि उपधारा (1) में निर्दिष्ट आवेदन उक्त अवधि की समाप्ति से पूर्व न कर दिया गया हो।