Appeal from original decree
Full Text
(1) Save where otherwise expressly provided in the body of this Code or by any other law for the time being in force, an appeal shall lie from every decree passed by any Court exercising original jurisdiction to the Court authorized to hear appeals from the decisions of such Court.
(2) An appeal may lie from an original decree passed ex parte.
(3) No appeal shall lie from a decree passed by the Court with the consent of parties.
(4) No appeal shall lie, except on a question of law, from a decree in any suit of the nature cognisable by Courts of Small Causes, when the amount or value of the subject-matter of the original suit does not exceed ten thousand rupees.
Plain English Summary
Section 96 establishes the foundational statutory right of First Appeal against any original civil decree on both law and fact, allows appeals against ex parte decrees, strictly bars appeals against consent decrees, and restricts appeals in minor small-cause matters under ₹10,000 solely to questions of law.
Key Legal Elements
- Statutory Right of First Appeal: Every original decree is appealable on questions of both fact and law unless expressly barred.
- Appeal from Ex Parte Decree (Sec 96(2)): Expressly permits regular first appeal against decrees passed ex parte without presence of the defendant.
- Bar on Consent Decrees (Sec 96(3)): Absolute statutory bar preventing appeals against decrees passed with the mutual consent/compromise of parties.
- Small Cause Valuation Threshold (Sec 96(4)): Decrees in suits cognisable by Small Causes Courts valued up to ₹10,000 appealable strictly on questions of law only.
- Procedural Integration with Order XLI: All form, grounds of objection, stay of execution, and appellate powers are governed by Order XLI.
Practical Note
First Appeal Scope, Concurrent Ex Parte Remedies & Consent Decree Bar: (1) First Appeal is a Retrial on Law and Facts: Unlike Second Appeals under Section 100 (which require a substantial question of law), a Section 96 First Appeal (governed by Order XLI) is a valuable statutory right where the appellate court re-examines entire oral and documentary evidence, reassesses witness credibility, and reverses erroneous factual findings (*Madhukar v. Sangram, 2001*). (2) Concurrent Remedies against Ex Parte Decree: In *Bhanu Kumar Jain v. Archana Kumar (2005)*, the Supreme Court ruled that a defendant subjected to an ex parte decree has two concurrent statutory remedies: an application under Order IX Rule 13 (to set aside the ex parte decree for non-service) and a regular First Appeal under Section 96(2) on the merits of the case. (3) Consent Decree Absolute Bar: Under Section 96(3) read with Order XXIII Rule 3A, no appeal lies against a compromise decree; if consent was obtained by fraud or coercion, the proper remedy is an application to the same court that recorded the compromise, not an appeal (*Pushpa Devi Bhagat v. Rajinder Singh, 2006*).
हिंदी पाठ
(1) इस संहिता के मुख्य भाग में या तत्समय प्रवृत्त किसी अन्य विधि द्वारा जैसा अभिव्यक्त रूप से उपबंधित है उसके सिवाय, आरंभिक अधिकारिता का प्रयोग करने वाले किसी न्यायालय द्वारा पारित प्रत्येक डिक्री की अपील ऐसे न्यायालय के विनिश्चयों की अपीलें सुनने के लिए प्राधिकृत न्यायालय में होगी।
(2) एकपक्षीय (ex parte) पारित मूल डिक्री की भी अपील हो सकेगी।
(3) पक्षकारों की सम्मति से न्यायालय द्वारा पारित डिक्री की कोई अपील नहीं होगी।
(4) लघुवाद न्यायालयों द्वारा संज्ञेय प्रकृति के किसी वाद में पारित डिक्री की कोई अपील, विधि के किसी प्रश्न के सिवाय, तब नहीं होगी जब मूल वाद की विषय-वस्तु की रकम या मूल्य दस हजार रुपये से अधिक नहीं है।