Procedure where witness fails to comply with summons
Full Text
(1) Where a person has been issued either to attend to give evidence or to produce a document, fails to attend or to produce the document in compliance with such summons, the Court—
(a) shall, if the certificate of the serving officer has not been verified by the affidavit, or if service of the summons has affected by a party or his agent, or
(b) may, if the certificate of the serving officer has been so verified,
examine on oath the serving officer or the party or his agent, as the case may be, who has effected service, or cause him to be so examined by any Court, touching the service or non-service of the summons.
(2) Where the Court sees reason to believe that such evidence or production is material, and that such person has, without lawful excuse, failed to attend or to produce the document in compliance with such summons or has intentionally avoided service, it may issue a proclamation requiring him to attend to give evidence or to produce the document at a time and place to be named therein; and a copy of such proclamation shall be affixed on the outer door or other conspicuous part of the house in which he ordinarily resides.
(3) In lieu of or at the time of issuing such proclamation, or at any time afterwards, the Court may, in its discretion, issue a warrant, either with or without bail, for the arrest of such person, and may make an order for the attachment of his property to such amount as it thinks fit, not exceeding the amount of the costs of attachment and of any fine which may be imposed under rule 12: Provided that no Court of Small Causes shall make an order for the attachment of immovable property.
Plain English Summary
Arms the civil court with coercive enforcement powers against recalcitrant witnesses who fail to attend without lawful excuse: examination of process servers on oath, public proclamation, bailable/non-bailable warrants of arrest, and attachment of property.
Key Legal Elements
- Inquiry into Service (Sub-rule 1): Examination of process server or serving party on oath.
- Materiality & Wilful Default Threshold (Sub-rule 2): Court must satisfy itself that evidence is material and failure is without lawful excuse.
- Public Proclamation (Sub-rule 2): Affixed to outer door of residence.
- Bailable or Non-Bailable Arrest Warrant (Sub-rule 3): Discretionary issuance of civil arrest warrants to secure attendance.
- Conditional Attachment of Property (Sub-rule 3): Capped at costs of attachment plus Rule 12 maximum fine.
Practical Note
Securing Coercive Process against Hostile Witnesses: 1. Step-by-Step Procedure: If a crucial summoned witness deliberately avoids service or ignores summons, do not jump straight to an arrest warrant. First request an examination of the process server or tender an affidavit of dasti refusal; then move under Rule 10(2) & (3) for a Bailable Warrant (BW). 2. Format of Application: 'Application under Order XVI Rule 10(3) CPC for issuance of Bailable Warrant of arrest against Witness No. [X] to secure attendance for evidence'.
हिंदी पाठ
(1) जहां किसी व्यक्ति को साक्ष्य देने या दस्तावेज पेश करने के लिए समन जारी किया गया है और वह ऐसे समन के अनुपालन में उपस्थित होने या दस्तावेज पेश करने में असफल रहता है, वहां न्यायालय—
(क) यदि तामीलकर्ता अधिकारी का प्रमाण-पत्र शपथपत्र द्वारा सत्यापित नहीं है, या यदि समन की तामील किसी पक्षकार या उसके अभिकर्ता द्वारा की गई है, तो शपथ पर परीक्षा करेगा; या
(ख) यदि तामीलकर्ता अधिकारी का प्रमाण-पत्र सत्यापित है, तो तामील होने या न होने के संबंध में तामीलकर्ता अथवा तामील कराने वाले पक्षकार की शपथ पर परीक्षा कर सकेगा।
(2) जहां न्यायालय के पास यह विश्वास करने का कारण है कि ऐसा साक्ष्य या दस्तावेज का पेश किया जाना तात्त्विक (Material) है, और ऐसा व्यक्ति वैध कारण के बिना उपस्थित होने में विफल रहा है अथवा जानबूझकर तामील से बच रहा है, वहां न्यायालय उद्घोषणा (Proclamation) जारी कर सकेगा जिसे उसके सामान्य निवास गृह के बाहरी द्वार या सहजदृश्य भाग पर चिपकाया जाएगा।
(3) ऐसी उद्घोषणा के बदले में या उसके जारी करते समय या उसके पश्चात किसी भी समय, न्यायालय अपने विवेकानुसार ऐसे व्यक्ति की गिरफ्तारी के लिए जमानती या गैर-जमानती वारंट (Bailable or Non-bailable Warrant) जारी कर सकेगा और नियम 12 के जुर्माने व खर्चे तक की सीमा तक उसकी संपत्ति कुर्क करने का आदेश दे सकेगा: परन्तु लघुवाद न्यायालय स्थावर संपत्ति की कुर्की का आदेश नहीं देगा।