Power of Court to order separate trial
Full Text
Where it appears to the Court that any joinder of plaintiffs may embarrass or delay the trial of the suit, the Court may put the plaintiffs to the election or order separate trials or make such other order as may be expedient.
Plain English Summary
Empowers the trial court to put plaintiffs to election or order separate trials where the joinder of multiple plaintiffs, though technically permissible, embarrasses or delays the fair trial of the suit.
Key Legal Elements
- Judicial Discretion: Invocable when joinder tends to embarrass, complicate, or delay the expeditious disposal of the suit.
- Relief Options: Court may put plaintiffs to their election (to choose who remains), order separate trials, or pass any expedient direction.
- Check on Abuse: Acts as a statutory safeguard against unwieldy or abusive consolidation of disparate individual claims.
Practical Note
Courtroom Application & Defense Strategy: 1. Application Header: 'Application on behalf of Defendant under Order I Rule 2 read with Section 151 CPC seeking direction for Election / Separate Trials of Plaintiffs'. 2. Stage of Invocation: Must be filed at the earliest threshold before issues are framed, specifically when filing the Written Statement or shortly thereafter. 3. Grounds for Invocation: Show that plaintiffs have disparate, conflicting evidence, separate computations of damages, or distinct documentary proofs that will hopelessly confuse and prolong cross-examination. 4. Trial Pitfall: Delay in objecting may lead to an inference that no embarrassment is caused to the defense.
हिंदी पाठ
जहां न्यायालय को यह प्रतीत होता है कि वादियों के किसी संयोजन से वाद के विचारण में उलझन पड़ सकती है या विलंब हो सकता है, वहां न्यायालय वादियों को निर्वाचन करने के लिए कह सकेगा या पृथक विचारणों का आदेश दे सकेगा अथवा ऐसा अन्य आदेश कर सकेगा जो समीचीन हो।