Who may be joined as defendants
Full Text
All persons may be joined in one suit as defendants where—
(a) any right to relief in respect of, or arising out of, the same act or transaction or series of acts or transactions is alleged to exist against such persons, whether jointly, severally or in the alternative; and
(b) if separate suits were brought against such persons, any common question of law or fact would arise.
Plain English Summary
Governs the permissive joinder of multiple defendants in a single suit based on a transactional nexus and the emergence of common legal or factual issues.
Key Legal Elements
- Twin Conditions: Relief claimed must arise from the same act/transaction or series thereof, AND common question of law or fact must arise.
- Alternative Liability: Permits joinder even where plaintiff claims relief against defendants in the alternative (e.g., against principal or agent).
- No Identity of Liability Required: Defendants need not be interested in all reliefs or share identical liability (read with Rule 5).
Practical Note
Procedural Guidance on Joinder of Defendants: 1. Interplay with Order I Rule 5 & Rule 7: A defendant need not be interested in all reliefs claimed. If plaintiff is uncertain as to which person is liable, both can be joined under Rule 3 read with Rule 7. 2. Multifariousness: If plaintiffs join unrelated defendants regarding unrelated causes of action without transactional nexus, the plaint suffers from multifariousness (misjoinder of parties and causes of action). 3. Landmark Precedents: In Anil Kumar Singh v. Shivnath Mishra (1995) 3 SCC 147, the Supreme Court ruled that Order I Rule 3 must be read with Order I Rule 10; persons whose presence is necessary for effective adjudication should be before the court.
हिंदी पाठ
वे सभी व्यक्ति एक वाद में प्रतिवादियों के रूप में संयोजित किए जा सकेंगे जहां—
(क) उसी कार्य या संव्यवहार अथवा कार्यों या संव्यवहारों की उसी श्रृंखला के संबंध में या उससे उत्पन्न होने वाले अनुतोष का कोई अधिकार ऐसे व्यक्तियों के विरुद्ध संयुक्ततः, पृथक्तः या अनुकल्पी रूप में विद्यमान होना अभिकथित है; तथा
(ख) यदि ऐसे व्यक्तियों के विरुद्ध पृथक वाद लाए जाते, तो विधि या तथ्य का कोई सामान्य प्रश्न उत्पन्न होता।