Cases in which temporary injunction may be granted
Full Text
Where in any suit it is proved by affidavit or otherwise—
(a) that any property in dispute in a suit is in danger of being wasted, damaged or alienated by any party to the suit, or wrongfully sold in execution of a decree, or
(b) that the defendant threatens, or intends, to remove or dispose of his property with a view to defrauding his creditors,
(c) that the defendant threatens to dispossess, the plaintiff or otherwise cause injury to the plaintiff in relation to any property in dispute in the suit,
the Court may by order grant a temporary injunction to restrain such act, or make such other order for the purpose of staying and preventing the wasting, damaging, alienation, sale, removal or disposition of the property or dispossession of the plaintiff, or otherwise causing injury to the plaintiff in relation to any property in dispute in the suit as the Court thinks fit, until the disposal of the suit or until further orders.
Plain English Summary
Governs the grant of temporary injunctions to preserve the status quo of suit property against waste, damage, alienation, fraudulent removal, or threatened dispossession of the plaintiff, anchored on the tripartite test of prima facie case, balance of convenience, and irreparable injury.
Key Legal Elements
- Tripartite Legal Test: (1) Prima facie case with substantial questions to be investigated, (2) Balance of convenience tilting in plaintiff's favour, (3) Irreparable injury not compensable in damages.
- Statutory Grounds: Clause (a) Danger of waste, damage, alienation or wrongful execution sale; Clause (b) Fraudulent disposition/removal to defeat creditors; Clause (c) Threatened dispossession or injury.
- Movable & Immovable Property: Applies equally to land, buildings, shares, vehicles, and negotiable instruments.
- Discretionary & Equitable Relief: Injunction is never granted as of right; plaintiff must come with clean hands.
- Status Quo Orders: Orders directing maintenance of status quo must specify the exact factual state being preserved.
Practical Note
The Trinity of Injunction Law & Supreme Court Precedents: 1. The Three Pillars — Dalpat Kumar v. Prahlad Singh (1992) 1 SCC 719: The Supreme Court held that the grant of an interlocutory injunction requires concurrent satisfaction of three conditions: (a) Prima facie case (a bona fide contention with high probability of success), (b) Balance of convenience (greater hardship to plaintiff if refused than to defendant if granted), and (c) Irreparable injury (injury incapable of being cured or adequately compensated by damages). 2. Clean Hands Doctrine — Gujarat Bottling Co. Ltd. v. Coca Cola Co. (1995) 5 SCC 545: Equitable relief cannot be claimed by a litigant guilty of suppression of material facts, misrepresentation, or sharp practice. 3. Appellate Restraint — Wander Ltd. v. Antox India P. Ltd. 1990 Supp SCC 727: Appellate courts should not interfere with the trial court's discretionary exercise under Order XXXIX Rule 1 merely because a contrary view is plausible, unless the discretion was exercised arbitrarily or perversely.
हिंदी पाठ
जहां किसी वाद में शपथपत्र द्वारा या अन्यथा यह साबित कर दिया जाता है—
(क) कि वाद में विवादग्रस्त कोई संपत्ति वाद के किसी पक्षकार द्वारा दुर्व्यय (Wasted), क्षतिग्रस्त या अन्यसंक्रामित (Alienated) किए जाने, अथवा किसी डिक्री के निष्पादन में सदोष बेचे जाने के खतरे में है, अथवा
(ख) कि प्रतिवादी अपने लेनदारों को कपट-वंचित करने की दृष्टि से अपनी संपत्ति को हटाने या उसका व्ययन करने की धमकी देता है या उसका आशय रखता है, अथवा
(ग) कि प्रतिवादी वाद में विवादग्रस्त किसी संपत्ति के संबंध में वादी को बेकब्जा (Dispossess) करने या अन्यथा वादी को क्षति कारित करने की धमकी देता है,
वहां न्यायालय ऐसे कार्य को रोकने के लिए आदेश द्वारा अस्थायी व्यादेश (Temporary Injunction) मंजूर कर सकेगा, अथवा संपत्ति के दुर्व्यय, नुकसान, अन्यसंक्रमण, विक्रय, हटाए जाने या व्ययन को, अथवा वाद में विवादग्रस्त किसी संपत्ति के संबंध में वादी के बेकब्जा किए जाने या उसे अन्यथा क्षति कारित किए जाने को रोकने और निवारित करने के प्रयोजन के लिए ऐसा अन्य आदेश दे सकेगा जैसा न्यायालय ठीक समझे, जब तक कि वाद का निपटारा न हो जाए अथवा अतिरिक्त आदेश न दिए जाएं।