Contents, date and signature of judgment
Full Text
The judgment of the Appellate Court shall be in writing and shall state—
(a) the points for determination;
(b) the decision thereon;
(c) the reasons for the decision; and
(d) where the decree appealed from is reversed or varied, the relief to which the appellant is entitled,
and shall at the time that it is pronounced be signed and dated by the Judge or by the Judges concurring therein.
Plain English Summary
Mandates the four indispensable components of an appellate judgment: (a) points for determination, (b) decisions thereon, (c) reasons for the decisions, and (d) specific relief granted upon reversal or variation; failure to comply renders the judgment legally vulnerable.
Key Legal Elements
- Four Mandatory Pillars: (a) Points for determination; (b) Findings/decision on each point; (c) Critical reasoning on facts and law; (d) Exact relief decreed.
- Written, Signed & Dated: Must be signed and dated at the time of open court pronouncement.
- First Appeal as Court of Fact: First appellate court must address all legal and factual controversies independently.
- Non-Compliance as Ground for Second Appeal: Failure to frame points for determination and assign reasons is a substantial question of law under Section 100 CPC.
Practical Note
The Constitutional Importance of Rule 31 in First Appeals: 1. Supreme Court Landmark on Rule 31: In Santosh Hazari v. Purushottam Tiwari (2001) 3 SCC 179, Madhukar v. Sangram (2001) 4 SCC 756, and Manjula v. Shyamsundar (2022) 3 SCC 90, the Supreme Court held that the right of first appeal is a valuable right of the parties where both questions of fact and law are open for investigation. The appellate court must independently assess the evidence, consider the reasoning of the trial court, formulate the points for determination, and record independent findings with cogent reasons. 2. Cryptic or Mechanical Affirmations Bad in Law: In K. Karuppuraj v. M. Ganesan (2021) 10 SCC 777, the Apex Court set aside a High Court judgment because it mechanically affirmed the trial court decree without formulating points for determination and without discussing the oral and documentary evidence.
हिंदी पाठ
अपीलीय न्यायालय का निर्णय लिखित में होगा और उसमें निम्नलिखित का कथन होगा—
(क) अवधारण के बिंदु (Points for determination);
(ख) उन पर विनिश्चय (Decision thereon);
(ग) विनिश्चय के कारण (Reasons for decision); तथा
(घ) जहां अपील की गई डिक्री उलट दी जाती है या उसमें परिवर्तन किया जाता है, वहां वह अनुतोष जिसका अपीलार्थी हकदार है,
और निर्णय सुनाए जाने के समय उस पर उस न्यायाधीश या उन न्यायाधीशों द्वारा हस्ताक्षर किए जाएंगे और तारीख डाली जाएगी जो उससे सहमत हैं।