Delivery of summons by Court
Full Text
(1) Where the defendant resides within the jurisdiction of the Court in which the suit is instituted, or has an agent resident within that jurisdiction who is empowered to accept the service of the summons, the summons shall, unless the Court otherwise directs, be delivered or sent either to the proper officer to be served by him or one of his subordinates or to such courier services as are approved by the Court.
(2) The proper officer may be an officer of a Court other than that in which the suit is instituted, and, where he is such an officer, the summons may be sent to him in such manner as the Court may direct.
(3) The services of summons may be made by delivering or transmitting a copy thereof by registered post acknowledgment due, addressed to the defendant or his agent empowered to accept the service or by speed post or by such courier services as are approved by the High Court or by the Court referred to in sub-rule (1) or by any other means of transmission of documents (including fax message or electronic mail service) provided by the rules made by the High Court: Provided that the service of summons under this sub-rule shall be made at the expenses of the plaintiff.
(4) Notwithstanding anything contained in sub-rule (1), where a defendant resides outside the jurisdiction of the Court in which the suit is instituted, and the Court directs that the service of summons on that defendant may be made by such mode of service of summons as is referred to in sub-rule (3) (except by registered post acknowledgment due), the provisions of rule 21 shall not apply.
(5) When an acknowledgment or any other receipt purporting to be signed by the defendant or his agent is received by the Court or postal article containing the summons is received back by the Court with an endorsement purporting to have been made by a postal employee or by any person authorised by the courier service to the effect that the defendant or his agent had refused to take delivery of the postal article containing the summons or had refused to accept the summons by any other means specified in sub-rule (3) when tendered or transmitted to him, the Court issuing the summons shall declare that the summons had been duly served on the defendant: Provided that where the summons was properly addressed, pre-paid and duly sent by registered post acknowledgment due, the declaration referred to in this sub-rule shall be made notwithstanding the fact that the acknowledgment having been lost or mislaid, or for any other reason, has not been received by the Court within thirty days from the date of issue of summons.
(6) The High Court or the District Judge, as the case may be, shall prepare a panel of courier agencies for the purposes of sub-rule (1).
Plain English Summary
The primary statutory code for summons transmission, incorporating modern delivery channels (Speed Post, registered post AD, approved couriers, fax, and email) and establishing conclusive legal presumptions of valid service upon postal refusal or 30-day non-return.
Key Legal Elements
- Multimodal Transmission: Process servers, Speed Post, Regd Post AD, approved couriers, email, and fax.
- Cost on Plaintiff: All transmission and process fees must be prepaid by the plaintiff.
- Deemed Service upon Refusal (Sub-rule 5): Postal endorsement of 'Refused' or 'Refused to Accept' mandates court declaration of due service.
- 30-Day Presumption Proviso: If sent by properly addressed pre-paid Regd Post AD, court declares due service if postal receipt is not returned within 30 days.
- Courier Panel Regulation: High Court or District Judge maintains official empaneled courier service list.
Practical Note
The Litigator's Operational Manual on Summons Service & Refusal: 1. Statutory Presumption of Service: — Section 27 General Clauses Act, 1897 read with Order V Rule 9(5) Proviso: When a letter is properly addressed, prepaid, and dispatched by Registered Post AD, service is presumed complete. The 30-day non-receipt proviso gives statutory force to this presumption. — Supreme Court Precedents: In C.C. Alavi Haji v. Palapetty Muhammed (2007) 6 SCC 555 and N. Parameswaran Unni v. G. Kannan (2017) 5 SCC 737, the Supreme Court settled that an endorsement of 'Refused', 'Unclaimed', or 'Intimation Given/Not Claimed' constitutes valid constructive service. 2. Electronic Service (Email & WhatsApp): — In modern practice, especially following the Supreme Court Suo Motu Cognizance in Re: Cognizance for Extension of Limitation (2020), service through electronic transmission (valid PDF through verified email address) is officially recognized and acted upon. 3. Tactical Court Motion: — Move: 'Application on behalf of Plaintiff under Order V Rule 9(5) CPC seeking declaration of Deemed Service on Defendant No. 1 and proceeding ex parte' (attaching postal tracking report showing 'Item Delivered' or 'Refused').
हिंदी पाठ
(1) जहां प्रतिवादी उस न्यायालय की अधिकारिता के भीतर निवास करता है जिसमें वाद संस्थित किया गया है अथवा उस अधिकारिता के भीतर उसका कोई ऐसा अभिकर्ता निवास करता है जो समन की तामील स्वीकार करने के लिए सशक्त है, वहां समन, जब तक कि न्यायालय अन्यथा निर्देश न दे, या तो उचित अधिकारी को उसके द्वारा या उसके अधीनस्थ कर्मचारियों में से किसी के द्वारा तामील किए जाने के लिए परिदत्त किया जाएगा या भेजा जाएगा अथवा न्यायालय द्वारा अनुमोदित ऐसी कूरियर सेवाओं को भेजा जाएगा।
(2) उचित अधिकारी उस न्यायालय से भिन्न किसी न्यायालय का अधिकारी हो सकेगा जिसमें वाद संस्थित किया गया है।
(3) समन की तामील प्रतिवादी या तामील स्वीकार करने के लिए सशक्त उसके अभिकर्ता को संबोधित पावती सहित रजिस्ट्रीकृत डाक द्वारा अथवा स्पीड पोस्ट द्वारा अथवा उच्च न्यायालय या उपनियम (1) में निर्दिष्ट न्यायालय द्वारा अनुमोदित कूरियर सेवाओं द्वारा अथवा उच्च न्यायालय द्वारा बनाए गए नियमों द्वारा उपबंधित दस्तावेजों के पारेषण के किन्हीं अन्य साधनों द्वारा (जिसके अंतर्गत फैक्स संदेश या इलेक्ट्रॉनिक मेल सेवा भी है) उसकी प्रति परिदत्त करके या पारेषित करके की जा सकेगी: परन्तु इस उपनियम के अधीन समन की तामील वादी के खर्चे पर की जाएगी।
(4) जहां प्रतिवादी न्यायालय की अधिकारिता के बाहर निवास करता है वहां उपनियम (3) के अनुसार तामील होने पर नियम 21 के उपबंध लागू नहीं होंगे।
(5) जब प्रतिवादी या उसके अभिकर्ता द्वारा हस्ताक्षरित समझी जाने वाली पावती या कोई अन्य रसीद न्यायालय द्वारा प्राप्त की जाती है अथवा समन वाला डाक प्रलेख न्यायालय को डाक कर्मचारी या कूरियर सेवा द्वारा इस पृष्ठांकन के साथ वापस प्राप्त होता है कि प्रतिवादी या उसके अभिकर्ता ने समन लेने से इनकार (Refused) कर दिया है, तब समन निकालने वाला न्यायालय यह घोषित करेगा कि समन प्रतिवादी पर सम्यक् रूप से तामील हो गया है: परन्तु जहां समन ठीक पते पर, पूर्व-संदत्त और पावती सहित रजिस्ट्रीकृत डाक द्वारा सम्यक् रूप से भेजा गया था, वहां 30 दिन के भीतर पावती प्राप्त न होने पर भी न्यायालय द्वारा तामील की उक्त घोषणा की जाएगी।
(6) उच्च न्यायालय या जिला न्यायाधीश कूरियर एजेंसियों का एक पैनल तैयार करेगा।