Return of plaint
Full Text
(1) Subject to the provisions of rule 10A, the plaint shall at any stage of the suit be returned to be presented to the Court in which the suit should have been instituted.
Explanation.—For the removal of doubts, it is hereby declared that a Court of appeal or revision may direct after setting aside the decree passed in a suit, the return of the plaint under this sub-rule.
(2) Procedure on returning plaint.—On returning a plaint, the Judge shall endorse thereon the date of its presentation and return, the name of the party presenting it, and a brief statement of the reasons for returning it.
Plain English Summary
Authorizes the return of a plaint at any stage of proceedings—including appeal or revision—for presentation before the competent court when the entertaining court lacks territorial, pecuniary, or subject-matter jurisdiction.
Key Legal Elements
- Invocable at Any Stage: Can be ordered before issues, during trial, in first appeal, or in revision.
- Distinguished from Rejection: Return (Rule 10) is for lack of jurisdiction to proper court; Rejection (Rule 11) is a deemed decree extinguishing the plaint.
- Mandatory Endorsement (Sub-rule 2): Judge must endorse presentation date, return date, presenting party, and reasons.
- De Novo Trial in New Court: Presentation upon return is a fresh institution; previous evidence/proceedings do not automatically carry over (ONGC v. Modern Construction).
Practical Note
Jurisdiction Strategy & Landmark Precedents: 1. Supreme Court Landmark - ONGC v. Modern Construction & Co. (2014) 1 SCC 648: When a plaint is returned under Order VII Rule 10 and presented before the court of competent jurisdiction, the suit is instituted de novo from that date. The new court cannot continue from the stage where the previous court left off; trial must commence afresh. 2. Forum Selection Clauses: In Harshad Chiman Lal Modi v. DLF Universal Ltd. (2005) 7 SCC 791, where a suit concerning Delhi property was filed in Gurgaon, the Supreme Court ordered return of the plaint under Order VII Rule 10 to be presented before the competent Delhi court. 3. Defense Application Header: 'Application on behalf of Defendant under Order VII Rule 10 read with Section 151 CPC for Return of Plaint on ground of lack of Territorial / Pecuniary Jurisdiction'. 4. Limitation Protection: Upon return, plaintiff must invoke Section 14 of the Limitation Act to exclude the time spent prosecuting in good faith before the court without jurisdiction.
हिंदी पाठ
(1) नियम 10क के उपबंधों के अधीन रहते हुए, वादपत्र वाद के किसी भी प्रक्रम में उस न्यायालय में उपस्थापित किए जाने के लिए वापस किया जाएगा (Return of Plaint) जिसमें वाद संस्थित किया जाना चाहिए था।
स्पष्टीकरण—शंकाओं के निवारण के लिए यह घोषित किया जाता है कि अपील या पुनरीक्षण न्यायालय किसी वाद में पारित डिक्री को अपास्त करने के पश्चात इस उपनियम के अधीन वादपत्र वापस किए जाने का निर्देश दे सकेगा।
(2) वादपत्र वापस करने की प्रक्रिया।—न्यायाधीश वादपत्र वापस करते समय उस पर उसके उपस्थापन और वापसी की तारीख, उसे प्रस्तुत करने वाले पक्षकार का नाम और उसे वापस करने के कारणों का संक्षिप्त विवरण पृष्ठांकित करेगा।