Production of document on which plaintiff sues or relies
Full Text
(1) Where a plaintiff sues upon a document or relies upon document in his possession or power in support of his claim, he shall enter such documents in a list, and shall produce it in Court when the plaint is presented by him and shall, at the same time deliver the document and a copy thereof, to be filed with the plaint.
(2) Where any such document is not in the possession or power of the plaintiff, he shall, wherever possible, state in whose possession or power it is.
(3) A document which ought to be produced in Court by the plaintiff when the plaint is presented, or to be entered in the list to be added or annexed to the plaint but is not produced or entered accordingly, shall not, without the leave of the Court, be received in evidence on his behalf at the hearing of the suit.
(4) Nothing in this rule shall apply to document produced for the cross-examination of the plaintiffs witnesses, or handed over to a witness merely to refresh his memory.
Plain English Summary
Mandates the initial production and filing of all foundational documents relied upon by the plaintiff along with the plaint, creating an absolute bar against late production in evidence without express prior leave of the court under sub-rule (3).
Key Legal Elements
- Mandatory Initial Production: All documents in plaintiff's possession must be filed at the time of plaint presentation.
- Statement on Third-Party Possession (Sub-rule 2): Must specify who holds the document if not in plaintiff's custody.
- Leave of Court Mandatory for Late Filing (Sub-rule 3): Document omitted from the initial list cannot be admitted into evidence without prior formal application and leave.
- Cross-Examination Exception (Sub-rule 4): Documents confronted during cross-examination of adversary witnesses are exempt from prior disclosure.
Practical Note
Late Document Production Strategy & Cross-Examination Exception: 1. Application for Leave under Sub-rule (3): 'Application on behalf of Plaintiff under Order VII Rule 14(3) read with Section 151 CPC seeking Leave of the Court to place on record additional documents'. — Mandatory Standard: In Sugandhi v. P. Rajkumar (2020) 10 SCC 706, the Supreme Court ruled that procedural rules are handmaids of justice; where genuine documents were omitted due to bona fide oversight, leave should be granted on nominal costs rather than shutting out vital evidence. 2. Cross-Examination Exception under Sub-rule (4): — Documents used exclusively to confront or impeach the credibility of the plaintiff's witness in cross-examination do NOT need prior production or disclosure. This preserves the element of surprise during trial (Mohammed Abdul Wahid v. Nilofer, 2023 SC).
हिंदी पाठ
(1) जहां वादी किसी दस्तावेज के आधार पर वाद लाता है अथवा अपने दावे के समर्थन में अपने कब्जे या शक्ति में की किसी दस्तावेज पर निर्भर करता है, वहां वह ऐसी दस्तावेजों को एक सूची में प्रविष्ट करेगा और जब उसके द्वारा वादपत्र प्रस्तुत किया जाता है तब उसे न्यायालय में प्रस्तुत करेगा और साथ ही वादपत्र के साथ दाखिल करने के लिए दस्तावेज और उसकी प्रतिलिपि परिदत्त करेगा।
(2) जहां ऐसी कोई दस्तावेज वादी के कब्जे या शक्ति में नहीं है, वहां वह जहां कहीं संभव हो, यह कथित करेगा कि वह किसके कब्जे या शक्ति में है।
(3) ऐसी दस्तावेज, जिसे वादपत्र उपस्थापित किए जाने पर वादी द्वारा न्यायालय में प्रस्तुत किया जाना चाहिए था अथवा वादपत्र में जोड़ी जाने वाली या संलग्न की जाने वाली सूची में प्रविष्ट किया जाना चाहिए था, किंतु तदनुसार प्रस्तुत या प्रविष्ट नहीं की गई है, वाद की सुनवाई के समय न्यायालय की इजाजत (Leave of the Court) के बिना उसकी ओर से साक्ष्य में ग्रहण नहीं की जाएगी।
(4) इस नियम की कोई भी बात प्रतिवादी द्वारा वादी के साक्षियों की प्रतिपरीक्षा (Cross-examination) के लिए प्रस्तुत की गई अथवा साक्षी की स्मृति ताजा करने के लिए उसे सौंपी गई दस्तावेज को लागू नहीं होगी।