Neeraj Prasad vs Smt. Gauri Prasad (Died And Deleted) on 6 April, 2026

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    Chattisgarh High Court

    Neeraj Prasad vs Smt. Gauri Prasad (Died And Deleted) on 6 April, 2026

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                                                                                                AFR
    
             Digitally
    VISHAKHA signed by
    BEOHAR   VISHAKHA
                                  HIGH COURT OF CHHATTISGARH AT BILASPUR
             BEOHAR
    
    
    
    
                                                       FA No. 79 of 2022
    
                                              Order Reserved on : 19.03.2026
                                              Order Delivered on : 06.04.2026
    
    
                         1 - Neeraj Prasad S/o Late Ramanand Prassad (R.N.Prasad) Aged
                         About 48 Years R/o Gulab Nagar, Mopka, Twhsil And District
                         Bilaspur,                                                        Chhattisgarh.
                         2           -        Chandan              Prasad            (Death)          Nill
                         2.1 - Smt. Manishi Prasad, W/o Late Chandan Prasad Aged About
                         42 Years R/o Gulab Nagar, Mopka, Tehsil And District Bilaspur
                         Chhattisgarh.
                         2.2 - Rishika Prasad, D/o Late Chandan Prasad, Aged About 13
                         Years Thorugh Its Guardian Smt. Manishi Prasad, R/o Gulab
                         Nagar,      Mopka,       Tehsil   And     District    Bilaspur   Chhattisgarh.
                         2.3 - Arya Prasad, S/o Late Chandan Prasad, Aged About 8 Years
                         Through Its Guardian Smt. Manishi Prasad, R/o Gulab Nagar,
                         Mopka,          Tehsil     And      District         Bilaspur    Chhattisgarh.
                         3 - Ranjan Prasad, S/o Ramanand Prasad (R.N. Prasad) Aged
                         About 43 Years R/o Gulab Nagar, Mopka, Tehsil And District
                         Bilaspur Chhattisgarh.
                                                                               ... Appellants/Plaintiffs
                                                             versus
                         1 - Smt. Gauri Prasad (Died And Deleted) As Per Honble Court
                         Order                             Dated                           29-01-2026.
                                                2
    
    
    2 - Smt. Jayshree Sawarkar, W/o Narendra Kumar Sawarkar, Aged
    About 50 Years R/o Rajkishor Nagar Holly Nursery School, Tehsil
    And                 District                 Bilaspur                  Chhattisgarh.
    3 - Bank Of Baroda, Branch Office Birkona, Near Pt. Sundar Lal
    Open Univeristy Birkona, Tehsil And District Bilaspur Chhattisgarh.
    4 - Bank Of Baroda, Through Regional Manager, Regional Office
    Rosarb Branch, First Floor Mhavir Goshala Complex, Mohdapara,
    K.K.              Road,                 Raipur              492004                 C.G.
    5 - State Of Chhattisgarh, Through Collector Bilaspur, District
    Bilaspur Chhattisgarh.                           ... Respondents/Defendants
           (Cause-title taken from the Case Information System)
    ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    For Petitioner       :-     Mr. Goutam Khetarpal, Advocate
    For State            :-     Mr. Kanwaljit Singh Saini, Dy.G.A.
    For Respondent No.2                :-     Mr. Sajal Kumar Gupta, Advocate
    For Respondents No. 3 & 4:-               Mr. Ankit Singhal, Advocate
    ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
           Division Bench : Hon'ble Shri Justice Sanjay S. Agrawal
                  & Hon'ble Shri Justice Amitendra Kishore Prasad
                                     CAV Order
    
    
    Per, Amitendra Kishore Prasad, J.
    

    1. This First Appeal under Section 96 of the Code of Civil

    Procedure (hereinafter to be referred as ‘CPC‘) has been preferred

    SPONSORED

    by the appellants/plaintiffs calling in question the legality, validity,

    and propriety of the judgment and decree dated 13.04.2022

    passed by the learned 3rd Additional District Judge, Bilaspur (C.G.)
    3

    in Civil Suit No. A/30/2020, whereby the plaint has been rejected

    under Order VII Rule 11 CPC holding that the suit is barred under

    Section 34 of the Securitisation and Reconstruction of Financial

    Assets and Enforcement of Security Interest Act, 2002 (hereinafter

    to be referred as ‘SARFAESI Act‘).

    2. Following prayer has been made by the appellants/plaintiffs

    by way of this appeal:-

    “It is therefore prayer that the impugned
    judgment passed by the 3rd Additional District
    Judge, Bilaspur, C.G. parties Neeraj Prasad &
    others Vs. Smt. Gauri Prasad & others
    may
    kindly be set aside and allowed the
    Appellants/plaintiffs appeal and restore the main
    suit in the ends of justice.”

    3. Briefly stated, the suit property was purchased by late

    Ramanand Prasad, father of the appellants, by a registered sale

    deed dated 11.12.2002. After his death on 08.05.2009, the property

    devolved upon the appellants and Respondent No.1 as legal heirs.

    It is the case of the appellants that Respondent No.1, without

    consent of other co-heirs and without partition, got her name

    mutated exclusively and executed a registered sale deed dated

    03.07.2017 in favour of Respondent No.2. Respondent No.2

    thereafter mortgaged the suit property with Bank of Baroda, and

    upon default in repayment of loan, proceedings under Section
    4

    13(4) of the SARFAESI Act were initiated and possession notice

    dated 21.05.2019 was issued. The appellants filed a civil suit

    seeking declaration of title to the extent of 75% share, cancellation

    of the sale deed dated 03.07.2017, and permanent injunction

    restraining the Bank from auctioning the suit property. During the

    pendency of the suit, the respondent Bank filed applications under

    Sections 13, 34, and 35 of the SARFAESI Act and under Order VII

    Rule 11 CPC, contending that the jurisdiction of the civil court was

    barred. The learned trial Court accepted the said objections, relying

    upon Section 34 of the SARFAESI Act and the judgment passed in

    Jagdish Singh vs. Heeralal (2014) 1 SCC 479, and rejected the

    plaint.

    4. Learned counsel for the appellants submits that the learned

    trial Court has committed a manifest error of law in rejecting the

    plaint by holding the suit to be barred under Section 34 of the

    SARFAESI Act. It is contended that the provisions of Sections 13

    and 17 of the said Act are not attracted in the present case

    inasmuch as the appellants are neither borrowers nor guarantors,

    but are claiming independent title over the suit property as co-heirs.

    The suit, in essence, is one for declaration of title, cancellation of

    the sale deed dated 03.07.2017 as null and void, and for grant of

    permanent prohibitory injunction, which falls within the exclusive

    domain of the civil court and not within the jurisdiction of the Debts
    5

    Recovery Tribunal. It is further submitted that the learned trial Court

    has failed to consider this material aspect and has erroneously

    ousted the jurisdiction of the civil court. The Debts Recovery

    Tribunal cannot adjudicate upon complicated questions of title,

    particularly between third parties who are not parties to the loan

    transaction. Learned counsel also contends that while deciding an

    application under Order VII Rule 11 of the Code of Civil Procedure,

    the Court is required to confine itself strictly to the averments made

    in the plaint alone, and the defence taken by the defendants,

    whether in the written statement or in the application under Order

    VII Rule 11 CPC, cannot be looked into. This being a settled

    proposition of law, the impugned order suffers from serious legal

    infirmity. In support of the aforesaid submissions, reliance has been

    placed upon the judgments of the Hon’ble Supreme Court reported

    in (2025) 4 SCC 38 [Central Bank of India and another vs. Prabha

    Jain and others] and also upon the decision of the High Court

    reported in 2012 SCC OnLine MP 9514 [Smt. Prabha Jain vs.

    Central Bank of India and others].

    5. Per contra, learned counsel for the respondents submit that

    the learned trial Court has rightly dismissed the suit of the plaintiffs

    by holding the same to be barred under Order VII Rule 11(d) of the

    Code of Civil Procedure. It is contended that the subsequent

    purchaser of the suit property had validly mortgaged the same with
    6

    Bank of Baroda and obtained a loan, and upon default in

    repayment, the secured asset was liable to be proceeded against

    by the Bank in accordance with law. Consequently, proceedings

    were initiated under the SARFAESI Act for enforcement of the

    security interest. It is further submitted that once measures under

    the SARFAESI Act have been invoked, the statutory remedy

    available to the aggrieved party lies under Section 17 of the Act

    before the Debts Recovery Tribunal, and therefore, the jurisdiction

    of the civil court is expressly barred under Section 34 of the said

    Act. Learned counsel contends that the trial Court, after duly

    considering the factual matrix and the legal position emerging from

    Sections 13, 17, and 34 of the SARFAESI Act, has rightly rejected

    the plaint as being barred by law, and the impugned order does not

    call for any interference by this Court.

    6. We have heard learned counsel for the parties and perused

    the material available on record.

    7. From a perusal of the order of the trial Court, it is evident that

    reliance has been placed upon the decision in Jagdish Singh

    (Supra). However, such reliance appears to be misconceived. The

    said judgment pertains to cases involving borrowers and

    guarantors in the context of proceedings under the SARFAESI Act,

    and does not deal with disputes where third parties assert

    independent title over the property. Therefore, the ratio of the said
    7

    judgment is not applicable to the facts of the present case, where

    the plaintiffs claim rights as independent co-heirs.

    8. From a bare perusal of the plaint, it is quite vivid that the

    plaintiffs have sought reliefs in respect of declaration of title,

    declaration of their share in the suit property, declaration of sale

    deed dated 03.07.2017 as null and void, declaration of their share

    to the extent of 25% each in the entire suit land, further declaration

    that the mortgage of the property is not in accordance with law, and

    grant of permanent injunction restraining auction proceedings.

    From the plaint, it further appears that there is a specific pleading

    that the suit property originally belonged to their father late

    Ramanand Prasad, who had acquired the same by way of a

    registered sale deed dated 11.12.2002. The property, bearing Plot

    No. 350, Khasra No. 804/5, admeasuring 2400 sq. ft., situated at

    Mouza Mopka, Tehsil and District Bilaspur, Revenue Circle No. 19,

    was thus the self-acquired property of the deceased. It is further

    pleaded that in the year 2002 the land was duly diverted and

    assigned Khasra No. 804/5 with Plot No. 350. After the death of

    their father on 08.05.2019, Defendant No.1 (mother) got her name

    mutated in the revenue records without the knowledge or consent

    of the plaintiffs. Thereafter, she illegally sold the property vide sale

    deed dated 03.07.2017 in favour of Defendant No.2, who, despite

    having knowledge that the property was joint family property of the
    8

    plaintiffs and Defendant No.1, purchased the same and

    subsequently mortgaged it with Bank of Baroda, Birgaon Branch. It

    is only upon publication of auction notice in the daily newspaper

    that the plaintiffs came to know about such transactions, leading to

    filing of the present suit.

    9. From the nature of reliefs claimed in the plaint, it is apparent

    that the core reliefs pertain to declaration of title, declaration of

    share, and cancellation of the sale deed as null and void. These

    reliefs fall within the exclusive domain of the civil court and cannot

    be adjudicated by any other forum, including the Debts Recovery

    Tribunal constituted under the SARFAESI Act.

    10. This aspect has already been considered by the High Court of

    Madhya Pradesh in the matter of Smt. Prabha Jain vs. Central

    Bank of India and others reported in 2012 SCC OnLine MP 9514,

    wherein it has been held that where the relief sought by the plaintiff

    is essentially for declaration of title and related civil rights, the

    jurisdiction of the civil Court is not barred under Section 34 of the

    SARFAESI Act, and such matters cannot be adjudicated by the

    Debts Recovery Tribunal.

    11. The aforesaid judgment of the High Court was assailed

    before the Hon’ble Supreme Court, which came to be decided in

    (2025) 4 SCC 38 [Central Bank of India and another vs. Prabha

    Jain and others] and it was held as under :

    9

    “15. The plaintiff in her suit has prayed for 3
    reliefs: (a) The first relief is in relation to a sale
    deed executed by Sumer Chand / Jain in favour
    of Parmeshwar Das Prajapati. (b) The second
    relief is in relation to a mortgage deed executed
    by Pramod Jain in favour of the Bank. (c) The
    third relief is for being handed over the
    possession of the suit property.

    16. So far as the first and second reliefs are
    concerned, they are not in relation to any
    measures taken by the secured creditor under
    Section 13(4) of the SARFAESI Act. Rather,
    they are reliefs in relation to the actions taken
    prior to the secured creditor stepping into the
    picture and well prior to the secured creditor
    invoking the provisions of the SARFAESI Act.

    23. Even if we would have been persuaded to
    take the view that the third relief is barred by
    Section 17(3) of the SARFAESI Act, still the
    plaint must survive because there cannot be a
    partial rejection of the plaint under Order 7 Rule
    11 CPC
    . Hence, even if one relief survives, the
    plaint cannot be rejected under Order 7 Rule 11
    CPC
    . In the case on hand, the first and second
    reliefs as prayed for are clearly not barred by
    Section 34 of the SARFAESI Act and arewithin
    the civil court’s jurisdiction. Hence, the plaint
    cannot be rejected under Order 7 Rule 11 CPC.

    24. 1f the civil court is of the view that one relief
    (say relief A) is not barred by law but is of the
    10

    view that relief B is barred by law, the civil court
    must not make any observations to the effect
    that relief B is barred by law and must leave
    that issue undecided in an Order 7 Rule 11
    application. This is because if the civil court
    cannot reject a plaint partially, then by the same
    logic, it ought not to make any adverse
    observations against relief B.”

    12. From a perusal of the above judgment, it is evident that where

    the principal relief sought by the plaintiffs is for declaration of title,

    share, and cancellation of sale deed, the same lies within the

    exclusive jurisdiction of the civil Court and not within the domain of

    the Debts Recovery Tribunal. Consequently, Section 34 of the

    SARFAESI Act would not operate as a bar to such a civil suit.

    Merely because an ancillary relief of injunction against auction

    proceedings has been sought, the jurisdiction of the civil Court

    cannot be ousted.

    13. The Hon’ble Supreme Court in the matter of Karam Singh vs.

    Amarjit Singh and Others 2025 SCC OnLine SC 2240, has held as

    under:-

    “5. The defendants (i.e. the contesting
    respondents) filed an application under Order 7
    Rule 11(d) of the Civil Procedure Code, 19083 for
    rejection of the plaint on the ground that the suit is
    hopelessly barred by time. In the application it
    was, inter alia, stated that the will was set up in
    11

    the year 1983 after the death of Kartar Kaur; the
    mutation proceedings based on the will was
    contested and therefore, the plaintiffs including
    their predecessor in interest were fully aware of
    the existence of the will; hence, the relief for
    declaration qua the will, limitation of which is three
    years, was hopelessly barred by limitation. It was
    also contended that the plaintiffs’ stand that cause
    of action had arisen on 20.07.2017 is incorrect
    and wrong. In addition to above, it was stated that
    plaintiffs have concealed a material fact regarding
    filing of civil suit no. 648/2012, which was filed by
    father of plaintiff no. 1, wherein the order of
    mutation dated 28.05.2012 was challenged
    without challenging the will and, therefore, the
    plaint of the said suit was rejected under Order 7
    Rule 11 of CPC
    vide order dated 17.05.2013. It
    was thus claimed that the suit was also barred by
    Order 2 Rule 2 of CPC.

    18. In Indira v. Arumugam (1998) 1 SCC 614, this
    court held that when the suit is based on title for
    possession, once the title is established based on
    relevant documents and other evidence, unless
    the defendant proves adverse possession for the
    prescriptive period, the plaintiff cannot be non-
    suited. Consequently, when a suit is instituted for
    possession, based on title, to defeat the suit on
    the ground of adverse possession, the burden is
    on the defendant to prove adverse possession for
    the prescriptive period. This, therefore, in our
    view, cannot be an issue on which the plaint could
    12

    be rejected at the threshold. Moreover, the
    plaintiffs herein, had clearly disclosed that they
    had been contesting the will in the mutation
    proceedings which culminated in the year 2017.
    The suit was instituted within three years
    thereafter to declare the mutation entry illegal.
    Thus, considering that mutation proceedings are
    summary in nature, the institution of the regular
    suit questioning the same is not ex facie barred
    by law.

    19. That apart, where several reliefs are sought in
    suit, if any one of the reliefs is within the period of
    limitation, the plaint cannot be rejected as barred
    by law by taking recourse to Order 7 Rule 11(d) of
    CPC
    .”

    14. In the matter of P. Kumarakurubaran vs. P. Narayanan and

    Others 2025 SCC OnLine SC 975, the Hon’ble Supreme Court has

    held as under:-

    “10. Having heard the learned counsel for the
    parties and upon careful perusal of the pleadings,
    the material on record, and the impugned
    judgment, we find it necessary to examine
    whether the rejection of the plaint under Order VII
    Rule 11(d) CPC was justified in the facts and
    circumstances of the present case. It is to be
    pointed out at this juncture that though the
    respondents/defendants sought to reject the plaint
    on two grounds – valuation of the suit and
    13

    limitation – the High Court rejected the plaint
    solely on the ground that it was time-barred.
    Accordingly, we shall confine our consideration in
    this appeal to the issue of limitation.

    14. It is also to be noted that the appellant has
    categorically averred in the plaint that he
    executed the registered power of attorney in
    favour of his father solely for the limited purpose
    of constructing a house and carrying out related
    activities. There is no express clause authorizing
    his father to sell the suit property to any person
    without the appellant’s consent and knowledge.
    Yet, the appellant’s father executed a sale deed in
    favour of his granddaughter, going beyond the
    scope of the power of attorney, which raises
    serious doubt about misuse of authority and
    potential fraud. Such assertions cannot be
    rejected in the application under Order VII Rule 11
    CPC
    . Accordingly, we are of the view that the
    plaint discloses a cause of action which cannot be
    shut out at the threshold. Thus, the trial Court
    acted within its jurisdiction in refusing to reject the
    plaint and in holding that the matter ought to
    proceed to trial. The High Court, while exercising
    its revisional jurisdiction under Section 115 CPC,
    ought not to have interfered in the absence of any
    jurisdictional error or perversity in the trial court’s
    order. Rejecting the plaint where substantial
    factual disputes exist concerning limitation and
    the scope of authority under the Power of
    Attorney, is legally unsustainable.”

    14

    15. The Hon’ble Supreme Court in the matter of Leelamma

    Mathew vs. Indian Overseas Bank and Others (2023) 20 SCC 459

    has held as under:-

    “14.4. It is submitted that in terms of Section 34
    of the SARFAESI Act, the jurisdiction of the civil
    court is absolutely barred except in case the
    plaintiff is able to show fraud or
    misrepresentation. It is submitted that in the
    present case from the communications on
    record and that the possession was handed over
    to the Bank pursuant to the order under Section
    14
    of the SARFAESI Act on 8-10-2007 and
    thereafter the plaintiff made the payments on
    various dates, leading to the issuance of the
    sale certificate on 21-11-2007, which was
    registered almost 3 years later on 1-2-2010, it is
    very much clear that the plaintiff was aware of
    the extent of the property and no case of fraud is
    made out.

    20. Now so far as the submission on behalf of
    the plaintiff and the finding recorded by the High
    Court that the suit was barred by Section 34 of
    the SARFAESI Act is concerned, at the outset it is
    required to be noted that the suit was for
    damages/compensation, with respect to the
    balance land, which could not have been
    decided by the DRT or Appellate Tribunal,
    Section 34 of the SARFAESI Act shall be
    applicable only in a case where the Debts
    15

    Recovery Tribunal and/or Appellate Tribunal is
    empowered to decide the matter under the
    SARFAESI Act. The plaintiff was not challenging
    the sale/sale certificate. The plaintiff claimed the
    damages/compensation with respect to the less
    area. Therefore, the High Court has seriously
    erred in holding that the suit was barred by
    Section 34 of the SARFAESI Act.”

    16. Furthermore, in the matter of Rajiv Sareen vs. Divyanshu

    Enterprises and Others 2025 SCC OnLine Del 8354, the High

    Court of Delhi has held as under:-

    “10. Respondent No. 3 thereafter filed an
    application under Order VII Rule 11 of the CPC
    seeking rejection of the plaint, which was
    opposed by the Appellant. Upon consideration
    of the pleadings and submissions, the learned
    Single Judge allowed the said application and
    rejected the plaint, recording the following
    reasons:

    i. No complaint was lodged by the Appellant
    against Respondent Nos. 1 and 2 despite
    allegations of threat, coercion and undue
    influence.

    ii. The particulars of fraud were not specifically
    pleaded by the Appellant and mere clever
    drafting cannot be permitted to circumvent the
    statutory bar under Section 34 of the
    SARFAESI Act.

    16

    iii. Although the Appellant’s father was shown as
    a party to the MoU, he did not sign the same,
    rendering the document suspect and apparently
    created subsequently.

    iv. The Appellant’s plea of non-payment of sale
    consideration is barred by Sections 91 and 92
    of the Indian Evidence Act, 1872 [hereinafter
    referred to as ‘IEA’], since no oral evidence can
    be led contrary to the recitals of the Sale Deed.
    v. Non-payment of the entire sale consideration
    does not constitute a valid ground for
    cancellation of a registered sale deed.
    vi. Under the recitals of the Sale Deed, the title
    in the suit property stood transferred
    immediately to Respondent No. 1.

    11. On behalf of the Appellant, learned counsel
    submits that the learned Single Judge erred in
    holding the suit to be barred under Section 34
    of the SARFAESI Act. Placing reliance on the
    judgment of the Supreme Court in Central Bank
    of India v. Smt. Prabha Jain1
    , it is urged that the
    DRT-III has no jurisdiction to entertain or
    adjudicate upon a claim for cancellation of a
    registered Sale Deed. Accordingly, it is
    contended that since such a relief falls outside
    the scope of the SARFAESI Act, the civil suit
    instituted by the Appellant was maintainable
    before the Civil Court.

    12. Per contra, learned counsel for the
    Respondent No. 3 supports the Impugned
    Judgment and submits that the jurisdiction of
    17

    the Civil Court stands expressly barred under
    Section 34 of the SARFAESI Act. It is submitted
    that the reliefs sought by the Appellant are
    directly connected with the measures taken by
    the secured creditor in exercise of powers
    conferred under the said enactment.

    Accordingly, it is contended that the learned
    Single Judge has rightly rejected the plaint as
    being barred by law.

    16. It is trite law that while deciding an
    application under Order VII Rule 11 of the CPC,
    the Court must confine itself to the averments
    made in the plaint, which are to be read as a
    whole, without reference to the defence of the
    opposite party. The veracity or correctness of
    the allegations is not to be adjudicated at this
    preliminary stage.

    23. It is also settled law that even if the Court is
    of the opinion that the likelihood of success in
    the suit is remote or minimal, such a view
    cannot justify rejection of the plaint under Order
    VII Rule 11 of the CPC
    . The plaint can be
    rejected only if it does not disclose a cause of
    action or is clearly barred by any law on its face,
    not merely because the claim may ultimately
    fail.

    24. Insofar as the question of jurisdiction is
    concerned, the learned Single Judge’s
    conclusion that the civil suit is barred under
    Section 34 of the SARFAESI Act cannot be
    18

    sustained. The relief sought in the suit is for
    cancellation of a registered sale deed. The
    jurisdiction to cancel or set aside a registered
    conveyance is not vested in the DRT, which is a
    statutory forum of limited jurisdiction.”

    17. Also, in the matter of Mardia Chemicals Ltd. v. Union of India

    AIRONLINE 2004 SC 948, the Supreme Court held that exclusion

    of civil court jurisdiction under Section 34 is not absolute and civil

    court jurisdiction survives where the dispute involves allegations

    requiring adjudication beyond the limited statutory jurisdiction of the

    Tribunal, particularly where complicated questions of title arise.

    18. Similarly, in the matter of Authorized Officer, State Bank of

    Travancore v. Mathew K.C. AIR 2018 SUPREME COURT 676, the

    Supreme Court reiterated that where effective statutory remedy

    exists, ordinarily recourse must be taken under the SARFAESI

    mechanism; however, such principle applies where the dispute

    squarely falls within the Tribunal’s competence.

    19. Likewise, in Church of Christ Charitable Trust and

    Educational Charitable Society v. Ponniamman Educational Trust

    and Dahiben v. Arvindbhai Kalyanji Bhanusali (2012) 8SCC 706,

    the Supreme Court has categorically held that only plaint

    averments are required to be examined while deciding an

    application under Order VII Rule 11 CPC and unless the statutory
    19

    bar is apparent on the face of the plaint, rejection thereof is

    impermissible.

    20. In the present case, the appellants claim independent title as

    legal heirs of the deceased and have specifically challenged the

    validity of the sale deed dated 03.07.2017. It is also their

    categorical case that they are in continuous possession of the suit

    property. The controversy involved in the present matter relates to

    determination of title, validity of transfer effected by Defendant

    No.1 in favour of Defendant No.2, and adjudication of rights of co-

    heirs in the suit property. Such issues necessarily require a full-

    fledged trial, appreciation of oral and documentary evidence, and

    adjudication by a competent civil Court. These questions cannot be

    decided in summary proceedings before the Debts Recovery

    Tribunal, whose jurisdiction is limited in scope.

    21. It is a settled proposition of law that while considering an

    application under Order VII Rule 11 of the Code of Civil Procedure,

    only the averments made in the plaint are required to be seen. The

    plaint, in the present case, clearly discloses a cause of action and

    raises triable issues requiring adjudication. Therefore, the rejection

    of the plaint at the threshold by the learned trial Court is legally

    unsustainable and contrary to settled principles of law.

    22. In the present case, the learned trial Court has failed to

    appreciate this settled legal position and has committed an error of
    20

    law in rejecting the plaint under Order VII Rule 11(d) of the Code of

    Civil Procedure by holding the suit to be barred by jurisdiction. In

    view of the aforesaid discussion, this Court is of the considered

    opinion that the learned trial Court has committed a jurisdictional

    error in rejecting the plaint by misapplying Section 34 of the

    SARFAESI Act, and the impugned order, therefore, deserves to be

    set aside.

    23. Accordingly, the appeal is allowed. The impugned judgment

    and decree dated 13.04.2022 passed by the learned 3rd Additional

    District Judge, Bilaspur (C.G.) in Civil Suit No. A/30/2020 is hereby

    set aside. The plaint is restored to its original number. The matter is

    remanded back to the learned trial Court for adjudication on merits

    in accordance with law. The parties are directed to appear before

    the trial Court on a date to be fixed by the said Court.

    24. No order as to costs.

           Sd/-                                   Sd/-
       (Sanjay S. Agrawal)                   (Amitendra Kishore Prasad)
              Judge                                  Judge
    
    
    
    Vishakha
                              21
    
    
    
    
                          HEAD-NOTE
    
    
    "Under Order VII Rule 11 CPC, only plaint
    

    averments has to be considered, not the defence
    of the defendant. Rejection of plaint is
    impermissible where any relief claimed falls within
    civil court jurisdiction. The jurisdiction of the Debt
    Recovery Tribunal under the SARFAESI Act is
    limited in nature.”



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