High Court Kerala High Court

Visalakshi vs M/S Catholic Syrian Bank Limited on 31 October, 2008

Kerala High Court
Visalakshi vs M/S Catholic Syrian Bank Limited on 31 October, 2008
       

  

  

 
 
  IN THE HIGH COURT OF KERALA AT ERNAKULAM

RSA.No. 605 of 2008()


1. VISALAKSHI, AGED 57 YEARS,
                      ...  Petitioner
2. SREEDHARAN, AGED 55 YEARS,

                        Vs



1. M/S CATHOLIC SYRIAN BANK LIMITED.,
                       ...       Respondent

                For Petitioner  :SMT.S.KARTHIKA

                For Respondent  : No Appearance

The Hon'ble MR. Justice V.RAMKUMAR

 Dated :31/10/2008

 O R D E R
                       V.RAMKUMAR, J.
             ...................................................
                    R.S.A. No. 605 of 2008
             ...................................................

                      DATED: 31-10-2008

                            JUDGMENT

Defendants 4 and 5 in O.S. No. 2504 of 2006 on the

file of the Principal Munsiff’s Court, Trichur are the

appellants in this Second Appeal. The said suit was one for

a mandatory injunction directing the defendants to vacate

from the plaint schedule property admeasuring 12.5 cents

with a residential building thereon situated at Thrissur.

2. The facts which have been concurrently found by

the courts below are the following:-

The first defendant in the suit namely one Suresh

Kumar had availed of a loan for a sum of Rs. 47,650.- and

an overdraft facility of Rs. 25,000/- from the Marathakara

Branch of the Catholic Syrian Bank, Thrissur under a

scheme called Prime Minister’s Roscar Yojana Scheme

(PMRY Scheme). The appellants had stood as sureties for

R.S.A. No. 605 of 2008 -:2:-

the first defendant offering the plaint schedule property as

collateral security. Consequent on the first defendant/

principal debtor committing default in the re-payment of

loan the bank filed a suit as O.S. No. 2018 of 1998 before

the Principal Munsiff’s Court, Thrissur for realisation of the

loan. The said suit was decreed after the appellants

withdrew their contest and plaint schedule property which

was charged for the decree amount was sold in court

auction on 29-11-2003. The decree holder bank purchased

the property for a sum of Rs. 1,44,892/-. The sale was

confirmed on 1-3-2004. The decree holder bank filed E.A.

No. 521 of 2005 for sale certificate and for delivery. The

delivery was ordered with police aid and the decree holder

bank took delivery on 26-7-2005. Being a non-banking

asset the decree holder decided to sell the property.

when the Bank officials took the prospective buyer to the

property, defendants 4 and 5 were found in possession of

the property. Hence, the present suit was filed.

3. The main defence raised by the appellants was

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that notwithstanding the decree passed in O.S. 2018 of

1998 the appellants were never dispossessed from the

residential building in the plaint schedule property, that

there was not actual delivery, that the bank was playing a

fraud by obtaining a collateral security in respect of a loan

for a sum of less than Rs. 1,00,000/- for which no collateral

security could be taken by the bank under the PMRY

scheme, that they had repaid a sum of Rs. 23,000/- in

between 2002 and 2003 and that the plaint schedule

property was sold in unconscionably low price of Rs.

1,44,892/-.

4. The courts below repelled the above contentions

holding that the decree holder/bank had obtained actual

delivery of the property in execution of the decree passed in

O.S. 2018 of 1998 and that the contentions raised by the

appellants could not be countenanced since they had no

such contenion in O.S. 2018 of 1998. The courts below,

accordingly, concurrently granted a decree for perpetual

injunction restraining the appellants from trespassing into

R.S.A. No. 605 of 2008 -:4:-

the plaint schedule property of which the decree holder

bank is presently the title holder.

5. Eventhough the learned counsel appearing for

the appellants assailed the decrees on various grounds,

having regard to the fact that the appellants did not raised

any of the aforesaid defences in O.S. 2018 of 1998, the

decree in which case has become final, they are precluded

from raising such contentions in the present suit . No

question of law, much less, any substantial question of law

arises for consideration in this Second Appeal. The

questions of law formulated in the memorandum of appeal

also do not arise for consideration in this Second Appeal

which is accordingly dismissed in limine.

6. Before parting with this case I wish to observe

that both the appellants are members of the scheduled

caste and if the loan availed of by the first defendant in the

case was under the PMRY Scheme and going by the

quantum of loan borrowed by the first defendant if no

collateral security could be taken by the bank under the

R.S.A. No. 605 of 2008 -:5:-

above scheme, the bank was committing an illegality

which has unfortunately resulted in the being appellants

deprived of their homestead. A copy of this judgment

shall be forwarded to the Head Office of the Catholic

Syrian Bank at Trichur for information and necessary action

if any in the matter so that if there is any infraction of the

provisions of the terms and conditions of the scheme, the

bank should although belatedly proceed against the erring

officials and make good the loss sustained by the appellants

who belong to the underprivileged strata of the society.

Dated this the 31st day of October 2008.

Sd/-V.RAMKUMAR,
Judge.

ani/                      /true copy/

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