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SHIVANI SHARMA filed a consumer case on 31 May 2022 against MARUTI SUZUKI INDIA LTD. in the West Delhi Consumer Court. The case no is CC/21/148 and the judgment uploaded on 26 Jul 2022.
BEFORE THE DISTRICT CONSUME DISPUTE REDRESSAL COMMISSION-III,
WEST DISTRICT, C-150-151, COMMUNITY CENTRE, JANAKPURI,
NEW DELHI
CC No. 148/21
In re:-
Ms. Shivani Sharma
W/o Shri Mahesh Sharma,
R/o B-270, Hari Nagar, Clock Tower,
New Delhi-110064
………..Complainant
VERSUS
Plot No.1, Nelson Mandela Road,
Vasant Kunj, New Delhi – 110070
Through its Chairman
B-84, Industrial Area, Mayapuri Phase-I,
New Delhi-110064
Through its MD Sh. Rajeev Gambhir
Parsvnath Towers,
BHai Veer Singh Marg,Gole Market,
New Delhi-110001
Also at
Space No.315, 3rd Floor, Aggarwal City Mall,
Plot No.04, Road No.44, Pitampura Road,
Block AD, DakshiniPitampura,
New Delhi-110034
.........Opposite Parties
CORAM:
Ms. Sonica Mehrotra, President
Ms. Richa Jindal, Member
Mr. Anil Kumar Koushal, Member
Present: M. Ram Gopal Sharma, Advocate for the complainant
DATE: 31.05.2022
Matter Taken up through Virtual Hearing
ORDER
Per: Anil Kumar Koushal, Member
“69. (1) The District Commission, the State Commission or the National Commission shall not admit a complaint unless it is filed within two years from the date on which the cause of action has arisen. (2) Notwithstanding anything contained in sub-section (1), a complaint may be entertained after the period specified in sub-section (1), if the complainant satisfies the District Commission, the State Commission or the National Commission, as the case may be, that he had sufficient cause for not filing the complaint within such period: Provided that no such complaint shall be entertained unless the District Commission or the State Commission or the National Commission, as the case may be, records its reasons for condoning such delay.”
The order dated 12.09.2019 of the District Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission(Central), where the complainant was first filed, records as under:
“Present: Complainant in person.
Counsel for OP-1 Ms. Veenu Yadav
Counsel for OP-2 Sh. Chirag Ahmad alongwith Sidhharth Bambha
Counsel for OP-3 Sh Jitender Chauhan.
It is stated by the complainant that he wants to withdraw the present complaint on the ground of terrirorial jurisdiction with liberty to file the same as per law. Heard.
In view of the above submission made by the complainant, the present complaint is disposed off as withdrawn with liberty to file the same as per law. Office is directed to return the complaint alongwith all the documents after retaining the copy of same for records. File be consigned to record room.”
We may note that after withdrawal of the case from the District Consumer Commission(Central) on 12.9.2019, the complaint instead of filed a fresh complaint before this Commission immediately thereafter, filed it on 12.3.2021, i.e. after a gap of more than 1-1/2 years and that too without any application for condonation of delay, explaining the reasons for the delay in filing the complaint so late. Instead the complaint has been filed afresh with an application under Section 14 of the Limitation Act, 1963. It is relevant to quote Section 14 of the Limitation Act as under:
“14 Exclusion of time of proceeding bona fide in court without jurisdiction. —
(1) In computing the period of limitation for any suit the time during which the plaintiff has been prosecuting with due diligence another civil proceeding, whether in a court of first instance or of appeal or revision, against the defendant shall be excluded, where the proceeding relates to the same matter in issue and is prosecuted in good faith in a court which, from defect of jurisdiction or other cause of a like nature, is unable to entertain it.
(2) In computing the period of limitation for any application, the time during which the applicant has been prosecuting with due diligence another civil proceeding, whether in a court of first instance or of appeal or revision, against the same party for the same relief shall be excluded, where such proceeding is prosecuted in good faith in a court which, from defect of jurisdiction or other cause of a like nature, is unable to entertain it.
(3) Notwithstanding anything contained in rule 2 of Order XXIII of the Code of Civil Procedure, 1908 (5 of 1908), the provisions of sub-section (1) shall apply in relation to a fresh suit instituted on permission granted by the court under rule 1 of that Order where such permission is granted on the ground that the first suit must fail by reason of a defect in the jurisdiction of the court or other cause of a like nature. Explanation.— For the purposes of this section,—
(a) in excluding the time during which a former civil proceeding was pending, the day on which that proceeding was instituted and the day on which it ended shall both be counted;
(b) a plaintiff or an applicant resisting an appeal shall be deemed to be prosecuting a proceeding;
(c) misjoinder of parties or of causes of action shall be deemed to be a cause of a like nature with defect of jurisdiction.
The Hon'ble Supreme Court in N. Balakrishnan Vs M. Krishnamurthy VII (1998) SLT 334 laid down as under:
“Rule of limitation are not meant to destroy the right of parties. They are meant to see that parties do not resort to dilatory tactics, but seek their remedy promptly. The object of providing a legal remedy is to repair the damage caused by reason of legal injury. Law of limitation fixes a life-span for such legal remedy for the redress of the legal injury so suffered. Time is precious and the wasted time would never revisit. During efflux of time newer causes would sprout up necessitating newer persons to seek legal remedy by approaching the courts. So a life span must be fixed for each remedy. Unending period for launching the remedy may lead to unending uncertainty and consequential anarchy. Law of limitation is thus founded on public policy. It is enshrined in the maxim Interest reipublicae up sit finis litium (it is for the general welfare that a period be putt to litigation). Rules of limitation are not meant to destroy the right of the parties. They are meant to see that parties do not resort to dilatory tactics but seek their remedy promptly. The idea is that every legal remedy must be kept alive for a legislatively fixed period of time.”
According to us, the first limitation in this case started when the complainant derived the knowledge about deficiency in service by the OPs in attending to the car of the complainant. That was in 2016 and on 29.4.2017 when the accident arose due to alleged manufacturing defect. The complainant was well within her right to file the earlier complaint before the Consumer Commission(Central) and the same was accordingly entertained and later on dismissed as withdrawn for want of territorial jurisdiction. However, as far as filing the present complaint before this Commission is concerned, the complainant was supposed to approach this Commission immediately after withdrawal of the earlier complaint but it waited for more than 1-1/2 years to file the present complaint i.e. a long period from 12.9.2019 to 12.3.2021. According to us the complaint is hopelessly barred by time. Following the aforementioned ruling of the Hon’ble Supreme Court, the present complaint is dismissed in limine on the ground of laches. File be consigned to record room.
We may note that while dismissing the present complaint, we have not touched upon the merits of the case and simply based our decision on the law of limitation.
(Richa Jindal) (Anil Kumar Koushal) (Sonica Mehrotra)
Member Member President
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