PLJ 1992 SC 201
[Appellate Jurisdiction]
Present: muhammad afzal ZuLLAH CJ and wali muhammad khan, J
FARMAN ALI-Appellant
versus
MUHAMMAD YOUSAF ALI and another-Respondents
Civil Appeal No.99 of 1991, accepted on 22.2.1992
[On Appeal from judgment/order dated 15.7.1990, of Lahore High Court, passed in Civil Revision No. 2064 of 1986.]
Restoration—
—-Civil revision-Dismissal in default of~Restoration of-Prayer for-It is clear from affidavit of Rana Abdul Hamid (Advocate) and conduct of Mr. A.K. Dogar (Advocate) in his filing power of attorney earlier than date fixed that appellant had taken away brief from former and entrusted same to latter for conduct of his revision petition-Held: Admittedly appellant had no notice of date of hearing and he cannot be penalised for acts of office or his previous counsel-Appeal accepted and revision petition before High Court restored.
[Pp-203&204]A&B
PLJ 1981 SC 328,1970 SCMR 96, PLD 1990 Kar. 227,1980 CLC 466,1979 SCMR
309 and 1988 SCMR 263 ref.
Mr. A.K. Dogar, Advocate, Supreme Court and S-Abul Aasim Jafri, AOR
(absent) for Appellant.
Mr. Muhammad Munir Peracha, Advocate, Supreme Court and S. Abid
Nawaz, AOR (absent) for Respondents.
Date of hearing: 22.2.1992.
judgment
Wall Muhammad Khan, J.-Through the instant appeal, by leave of the Court, Farman Ali appellant has called in question the order dated 15.7.1990 passed by the Lahore High Court, whereby his application for restoration of the revision petition filed by him which was dismissed for non-prosecution on 13.11.1988, was dismissed alongwith the application for condonation of delay. The leave granting order is as follows:-
"The learned counsel for the petitioner relies on Mst. Sardaran Bibi and another versus Allahdino (PLD 1990 Karachi 227) and Alico Civil Engineers and Contractors, Lahore versus Syeda Mushtri Rafiq Ahmad and another (1980 CLC 466 Lahore) for avoidance of the impugned order.
An authoritative pronouncement on the subject is called for. Leave to appeal is, therefore, granted.
Security Rs. 5,000/00."
The facts of the case, briefly stated, are that the appellant filed the suit for pre-emption against the respondents which was dismissed vide order dated 4.5.1986 and the appeal filed against it also met the same fate vide order dated 21.10.1986. The appellant filed revision petition on 26.10.1986 through Rana Abdul Hameed Khan, Advocate. Before the date fixed for hearing, the appellant took away brief from him and engaged Mr. A.K. Dogar, Advocate, who filed his power of attorney in the High Court on 18.8.1987 which was duly entered in the Diary at Sr.No.573, but neither the power of attorney was annexed with the file of the revision petition nor a note was given in the cause list that Mr.A.K. Dogar was a counsel for the appellant, with the result that the new counsel had no notice of the revision petition having been fixed for hearing on 13.11.1988 on which date Rana Abdul Hameed Khan, Advocate, on seeing his name appearing on the cause list, put in appearance in the Court and stated "no instructions". Consequently, the revision petition was dismissed for non-prosecution. The appellant, after sufficient length of time, came to know of the dismissal of the revision petition and informed his new counsel Mr. A.K. Dogar, who, after making himself sure about the dismissal from the office, instituted the petition for restoration of the revision petition alongwith an application for condonation of delay, a notice whereof was given to the opposite party and the learned High Court after hearing the learned counsel for the parties dismissed both the petitions vide order dated 15.7.1990, holding that the petitioner had not been able to make out sufficient cause either for restoration of the revision petition or for condonation of delay. Hence the instant appeal through leave of the Court.
We have heard Mr. A.K. Dogar, Advocate, for the appellant, Mr. Muhammad Munir Peracha, Advocate, for the respondents and have perused the record of the case. The learned counsel for the appellant argued with vehemence that the dismissal of the revision petition was the result of negligence of the officer concerned of the High Court who failed to place his power of attorney on the judicial file of the revision petition and omitted to record his name in the cause list for the date fixed, as counsel for the appellant. According to him, Rana Abdul Hameed Khan, Advocate, put in appearance before the Court stating no instructions but the appellant had taken away brief from him already and according to his (Rana's) sworn affidavit he had informed the Court about this fact as well and, as such, law and equity demanded adjournment of the revision petition for another date with a notice to the appellant personally. He stressed that nobody is to suffer for acts of the Court. He placed reliance on Ch. Mehraj Din versus West Pakistan Province and 8 others (1970 SCMR 96), Lt. Col. Mirza Munawar Beg etc. vs. Mst. Hassan Bibi and others (P.L.J. 1981 Supreme Court 328), Mst. Sardaran Bibi and another vs. Allahdino (P.L.D. 1990 Karachi 227), Alico Civil Engineers and Contractors and another vs,Syeda Mushtri Rafiq Ahmad and another (1980 C.L.C. 466), Sh. Abdul Majid vs. Habib Ahmad (1979 S.C.M.R. 309), and Shaukat Hussain and others vs. Mst. Qaisarah Begum and others (1988 S.C.M.R. 263).
The learned counsel for the respondent, on the other hand, conceded the factual assertion of the learned counsel for the appellant but submitted that Rana Abdul Hameed never informed the Court about the taking away of the brief from him as is apparent from the order of the Court and that in consequence, the Court had to dismiss the revision petition for non-prosecution.
Be that as it may, without entering into the controversy whether the learned High Court could legally dismiss the revision petition for non-prosecution in the circumstances of the case or not, this much is clear from the affidavit of Rana Abdul Hameed and conduct of Mr. A.K.Dogar in his filing power of attorney earlier than the date fixed that the appellant had taken away the brief from the former and entrusted the same to the latter for the conduct of his ^ revision petition. Admittedly, the appellant had no notice of the date of hearing and if Rana Abdul Hameed did not inform the Court that the brief had been taken away from him by the appellant or the office did not perform its duty to place the power of attorney of Mr. A.K. Dogar on the judicial file and enter his name in the cause list, the appellant is not to be penalised for the same.
We, accordingly, accept the appeal set aside the impugned order of the High Court and by condoning the delay, restore the revision petition dismissed for non-prosecution on 13.11.1988 and remand the same back to the High Court for decision on merits.
(MBC) (Approved for reporting) Appeal accepted.
[Appellate Jurisdiction]
Present: muhammad afzal ZuLLAH CJ and wali muhammad khan, J
FARMAN ALI-Appellant
versus
MUHAMMAD YOUSAF ALI and another-Respondents
Civil Appeal No.99 of 1991, accepted on 22.2.1992
[On Appeal from judgment/order dated 15.7.1990, of Lahore High Court, passed in Civil Revision No. 2064 of 1986.]
Restoration—
—-Civil revision-Dismissal in default of~Restoration of-Prayer for-It is clear from affidavit of Rana Abdul Hamid (Advocate) and conduct of Mr. A.K. Dogar (Advocate) in his filing power of attorney earlier than date fixed that appellant had taken away brief from former and entrusted same to latter for conduct of his revision petition-Held: Admittedly appellant had no notice of date of hearing and he cannot be penalised for acts of office or his previous counsel-Appeal accepted and revision petition before High Court restored.
[Pp-203&204]A&B
PLJ 1981 SC 328,1970 SCMR 96, PLD 1990 Kar. 227,1980 CLC 466,1979 SCMR
309 and 1988 SCMR 263 ref.
Mr. A.K. Dogar, Advocate, Supreme Court and S-Abul Aasim Jafri, AOR
(absent) for Appellant.
Mr. Muhammad Munir Peracha, Advocate, Supreme Court and S. Abid
Nawaz, AOR (absent) for Respondents.
Date of hearing: 22.2.1992.
judgment
Wall Muhammad Khan, J.-Through the instant appeal, by leave of the Court, Farman Ali appellant has called in question the order dated 15.7.1990 passed by the Lahore High Court, whereby his application for restoration of the revision petition filed by him which was dismissed for non-prosecution on 13.11.1988, was dismissed alongwith the application for condonation of delay. The leave granting order is as follows:-
"The learned counsel for the petitioner relies on Mst. Sardaran Bibi and another versus Allahdino (PLD 1990 Karachi 227) and Alico Civil Engineers and Contractors, Lahore versus Syeda Mushtri Rafiq Ahmad and another (1980 CLC 466 Lahore) for avoidance of the impugned order.
An authoritative pronouncement on the subject is called for. Leave to appeal is, therefore, granted.
Security Rs. 5,000/00."
The facts of the case, briefly stated, are that the appellant filed the suit for pre-emption against the respondents which was dismissed vide order dated 4.5.1986 and the appeal filed against it also met the same fate vide order dated 21.10.1986. The appellant filed revision petition on 26.10.1986 through Rana Abdul Hameed Khan, Advocate. Before the date fixed for hearing, the appellant took away brief from him and engaged Mr. A.K. Dogar, Advocate, who filed his power of attorney in the High Court on 18.8.1987 which was duly entered in the Diary at Sr.No.573, but neither the power of attorney was annexed with the file of the revision petition nor a note was given in the cause list that Mr.A.K. Dogar was a counsel for the appellant, with the result that the new counsel had no notice of the revision petition having been fixed for hearing on 13.11.1988 on which date Rana Abdul Hameed Khan, Advocate, on seeing his name appearing on the cause list, put in appearance in the Court and stated "no instructions". Consequently, the revision petition was dismissed for non-prosecution. The appellant, after sufficient length of time, came to know of the dismissal of the revision petition and informed his new counsel Mr. A.K. Dogar, who, after making himself sure about the dismissal from the office, instituted the petition for restoration of the revision petition alongwith an application for condonation of delay, a notice whereof was given to the opposite party and the learned High Court after hearing the learned counsel for the parties dismissed both the petitions vide order dated 15.7.1990, holding that the petitioner had not been able to make out sufficient cause either for restoration of the revision petition or for condonation of delay. Hence the instant appeal through leave of the Court.
We have heard Mr. A.K. Dogar, Advocate, for the appellant, Mr. Muhammad Munir Peracha, Advocate, for the respondents and have perused the record of the case. The learned counsel for the appellant argued with vehemence that the dismissal of the revision petition was the result of negligence of the officer concerned of the High Court who failed to place his power of attorney on the judicial file of the revision petition and omitted to record his name in the cause list for the date fixed, as counsel for the appellant. According to him, Rana Abdul Hameed Khan, Advocate, put in appearance before the Court stating no instructions but the appellant had taken away brief from him already and according to his (Rana's) sworn affidavit he had informed the Court about this fact as well and, as such, law and equity demanded adjournment of the revision petition for another date with a notice to the appellant personally. He stressed that nobody is to suffer for acts of the Court. He placed reliance on Ch. Mehraj Din versus West Pakistan Province and 8 others (1970 SCMR 96), Lt. Col. Mirza Munawar Beg etc. vs. Mst. Hassan Bibi and others (P.L.J. 1981 Supreme Court 328), Mst. Sardaran Bibi and another vs. Allahdino (P.L.D. 1990 Karachi 227), Alico Civil Engineers and Contractors and another vs,Syeda Mushtri Rafiq Ahmad and another (1980 C.L.C. 466), Sh. Abdul Majid vs. Habib Ahmad (1979 S.C.M.R. 309), and Shaukat Hussain and others vs. Mst. Qaisarah Begum and others (1988 S.C.M.R. 263).
The learned counsel for the respondent, on the other hand, conceded the factual assertion of the learned counsel for the appellant but submitted that Rana Abdul Hameed never informed the Court about the taking away of the brief from him as is apparent from the order of the Court and that in consequence, the Court had to dismiss the revision petition for non-prosecution.
Be that as it may, without entering into the controversy whether the learned High Court could legally dismiss the revision petition for non-prosecution in the circumstances of the case or not, this much is clear from the affidavit of Rana Abdul Hameed and conduct of Mr. A.K.Dogar in his filing power of attorney earlier than the date fixed that the appellant had taken away the brief from the former and entrusted the same to the latter for the conduct of his ^ revision petition. Admittedly, the appellant had no notice of the date of hearing and if Rana Abdul Hameed did not inform the Court that the brief had been taken away from him by the appellant or the office did not perform its duty to place the power of attorney of Mr. A.K. Dogar on the judicial file and enter his name in the cause list, the appellant is not to be penalised for the same.
We, accordingly, accept the appeal set aside the impugned order of the High Court and by condoning the delay, restore the revision petition dismissed for non-prosecution on 13.11.1988 and remand the same back to the High Court for decision on merits.
(MBC) (Approved for reporting) Appeal accepted.
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