ORDER VI PLEADINGS GENERALLY - RULE 13, 14, 14A, 15, 16, 17, 18 OF CODE OF CIVIL PROCEDURE 1908

What is Presumptions of law? What is the meaning of Pleading to be signed? What is Address for service of notice? What is Verification of pleadings? What is Striking out pleadings? What is Amendment of pleadings? What is Failure to amend after order? Rule 13, 14, 14A, 15, 16, 17 and 18 of Order VI of Code of Civil Procedure 1908

Presumptions of law, Pleading to be signed, Address for service of notice, Verification of pleadings, Striking out pleadings, Amendment of pleadings and Failure to amend after order are defined under Rule 13, 14, 14A, 15, 16, 17 and 18 of Order VI of Code of Civil Procedure 1908. Provisions under these Rules are:


 

Rule 13 Order VI of Code of Civil Procedure 1908 "Presumptions of law"

Neither party need in any pleading allege any matter of fact which the law presumes in his favour or as to which the burden of proof lies upon the other side unless the same has first been specifically denied (e.g., consideration for a bill of exchange where the plaintiff sues only on the bill and not for the consideration as a substantive ground of claim

 

Rule 14 Order VI of Code of Civil Procedure 1908 "Pleading to be signed"

Every pleading shall be signed by the party and his pleader (if any) :

Provided that where a party pleading is, by reason of absence or for other good cause, unable to sign the pleading, it may be signed by any person duly authorized by him to sign the same or to sue or defend on his behalf.

 

Rule 14A Order VI of Code of Civil Procedure 1908 "Address for service of notice"

 (1) Every pleading, when filed by a party, shall be accompanied by a statement in the prescribed form, signed as provided in rule 14, regarding the address of the party.

(2) Such address may, from time to time, be changed by lodging in Court a form duly filled up and stating the new address of the party and accompanied by a verified petition.

(3) The address furnished in the statement made under sub-rule (1) shall be called the "registered address" of the party, and shall, until duly changed as aforesaid, be deemed to be the address of the party for the purpose of service of all processes in the suit or in any appeal from any decree or order therein made and for the purpose of execution, and shall hold good, subject as aforesaid, for a period of two years after the final determination of the cause or matter.

(4) Service of any process may be effected upon a party at his registered address in all respects as though such party resided thereat.

(5) Where the registered address of a party is discovered by the Court to be incomplete, false or fictitious, the Court may, either on its own motion, or on the application of any party, order -

(a) in the case where such registered address was furnished by a plaintiff, stay of the suit, or

(b) in the case where such registered address was furnished by a defendant, his defence be struck out and he be placed in the same position as if he had not put up any defence.

(6) Where a suit is stayed or a defence is struck out under sub-rule (5), the plaintiff or, as the case may be, the defendant may, after furnishing his true address, apply to the Court for an order to set aside the order of stay or, as the case may be, the order striking out the defence.

(7) The Court, if satisfied that the party was prevented by any sufficient cause from filing the true address at the proper time, shall set aside the order of stay or order striking out the defence, on such terms as to costs or otherwise as it thinks fit and shall appoint a day for proceeding with the suit or defence, as the case may be.

(8) Nothing in this rule shall prevent the Court from directing the service of a process at any other address, if, for any reason, it thinks fit to do so.

 

Rule 15 Order VI of Code of Civil Procedure 1908 "Verification of pleadings"

(1) Save as otherwise provided by any law for the time being in force, every pleading shall be varied at the foot by the party or by one of the parties pleading or by some other person proved to the satisfaction of the Court to be acquainted with the facts of the case.

(2) The person verifying shall specify, by reference to the numbered paragraphs of the pleading, what he verifies of his own knowledge and what he verifies upon information received and believed to be true.

(3) The verification shall be signed by the person making it and shall state the date on which and the place at which it was signed.

*Rule 15A. Verification of pleadings in a commercial dispute

(1) Notwithstanding anything contained in Rule 15, every pleading in a commercial dispute shall be verified by an affidavit in the manner and form prescribed in the Appendix to this Schedule.

(2) An affidavit under sub-rule (1) above shall be signed by the party or by one of the parties to the proceedings, or by any other person on behalf of such party or parties who is proved to the satisfaction of the Court to be acquainted with the facts of the case and who is duly authorised by such party or parties.

(3) Where a pleading is amended, the amendments must be verified in the form and manner referred to in sub-rule (1) unless the Court orders otherwise.

(4) Where a pleading is not verified in the manner provided under sub-rule (1), the party shall not be permitted to rely on such pleading as evidence or any of the matters set out therein.

(5) The Court may strike out a pleading which is not verified by a Statement of Truth, namely, the affidavit set out in the Appendix to this Schedule.

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* Shall be applicable to commercial disputes of a specified value by Act 4 of 2016, s. 16 and the Sch. (w.e.f. 23-10-2015).

 

Rule 16 Order VI of Code of Civil Procedure 1908 "Striking out pleadings"

The Court may at any stage of the proceedings order to be struck out or amended any matter in any pleading-

(a) which may be unnecessary, scandalous, frivolous or vexatious, or

(b) which may tend to prejudice, embarrass or delay the fair trail of the suit, or

(c) which is otherwise an abuse of the process of the Court.

 

Rule 17 Order VI of Code of Civil Procedure 1908 "Amendment of pleadings"

The Court may at any stage of the proceedings allow either party to alter or amend his pleadings in such manner and on such terms as may be just, and all such amendments shall be made as may be necessary for the purpose of determining the real questions in controversy between the parties.

 

Rule 18 Order VI of Code of Civil Procedure 1908 "Failure to amend after order"

If a party who has obtained an order for leave to amend does not amend accordingly within the time limited for that purpose by the order, or if no time is thereby limited then within fourteen days from the date of the order, he shall not be permitted to amend after the expiration of such limited time as aforesaid or of such fourteen days, as the case may be, unless the time is extended by the Court.