NON REPORTABLE   

IN THE SUPREME COURT OF INDIA CIVIL APPELLATE JURISDICTION

CIVIL APPEAL NO. 1874 OF 2009 (Arising out of SLP(C) No. 9485 of 2006)

Nicholas V. Menezes       …Appellant(s)

VERSUS

Joseph M. Menezes & Ors.     ..Respondent(s)

O R D E R

1. Leave granted.

2. In our view, this appeal can be disposed of on a

very short point.   

3. A First Appeal was filed by the appellant in the

High Court of Judicature at Bombay, which was

dismissed by a learned Single Judge of the High

Court  without  calling  for  the  records  and

proceedings  and  without  appreciating  the

pleadings  and evidence,  oral  and documentary,

on record.  It is well settled that while deciding a

First Appeal, the High Court must  consider the

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evidence  on record,  oral  and documentary  and

also the questions of law raised before it and at

the  same  time  it  was  the  duty  of  the  court  to

consider  the  reasons  given  by  the  trial  court

against  which  the  first  appeal  was  filed  and

thereafter  dispose  of  the  same  after  passing  a

speaking and reasoned order in accordance with

law. In the present case, having gone through the

Judgment  of  the  High Court,  we  find that  this

procedure  was not  adopted by  the High Court.

That  being  the  position,  we  set  aside  the

judgment  of  the High Court  and send the case

back  to  it  for  consideration  of  the  appeal  on

merits.   

4. We  request  the  High  Court  to  dispose  of  the

appeal  after  remand  within  three  months  from

the date  of supply of  a  copy of this order to it

positively.   It  is  needless  to  say  that  the  High

Court  shall  now  decide  the  same  after  giving

reasons and after  appreciating  the  records  and

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the  pleadings  and  evidence  on  record  in

accordance with law.   

5. Accordingly, the impugned order is set aside and

the  appeal  is  allowed  to  the  extent  indicated

above.  There will be no order as to costs.        

…………………….J. [Tarun Chatterjee]

New Delhi; …………………….J. March 25, 2009.  [H.L.Dattu]

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