Case: A. Madan Mohan Vs. Kalavakunta Chandrasekhara

Civil Procedure and where a corrupt practice is alleged the petition should also be accompanied by an affidavit in the prescribed form, giving the particulars of the corrupt practice, and(d) any schedule or annexure to the petition should also be signed and verified by the petitioner.These conditions have also been fulfilled in the present case.6. The counsel for the petitioner vehemently contended that as the schedules and other documents formed an integral part of the petition, the same should have been served on the petitioner (respondent in the High Court) before it could be said that the provisions of ss. 81 and 82 of the Act had been complied with. It was further argued that in the absence of such a compliance, the petition was liable to be rejected in limine under s. 86 of the Act. We are, however, unable to agree with this contention which does not at all flow from the plain and simple requirements of ss. 81 and 82. As indicated above, all that was necessary was done in this case and there was no requirement that the documents or the schedules should also have been served on the petitioner because if they were filed in the Court it was always open to the petitioner to inspect them and find out the allegations made in the petition. We are unable to hold that the documents or the schedules formed an integral part of the petition.An identical question came up for consideration before this Court in Sahodrabais case (supra) where while repelling a similar argument the following observations were made:"The only provision to which our attention has been drawn is sub-s. (3) of s. 81 and sub-s. (2) of s. 83. The first provides that every election petition shall be accompanied by as many copies t hereof as there are respondents mentioned in the petition and that every such copy shall be an authenticated true copy. The words used here are only "the election petition." There is no mention of any document accompanying the election petition.........Assistance is however taken from the provisions of sub-s. (2) of s. 83 which provides that any schedule or any annexure to the petition shall also be signed by the petitioner and verified in the same manner as the petition. It is contended that since the pamphlet was an annexure to the petition it was not only necessary to sign and verify it, but that it should have been treated as a part of the election petition itself and a copy served upon the respondents. In this way, non-compliance with the provisions of s. 86 (1) is made out. In our opinion, this is too strict a reading of the provisions. We have already pointed out that s. 81 (3) speaks only of the election petition............Even if this be not the case, we are quite clear that sub-s. (2) of s. 83 has reference not to a document which is produced as evidence of the averments o f the election petition but to averments of the election petition which are put, not in the election petition but in the accompanying schedules or annexures.... ... ...But what we have said here does not apply to documents which are merely evidence in the case but which for reasons of clarity and to lend force to the petition are not kept back but produced or filed with the election petitions. They are in no sense an integral part of the averments of the petition but are only evidence of those averments and in proof thereof. The pamphlet therefore must be treated as a document and not as a part of the election petition in so far as averments a re concerned.........It would be stretching the words of sub-s. (2) of s. 83 too far to think that every document produced as evidence in the election petition becomes a part of the election petition proper."It is a well settled principle of interpretation of statute that wherever a statute contains stringent provisions they must be literally and strictly construed so as to promote the object of the Act. As extracted above, this Court clearly held that if the arguments of the appellant (in that case) were to be accepted, it would be stretching and straining the language of ss. 81 and 82 and we are in complete agreement with the view taken by this Court which has decided the issue once for all.7. The learned counsel relied on a latter decision of this Court in the case of M. Karunanidhi v. H. V. Hande(1) where a Division Bench while considering a similar question made the following observations:"The Preliminary issue and the appeal turn on a short point of construction. The question that arises is whether the words "copies thereof" in sub-section (3) of Section 81 comprehend the election petition proper or do they also include a schedule or annexure in terms of sub-section (2) of Section 83 or merely a document only in proof of the allegations in paragraph 18 (b) must turn on a construction of sub-section (3) of Section 81 read with sub-section (2) of Section 83. It now appears to be well settled by Sahodrabais case, (1968 (3) SCR 13 ) that sub-section (2) of section 83 applies only to a schedule or annexure which is an integral part of the election petition and not to a document which is produced as evidence of the averments of the election petition."8. This decision in no way departs from the ratio laid down in Sahodrabais case (supra). The aforesaid case however, rested on the ground that the document (pamphlet) was expressly referred to in the election petition and thus became an integral part of the same and ought to have been served on the respondent. It is, therefore, manifest that the facts of the case cited above are clearly distinguishable from the facts of the present case. Furthermore, the decision in M. Karunanidhis case (supra) has noticed the previous decision and has fully endorsed the same.Fo

Decision (1 = appeal accepted, 0 = rejected): 1

Explanation:
1[ds]There is no mention of any document accompanying the election petition.........Assistance is however taken from the provisions of sub-s. (2) of s. 83 which provides that any schedule or any annexure to the petition shall also be signed by the petitioner and verified in the same manner as the petition. It is contended that since the pamphlet was an annexure to the petition it was not only necessary to sign and verify it, but that it should have been treated as a part of the election petition itself and a copy served upon the respondents. In this way, non-compliance with the provisions of s. 86 (1) is made out. In our opinion, this is too strict a reading of the provisions. We have already pointed out that s. 81 (3) speaks only of the election petition............Even if this be not the case, we are quite clear that sub-s. (2) of s. 83 has reference not to a document which is produced as evidence of the averments o f the election petition but to averments of the election petition which are put, not in the election petition but in the accompanying schedules or annexures.... ... ...But what we have said here does not apply to documents which are merely evidence in the case but which for reasons of clarity and to lend force to the petition are not kept back but produced or filed with the election petitions. They are in no sense an integral part of the averments of the petition but are only evidence of those averments and in proof thereof. The pamphlet therefore must be treated as a document and not as a part of the election petition in so far as averments a re concerned.........It would be stretching the words of sub-s. (2) of s. 83 too far to think that every document produced as evidence in the election petition becomes a part of the election petitionis a well settled principle of interpretation of statute that wherever a statute contains stringent provisions they must be literally and strictly construed so as to promote the object of the Act. As extracted above, this Court clearly held that if the arguments of the appellant (in that case) were to be accepted, it would be stretching and straining the language of ss. 81 and 82 and we are in complete agreement with the view taken by this Court which has decided the issue once fordecision in no way departs from the ratio laid down in Sahodrabais case (supra). The aforesaid case however, rested on the ground that the document (pamphlet) was expressly referred to in the election petition and thus became an integral part of the same and ought to have been served on the respondent. It is, therefore, manifest that the facts of the case cited above are clearly distinguishable from the facts of the present case. Furthermore, the decision in M. Karunanidhis case (supra) has noticed the previous decision and has fully endorsed the same.For these reasons, therefore, we are clearly of t he opinion that the view taken by the High Court was correct and no interference is called for with the judgment of the High Court. As the matter was clearly concluded by authorities of this Court we did not think it necessary to grant special leave and hearing the parties at length we disposed of and dismiss the petition in terms of the aforesaidare, however, unable to agree with this contention which does not at all flow from the plain and simple requirements of ss. 81 and 82. As indicated above, all that was necessary was done in this case and there was no requirement that the documents or the schedules should also have been served on the petitioner because if they were filed in the Court it was always open to the petitioner to inspect them and find out the allegations made in the petition. We are unable to hold that the documents or the schedules formed an integral part of the petition.