Relief on grounds outside the Pleadings

 Relief on grounds outside the Pleadings

The Hon’ble Apex Court in Union of India vs Ibrahim Uddin reported in (2012) 8 SCC 148, has held that no relief can be granted based on grounds outside the pleadings of the parties. No party can be permitted to travel beyond its pleading. In other words, it is not a matter of right that an argument made outside the pleadings should be considered. In this context we would refer the judgment rendered by the Hon’ble Apex Court in Ram Sarup Gupta (Dead) by Lrs. vs. Bishun Narain Inter College and Ors. reported in (1987) 2 SCC 555 that: 

• “6. The question which falls for consideration is whether the respondents in their written statement have raised the necessary pleading that the license was irrevocable as contemplated by Section 60(b) of the Act and, if so, is there any evidence on record to support that plea. It is well settled that in the absence of pleading, evidence, if any, produced by the parties cannot be considered. It is also equally settled that no party should be permitted to travel beyond its pleading and that all necessary and material facts should be pleaded by the party in support of the case set up by it. The object and purpose of pleading is to enable the adversary party to know the case it has to meet.” (Emphasis Added) 

Further, the Hon’ble Apex Court in Bachhaj Nahar v. Nilima Mandal, reported in (2008) 17 SCC 491 held that a case not specifically pleaded can be considered by the court unless the pleadings in substance contain the necessary averments to make out a particular case and issue has been framed on the point. In absence of pleadings, the court cannot make out a case not pleaded, suo motu. The relevant para of the judgment is reproduced in verbatim:

• “12. It is thus clear that a case not specifically pleaded can be considered by the court only where the pleadings in substance, though not in specific terms, contains the necessary averments to make out a particular case and the issues framed also generally cover the question involved and the parties proceed on the basis that such case was at issue and had led evidence thereon. As the very requirements indicate, this should be only in exceptional cases where the court is fully satisfied that the pleadings and issues generally cover the case subsequently put forward and that the parties being conscious of the issue, had led evidence on such issue. But where the court is not satisfied that such case was at issue, the question of resorting to the exception to the general rule does not arise. The principles laid down in Bhagwati Prasad and Ram Sarup Gupta (supra) referred to above and several other decisions of this Court following the same cannot be construed as diluting the well settled principle that without pleadings and issues, evidence cannot be considered to make out a new case which is not pleaded. Another aspect to be noticed, is that the court can consider such a case not specifically pleaded, only when one of the parties raises the same at the stage of arguments by contending that the pleadings and issues are sufficient to make out a particular case and that the parties proceeded on that basis and had led evidence on that case. Where neither party puts forth such a contention, the court cannot obviously make out such a case not pleaded, suo moto.” (Emphasis Added) 

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