Citation : 2005 Local Law (CG) 87
The Chhattisgarh High Court has held that Letters Patent Appeals (LPAs) do not lie before it, closing a long-running question about appellate jurisdiction that arose after the State was carved out of Madhya Pradesh in 2000. Delivering judgment in a batch of matters, Justice Sunil Kumar Sinha concluded that the High Court of Chhattisgarh is a separate court and not the successor to the High Court of Madhya Pradesh, and therefore does not inherit Letters Patent appellate jurisdiction.
The Court traced the legal history to the M.P. Reorganisation Act, 2000. Sections 21 to 28 of that Act create a distinct High Court for Chhattisgarh, define its judges, jurisdiction, and powers, and continue the existing practice and procedure of the Madhya Pradesh High Court only until new rules are framed. On that foundation, the Court held that Section 23’s phrase “all such jurisdiction” cannot be stretched to import the Letters Patent appellate power. Jurisdiction, practice and procedure, and powers of judges are treated as separate subjects in the statute.
A key part of the background is the Madhya Pradesh Uchcha Nyayalaya (Letters Patent Appeals Samapti) Adhiniyam, 1981 (Act 29 of 1981), which abolished fresh LPAs in the Madhya Pradesh High Court. Although a full bench of that court had struck down the law in 1984, the Supreme Court reversed that view in State of M.P. v. Perfect Pottery Co. Ltd. in 2005, restoring the statute. The timing mattered because the Chhattisgarh High Court was established in 2000, in the intervening period when LPAs were being entertained in Madhya Pradesh. Once the Supreme Court upheld the 1981 Act, its effect related back, and LPAs stood barred in Madhya Pradesh.
Against that backdrop, the appellants argued that by virtue of Sections 23 and 25 of the Reorganisation Act, Chhattisgarh automatically gained Letters Patent jurisdiction and could adapt it as “law in force.” The Court rejected this. Relying on the Supreme Court’s reasoning in P.V. Hemalatha, it gave a restrictive reading to “jurisdiction” and kept it distinct from practice, procedure, and powers of judges. The Court also noted that while decisions like Subal Paul and Sharda Devi recognise the force of Letters Patent, those principles cannot create appellate jurisdiction where a chartered Letters Patent never applied and where a later valid statute (the 1981 Act) has already extinguished such appeals.
Concluding that the High Court of Chhattisgarh is a newly constituted court without inherited Letters Patent jurisdiction, and that, in any event, the 1981 abolition of LPAs—upheld by the Supreme Court—would operate, the Court dismissed the batch of LPAs as not maintainable. No order as to costs was passed.
Case Details : L.P.A. Nos. 14, 24 and 25 of 2001, 34 of 2003 and 64 of 2004 and etc. etc., V.K. Walnekar and Ors. vs. Bilaspur Raipur Kshetriya Gramin Bank and Ors. (29.04.2005)
Hon’ble Judges/Coram:
Fakhruddin and Sunil Kumar Sinha, JJ.
Counsels:
For Appellant/Petitioner/Plaintiff: N.K. Shukla, G.S. Agrawal, B.K. Rawat, H.B. Agrawal, P. Diwakar, Prashant Jayaswal and R.S. Jaiswal, Sr. Advs. and Shailendra Shukla, B.P. Sharma, D.N. Prajapati, Pankaj Agrawal, Pritha Ghoshal, Ali Asgar, Vinay Pandey, Parag Kotecha, M.D. Sharma, B.P. Gupta, V.G. Tamaskar, M.P.S. Bhatia, Sanjay Kumar Agrawal, Anand Tiwari, Jitendra Pali, Prateek Sharma, A.N. Bhakta, K.R. Nair, P.S. Koshy, Y.C. Sharma and Manoj Paranjpe, Advs.
For State: Ravish Chandra Agrawal, AG, Promod Verma, Addl. A.G., Prashant Mishra, Addl. A.G. and N.K. Agrawal, Dy. A.G. For Union of India: Thakur Vijay Singh, Asstt. S.G., Manindra Shrivastava, Sr. Adv. and Afroz Khan, Adv.
Acts/Rules/Orders:
Bihar Reorganisation Act, 2000 – Section 84, Bihar Reorganisation Act, 2000 – Section 85; Constitution Of India – Article 13(3)(b), Constitution Of India – Article 141, Constitution Of India – Article 225; Government Of India Act, 1915-19 [repealed] – Section 108; Madhya Pradesh Reorganisation Act,2000 – Section 2(f), Madhya Pradesh Reorganisation Act,2000 – Section 21, Madhya Pradesh Reorganisation Act,2000 – Section 22, Madhya Pradesh Reorganisation Act,2000 – Section 23, Madhya Pradesh Reorganisation Act,2000 – Section 25, Madhya Pradesh Reorganisation Act,2000 – Section 26, Madhya Pradesh Reorganisation Act,2000 – Section 28, Madhya Pradesh Reorganisation Act,2000 – Section 33, Madhya Pradesh Reorganisation Act,2000 – Section 78, Madhya Pradesh Reorganisation Act,2000 – Section 79
Cases Referred:
Balkrishna Das Malpani and Ors. v. The Perfect Pottery Co. Ltd. and Ors. 1985 MPLJ 32 : AIR 1985 MP 42; State of Madhya Pradesh v. The Perfect Pottery Co. Ltd. and Ors. J.T. 2005 (1) SC 370 : 2005 (1) Jab LJ 358; P.V. Hemalatha v. Kattamkandi Puthiya Maliackal Saheeda and Anr. (2002) 5 Supreme Court Cases 548; Subal Paul v. Malina Paul and Anr. (2003) 10 SCC 361 : AIR 2003 SC 1928; Sharda Devi v. State of Bihar (2002) III SCC 705 : AIR 2002 SC 1357; Commissioner of Commercial Taxes, Ranchi and Anr. v. Swarn Rekha Cokes and Coals (P) Ltd. and Ors. (2004) 6 SCC 689 : AIR 2004 SC 3380; Food Corporation of India v. State of Haryana and Anr. (2000) 3 SCC 495 : AIR 2000 SC 1109; Director of Settlements, A.P. and Ors. v. M.R. Appa Rao and Anr. (2002) 4 SCC 638 : AIR 2002 SC 1598
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संविधान – अधिनियम – वैधता – अपील की ग्राह्यता
अनुच्छेद 141, भारतीय संविधान तथा मध्यप्रदेश उच्च न्यायालय (लेटर पेटेंट अपील समाप्ति) अधिनियम, 1981
मध्यप्रदेश उच्च न्यायालय में 1981 के अधिनियम की वैधता को चुनौती दी गई थी। पूर्ण पीठ ने इस अधिनियम को राज्य विधायिका की शक्ति के बाहर माना और इसे असंवैधानिक घोषित कर दिया। इस आदेश के खिलाफ सर्वोच्च न्यायालय में सिविल अपीलें दायर की गईं। सर्वोच्च न्यायालय ने अपीलें स्वीकार करते हुए पूर्ण पीठ का निर्णय रद्द कर दिया।
सर्वोच्च न्यायालय के निर्णय के परिणामस्वरूप 1981 का अधिनियम पुनः प्रभावी हो गया। इसके बाद छत्तीसगढ़ राज्य के गठन के पश्चात, वर्तमान लेटर पेटेंट अपीलें (LPA) दायर की गईं, जिनकी ग्राह्यता पर आपत्ति उठाई गई।
मुख्य प्रश्न: क्या छत्तीसगढ़ उच्च न्यायालय में लेटर पेटेंट अपीलें (LPA) ग्राह्य हैं?
निर्णय: यह सिद्धांत स्थापित है कि उच्च न्यायालय का निर्णय तब तक प्रभावी रहता है, जब तक कि उसे सर्वोच्च न्यायालय पलट न दे। लेकिन जैसे ही सर्वोच्च न्यायालय किसी निर्णय को पलट देता है, उसका प्रभाव मूल तिथि से माना जाता है। सर्वोच्च न्यायालय द्वारा घोषित कानून ही देश का “विधि” होता है (अनुच्छेद 141)।
जब सर्वोच्च न्यायालय ने 1981 के अधिनियम को वैध मानते हुए यह घोषित किया कि यह ही “declared law” है, तो उसका प्रभाव सभी LPAs पर स्वतः लागू होता है। 1981 का अधिनियम स्पष्ट रूप से लेटर पेटेंट अपीलों को समाप्त करता है। अतः, 1981 के अधिनियम के अनुसार LPA दायर नहीं की जा सकती। इसलिए वर्तमान LPA ग्राह्य नहीं है और खारिज की जाती है।
