Res judicata in connected suits bars re-litigation where an unappealed decree on common issues has attained finality.

Where connected suits involve common disputes and common issues on management and control of a Gurudwara, an unchallenged adverse decree in one suit attains finality and can bar re-agitation of the same controversy in the surviving proceeding. As the appellant acted only as Vice-President of the Managing Committee and asserted no independent personal right, the final decree in the connected suit bound the appellants under the principle in Section 11 of the Code of Civil Procedure. The High Court's application of res judicata was therefore upheld, and the challenge to the respondent's entitlement to manage the Gurudwara failed.

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Issues: Whether the High Court rightly applied res judicata and treated the decree in the connected suit, which had not been challenged in second appeal, as binding on the appellants.

Analysis: The suits were consolidated and involved common disputes and common issues concerning management and control of the Gurudwara. The appellant did not assert any independent personal right but acted as Vice-President of the Managing Committee, which had suffered an adverse decree and did not challenge it in second appeal. The unappealed decree in the connected suit therefore attained finality. In that factual situation, the principle embodied in Section 11 of the Code of Civil Procedure barred the appellants from re-agitating the same controversy in the present appeal, and the High Court was correct in holding the earlier findings binding.

Conclusion: The application of res judicata was upheld, and the appellants' challenge failed.

Final Conclusion: The appeal was rejected, and the finding that the respondent was entitled to manage the Gurudwara remained undisturbed.

Ratio Decidendi: Where connected suits involving common issues are decided against a party, and the adverse decree in one suit is not appealed, that decree attains finality and operates as res judicata against parties litigating under the same title in the surviving appeal.

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