1994 (4) TMI 382
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....who, as Ghatwals, held an office of profit, was against the provisions of s. 7 of the Act, and that the appellant had also committed corrupt practices. Kam Deo Prasad, by his election petition, not only prayed for the declaration that the ,election of the appellant was void, but also for the declaration that he himself was duly elected. The appellant denied the allegations against him. The Election Tribunal held that Badri Narain Singh, the appellant, was guilty of corrupt practices and that a Ghatwal was not a holder of an office of profit under the State of Bihar. It therefore set aside the election of the appellant, but did not grant the declaration that Kam Deo Prasad was a duly elected candidate. The appellant filed Election Appeal No. 7 of 1958 in the High Court of Judicature at Patna, against the order of the Election Tribunal setting aside his election, and prayed that the order of the Election Tribunal be set aside and that it be held that he had been duly elected. Kam Deo Prasad also filed Election Appeal No. 8 against the order of the Election Tribunal not declaring him to be the duly elected candidate and prayed for a declaration that he, had been duly elected. The gro....
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....Deo Prasad Singh is declared to be duly elected to the Bihar Legislative Assembly from the Sarnath State Assembly constituency in the District of Santhal Parganas'. The appellant has filed this appeal by special leave against the order in Election Appeal No. 8 of 1958. All the grounds of appeal relate to the finding of the High Court that the office of a Ghatwal is an office of profit. The petition for special leave to appeal does not mention the relief the appellant seeks from this Court. Presumably, he prays for the setting aside of the order in Appeal No. 7 confirming the order of the Election Tribunal setting 'aside his election and also the order in Appeal No. 8. A preliminary objection has been taken on behalf of respondent Kam Deo Prasad Singh that this appeal is incompetent as barred by the principle of res judicata inasmuch as the appellant did not appeal against the order of the High Court in Appeal No. 7 whose dismissal by the High Court confirmed the order of the Election Tribunal setting aside the election of the appellant. It is urged that the order setting aside the appellant's election having become final, it cannot be set aside and that the finding ar....
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....fs thereafter filed two appeals to the High Court, one against the decree in the appeal filed by defendants Nos. 1 to 4 and the other against the decree in the appeal filed by defendants Nos. 5 to 8. The latter appeal was filed beyond limitation and the High Court refused to condone the delay. It was contended at the hearing of the appeal that the second appeal was filed beyond the period of limitation and was not maintainable and that when it was dismissed as not maintainable the first appeal would we barred by the principle of res judicata. The High Court agreed with the contention, dismissed the second appeal as time-barred and the first on the ground that the judgment in the appeal by the defendants Nos. 5 to 8 operated as res judicata. The plaintiffs then filed two appeals to the Judicial Committee of the Hyderabad State and, ultimately, they were disposed of by this Court in view of Art. 374(4) of the Constitution. The plaintiffs had impleaded all the defendants as respondents in their first appeal to the High Court. They had paid the full court-fee necessary for an appeal against the dismissal of the entire suit. Their prayer covered both the appeals. This indicated that it....
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....er decided concerns the entire suit. As such there is no question of the application of the principle of res judicata. " These observations do not apply to cases which are governed by the general principles of res judicata which rest on the principle that a judgment is conclusive regarding the points decided between the same parties and that the parties should not be vexed twice over for the same cause. We are therefore of opinion that both in view of the facts of the case and the provision of law applicable to that case, that case can be no guide for determining the question before us in this appeal. It is true that both the appeals Nos. 7 and 8 before the High Court arose out of one proceeding, before the Election Tribunal. The subject matter of each appeal was, however, different. The subject matter of appeal No. 7 filed by the appellant related to the question of his election being bad or good, in view of the pleadings raised before the Election Tribunal. It. had nothing to do with the question of right of respondent No. 1 to be declared as duly elected candidate. The claim on such a right is to follow the decision of the question in appeal No. 7 in case the appeal was dismiss....