SPECIFIC RELIEF ACT, 1877 [SECTION 55 - 57]
Citation: 1955 PLR (Lah.) 242, (1968) 20 DLR
501, (1955) 7 DLR 606, (1970) 22 DLR (SC) 41, (1980) 32 DLR (AD) 223, (1973)25
DLR 69, (1976) 28 DLR 415, (1982) 34 DLR (AD) 42
Subject: Specific Relief
Delivery Date: 1970-01-01
Specific Relief Act
(I of 1877)
S. 55—Section 55 of the Act enables the issue of an
injunction “to prevent the breach of an obligation” and to compel performance
of acts which are necessary to prevent such breach. 1955 PLR (Lah.)
242.
—The wall in question was built from days before the filing
of the Suit. It is right and proper that the order of its demolition, if at
all, by way of mandatory injunction should ordinarily be passed on the
conclusion of the stilt.
Abdul Barik Vs. Serajul Islam (1968) 20 DLR 501.
Mandatory injunction—The Court can grant u/s. 151 apart from
provisions of Order 39.
Court’s power to issue temporary injunction of mandatory
nature—
The view that as the matter of temporary injunction has been
dealt with by the Code of Civil Procedure under Order 39, there is no scope for
the Court to exercise its inherent jurisdiction cannot be accepted as sound.
Order 39 does not exhaustively deal with the granting of
temporary injunction and so apart from the provisions of Order 39 the Court can
grant temporary injunction in the exercise of its inherent jurisdiction.
The tenant had filed an application for temporary injunction
restraining the landlord from proceeding with the new construction on the suit
premises. The landlord contested that application. Just before delivery of the
Judgment in the injunction matter the landlord with indecent haste constructed
a wall in order to defeat the order of the Court by doing the act which the
temporary injunction intended to restrain.
Held: In a case of this description the Court would
if necessary proceed not only to grant a temporary injunction restraining
further erection of the building, but also to direct that the building already
erected be taken down.
An injunction restraining a person from causing an injury
may from the very circumstances of the case be of mandatory nature.
It is no answer to such injunction that in effect the
defendant is compelled to perform certain acts which ordinarily would be
subject of a mandatory injunction. And if for some reason the Court finds it
necessary to issue a temporary mandatory injunction it cannot be said that such
an injunction is beyond its inherent power.
On an interlocutory application the Court has inherent
jurisdiction to order demolition of a wall which was erected in defiance of the
authority of the Court.
The National Bank of India Ltd. Vs. Yakub Mia of Yakub
Stores (1955) 7 DLR 606.
S. 56(b)—Section 56(b) of the Specific Relief Act
recognizes the power to stay judicial proceedings by injunction though it
restricts the power so far as permanent injunction is concerned to courts
subordinate to the court issuing the injunction. (1955) PLR (Lah) 242.
S. 56(d)—section 56(d) of the Act does not lay down
that an injunction cannot be granted to interfere with the public duties of any
department of Provincial Government, but one could hardly imagine a tortuous
act of an officer of Government to be a “public duty”. (1955) PLR (Lah)
242.
—Even if section 56 does not limit court’s inherent power to
grant temporary injunction against Government department, Court must not do so
unless compelling reasons demand that course.
Shahzada Muhammad Umar Beg Vs. Sultan Mahmood Khan (1970)
22 DLR (SC) 41.
S. 56(d)(f)—Injunction cannot be granted when it will
interfere with the carrying on of public duties.
Section 56, clauses (d) and (f) provide that no injunction
can be granted to interfere with the public duties of any Department of the
Government or for that matter to prevent the breach of a contract the
performance of which would not be specifically enforced.
Contract, when can be validly revoked—The respondent’s
tenders were not accepted. In others words, proposal made by them for supplying
the labour and transport was not accepted. Therefore, no jural relationship was
crcated.
M/s. Hossain Ahmed Vs. M/s. HD Hossain & Brothers
(1980) 32 DLR (AD) 223.
—Tender offering lowest quotation does not acquire a legal
right that of being accepted in preference to others on the ground of its being
the lowest quotation.
M/s. Hossain Ahmed Vs. M/s. HD Hossain & Brothers
(1980) 32 DLR (AD) 223.
S. 56(i)—Provisions explained— Provisions of section
6 are referable only to perpetual injunction as laid down under section 54.
Mere availability of equally efficacious relief would not go
against the case of irreparable injury while deciding the question of granting
temporary injunction.
The contention that section 85(I)(c) and (2) of the East
Bengal Non-Agricultural Tenancy Act, 1949 and section 56(d) and (i) of Specific
Relief Act will stand as bar to granting temporary injunction is not
sustainable.
Sk. Nur Mohammad Vs. The Province of East Pakistan,
(1973)25 DLR 69.
S.57—Implied negative covenant when cannot be imputed.
When the positive part of the agreement cannot be enforced
by an injunction, the same object cannot be achieved by imputing an implied
negative covenant in the agreement and enforce it under the provision of
section 57 of the Act.
Modern Talkies Vs. Chowrangee Cinema Hall (1976) 28 DLR
415.
Chapter II
Specific performance of contract in respect of movable
property—principles to be followed.
In a suit for specific performance of a contract of movable
property which can only be instituted under section 58 of the Sale of Goods Act
the Court is to be guided by the principles laid down in Chapter II of the
Specific Relief Act.
Mr. Bazlur Rahman Bhuiyan Vs. Bangladesh Shipping
Corporation (1982) 34 DLR (AD) 42.