Assignment On Equity
Assignment On Equity
“INJUNCTION”
Course Title: Law of Equity, Trust and Specific Relief
Course Code: LLBH 209
Prepared for:
Prepared by
Suniya Akter
173011009
Department of Law
Green University of Bangladesh
OBJECT
Until legal rights and conflicting claims of the parties before the court are
adjudicated by the grant of the interim relief an individual’s property can be
preserved. Basically, the object of making an order regarding interim relief is to
evolve a workable formula to the extent called for by the demands of the situation,
keeping in mind the pros and cons of the matter and striking a delicate balance
between two conflicting interests, i.e., injury and prejudice, which the plaintiff had
to bear if the relief is refused; and same goes for defendant if the relief is granted.
The court in the exercise of sound judicial discretion can grant or refuse to grant
interim relief.
Section 52 to 57 of the Specific Relief Act govern injunction. Injunctions are of three
kinds:
Perpetual injunction
Temporary injunction
Mandatory injunction
Perpetual injunction
Section 54 of the Specific Relief Act, 1877 deals with Perpetual injunction.
A perpetual injunction can only be granted by the decree made at the hearing and
upon the merits of the suit; the defendant is thereby perpetually enjoined from the
assertion of a right, or from the commission of an act, which would be contrary to
the rights of the plaintiff.
Perpetual means permanent. Perpetual injunction is one that is granted by the
judgment that ultimately disposes of the injunction suit. And it would remain in force
so long as the petitioner, for whose benefit injunction was issued, continues to hold
the basic right or the status in relation to the property or status in respect of which
injunction is granted. Temporary injunction would continue until specified time or
until further orders of the court. They may be granted at any stage of the suit. Order
39 Rule 2 CPC enables the court to grant temporary injunction even after judgment.
(3) When the defendant invades or threatens to invade the plaintiff’s right to, or
enjoyment of, property, the court may grant a perpetual injunction in the following
cases, namely: —
(a) where the defendant is trustee of the property for the plaintiff;
(b) where there exists no standard for ascertaining the actual
damage caused, or likely to be caused, by the invasion;
(c) where the invasion is such that compensation in money would not
afford adequate relief;
(d) where the injunction is necessary to prevent a multiplicity of
judicial proceedings.
It is not necessary for the person claiming injunction to prove his title
to the suit property and it will be sufficient if he proves that he was in
lawful possession of the property and his possession was invaded or
threatened to be invaded by a person who had no title whatsoever. Where
it is established that the plaintiff was in possession of the suit property on
the date of suit, the relief of perpetual injunction cannot be rejected.
Injunction cannot be sustained on the basis of wrongful possession against
the lawful owner. Where a person is in lawful possession of the property
and his possession is threatened to be interfered with by the defendants,
he is entitled to sue for a mere injunction without seeking declaration of his
rights. Injunction would not be issued against the true owner.
Where the defendants admitted the title of the plaintiff to the suit
lands and the court also found that plaintiff had taken symbolical
possession of suit lands in execution proceedings the Court in a suit for
permanent injunction should have proceeded to examine whether the
plaintiff was in actual possession of the suit lands on the date of suit and if
the Court finds that plaintiff was in possession of suit, it cannot reject his
prayer for permanent injunction since even if it was a case of symbolic
delivery of possession, symbolic delivery amounts to actual delivery of
possession of the suit properties in favour of the plaintiff.
Section 53 of the Specific Relief Act contain provisions under which the Court may
in order to prevent the ends of justice from being defeated, grant a temporary
injunction or make such other interlocutory order as may appear to the Court to be
just and convenient. Section 95 of Civil Procedure Code further provides that where
in any suit a temporary injunction is granted and it appears to the Court that there
were no sufficient grounds, or the suit of the plaintiff fails and it appears to the Court
that there was no reasonable or probable ground for instituting the same, the Court
may on application of the defendant award reasonable compensation which may be
to the extent of the pecuniary Jurisdiction of the Court trying the suit.
While granting temporary injunction the tests be applied are (1)Whether the plaintiff
has a prima facie case, (2) Whether the balance of convenience is in favour of
plaintiff and (3) Whether the plaintiff would suffer irreparable injury if his prayer
for temporary injunction is disallowed. The court while granting or refusing to grant
injunction should exercise sound judicial discretion to find the amount of substantial
mischief or injury which is likely to be caused to the parties, if the injunction is
refused, and compare it with that which is likely to be caused to the other side if the
injunction is granted. If on weighing competing possibilities or probabilities of
likelihood of injury and if the court considers that, pending the suit, the subject
matter should be maintained in status quo, an injunction would be issued. Thus the
court has to exercise its sound judicial discretion in granting or refusing the relief of
ad interim injunction pending the suit. At the stage of deciding the application for
temporary injunction, the Court is not required to go into the merits of the case in
detail.
Generally, before granting the injunction, the court must be satisfied about the
following aspects:
Injunction is an equitable relief and it is a settled law that equity acts in personam,
therefore, injunction is a personal matter. The purpose of mandatory injunction is to
restore a wrongful state of things to their former rightful order. Principal difference
between prohibitory injunction and mandatory injunction is that, in the former the
defendant is prohibited from doing a particular thing in a particular manner, whereas,
in the latter, the defendant is directed to do a particular thing and if he fails to do as
directed, the court gets it done through its officers.
Section 55 of the Specific Relief Act, 1877 does not define but categorically deals
with grant of mandatory injunction. Two elements have to be taken into
consideration to determine the grant of mandatory injunction, these are:
a) What acts are necessary in order to prevent a breach of the obligation; and,
(b) The requisite acts must be such as the court is capable of enforcing.
In the case of, Dorab Cawasji Warden v. Coomi Sarab Warden, the
Hon’ble Supreme Court of India held that, for grant of interim mandatory injunction
the following test must be complied with:
(a) The plaintiff has to demonstrate a strong case for trial, that is, it should be of a
standard higher than that of a prima facie case;
(b) The plaintiff has to lay-bare that the grant of mandatory injunction is necessary
to prevent irreparable loss or serious injury, which cannot be compensated in terms
of money; and,
(c) The balance of convenience is in favour of the plaintiff as against the defendant.
Mandatory injunction is an order requiring the defendant to do some positive act for
the purpose of putting an end to a wrongful state of things created by him, or
otherwise in fulfilment o his legal obligation.
Essentials:
1. There must be an obligation on the part of defendant to perform certain acts the
breach of which obligation, must be alleged by the plaintiff.
Section 55 Specific Relief Act, enables the issuance of an injunction to prevent the
breach of an obligation and to compel the performance of acts which are necessary
to prevent such breach. Power to grant mandatory injunction is to be exercised in
very exceptional and rare circumstances, subject to the conditions laid down in
section 55, which requires the relief can only be granted, where breach of an
obligation, is capable to specific performance by the court, where the agreement is
not specifically enforceable relief of mandatory injunction cannot be granted.
A mandatory injunction can be granted where the court can enforce it. Where the
injunction is not enforceable, the court would not grant it. Thus, a mandatory
injunction directing a person to undertake the repairs and work of improvement
involving engineering skill and expenses cannot be granted as the court is not
capable of enforcing it.
Discretionary Powers
Where Hon’ble High Court appeared to have acted in haste in the issuance of such
injunction without affording opportunity of hearing to opposite side order in
question was not sustainable.
The court has essentially to adjudge if plaintiff’s cause has any legal basis and
whether the prayer made can lawfully be granted. Court has to see whether effective
decree could be passed in the terms prayed for only against the persons or parties
arrayed as defendant where such persons were deleted or were not impleaded as co-
defendants. Plaintiff could not succeed in his cause even if he had a genuine
grievance and a justifiable basis for his claim.
Injunction when refused
(a) to restrain any person from prosecuting a judicial proceeding pending at the
institution of the suit in which the injunction is sought, unless such restraint is
necessary to prevent a multiplicity of proceedings;
(b) to restrain any person from instituting or prosecuting any proceeding in a court
not subordinate to that from which the injunction is sought;
(d) to restrain any person from instituting or prosecuting any proceeding in a criminal
matter;
(e) to prevent the breach of a contract the performance of which would not be
specifically enforced;
(f) to prevent, on the ground of nuisance, an act of which it is not reasonably clear
that it will be a nuisance;
(h) when equally efficacious relief can certainly be obtained by any other usual mode
of proceeding except in case of breach of trust;
(i) when the conduct of the plaintiff or his agents has been such as to disentitle him
to the assistance of the court;