Summons to one of several defndents Summons to one of several defndents

2 years ago

Summons issued to company and its director by NCDRC for appearance. Company and one directors received the summons. It could not be delivered to second director. After praying, the court issue orders for dasti summons for petitioner to deliver now at the residence address of the 2nd director. When visited it was conveyed by security man at the gate after inquiring from inside the house that person is not at home and don’t know when he will be back. It is indented to visit once again. We have e-mail ID and the whatapp number of the person. Can the dasti summons served by these means? Is the option of taking the help of local court for service of dasti summons by bailiff is available in this case ?

Kishan Dutt Kalaskar

Responded 2 years ago

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A.Dear Sir,
CIVIL PROCEDURE CODE
ORDER 5 RULE 17: Procedure when defendant refuses to accept service, or cannot be found— Where the defendant or his agent or such other person as aforesaid refuses to sign the acknowledgement, or where the serving officer, after using all due and reasonable diligence, cannot find the defendant, [127][who is absent from his residence at the time when service is sought to be effected on him at his residence and there is no likelihood of his being found at the residence within a reasonable time] and there is no agent empowered to accept service of the summons on his behalf, nor any other person on whom service can be made, the serving officer shall affix a copy of the summons on the outer door or some other conspicuous part of the house in which the defendant ordinarily resides or carries on business or personally works for gain, and shall then return the original to the Court from which it was issued, with a report endorsed thereon or annexed thereto stating that he has so affixed the copy, the circumstances under which he did do, and the name and address of the person (if any) by whom the house was identified and in whose presence the copy was affixed.

ORDER 5 RULE 19A. Simultaneous issue of summons for service by post in addition to personal service— (1) The Court shall, in addition to, and simultaneously with, the issue of summons for service in the manner provided in rules 9 to 19 (both inclusive), also direct the summons to be served by registered post, acknowledgement due, addressed to the defendant, or his agent empowered to accept the service, at the place where the defendant, or his agent, actually and voluntarily resides or carries on business or personally works for gain: Provided that nothing in this sub-rule shall require the Court to issue a summons for service by registered post, where, in the circumstances of the case, the Court considers it unnecessary. (2) When an acknowledgement purporting to be signed by the defendant or his agent is received by the Court or the postal article containing the summons is received back by the Court with an endorsement purporting to have been made by a postal employee to the effect that the defendant or his agent had refused to take delivery of the postal article containing the summons, when tendered to him, the Court issuing the summons shall declare that the summons had been duly served on the defendant : Provided that where the summons was properly addressed, prepaid and duly sent by registered post, acknowledgement due, the declaration referred to in this sub-rule shall be made notwithstanding the fact that the acknowledgement having lost or mislaid, or for other reason, has been received by the Court within thirty days from the date of the issue of the summons].

ORDER 5 RULE 20: Substituted service.- (1) Where the court is satisfied that there is reason to believe that the defendant is keeping out of the way for the purpose of avoiding service, or that for any other reason the summons cannot be served in the ordinary way, the court shall order the summons to be served by affixing a copy thereof in some conspicuous place in the court house, and also upon some conspicuous part of the house (if any) in which the defendant is known to have last resided or carried on business or personally worked for gain, or in such other manner as the court thinks fit.
(1A) Where the court acting under sub-rule (1) orders service by an advertisement in a newspaper, the newspaper shall be a daily newspaper circulating in the locality in which the defendant is last known to have actually and voluntarily resided, carried on business or personally worked for gain.
(2) Effect of substituted service—Service substituted by order of the court shall be as effectual as if it had been made on the defendant personally.
(3) Where service substituted, time for appearance to be fixed—Where service is substituted by order of the Court, the Court shall fix such time for the appearance of the defendant as the case may require.

Consider Email, WhatsApp Etc. For Substituted Service Of Summons: Bombay HC
IN THE HIGH COURT OF JUDICATURE AT BOMBAY CIVIL APPELLATE JURISDICTION WRIT PETITION NO. 4217 OF 2018 DATE: 7 th August, 2018.
Dr. Madhav Vishwanath Dawalbhakta (Decd) through LRs. Dr. Nitin M. Dawalbhakta & Ors. ...Petitioners Versus M/s. Bendale Brothers ...Respondent

Justice Mridula Bhatkar discussed the different modes of effecting substitute service of summons under Order 5 Rule 20 of the Code of Civil Procedure, and observed, “…in sub-rule (i) and (ii), the substituted service means fixing the copies of the summons on different place as mentioned in the Rule. However, the sub-rule(iii) gives further option that the summons can be served in such other manner as the Court thinks fit.
SC Allows Service Of Notices/Summons/Documents Via WhatsApp, Telegram Etc In Addition To By E-mail In Every Legal Proceeding
IN THE HON’BLE SUPREME COURT OF INDIA ORIGINAL JURISDICTION WRIT PETITION (CIVIL) NO. OF 2021 Drawn on: 29.01.2021
SANJAY KUMAR, ADVOCATE VS. HIGH COURT OF JUDICATURE AT PATNA AND ANOTHER
Taking note of the difficulties for physical service of summons on account of lockdown and COVID-19 pandemic, the Supreme Court has allowed the service of notices, summons and pleadings etc via e-mail, FAX, telemessenger services such as Whatsapp, Telegram, Signal etc.

The bench ordered :
"Service of notices, summons and pleadings etc. have not been possible during the period of lockdown because this involves visits to post offices, courier companies or physical delivery of notices, summons and pleadings. We, therefore, consider it appropriate to direct that such services of all the above may be effected by e-mail, FAX, commonly used instant messaging services, such as WhatsApp, Telegram, Signal etc. However, if a party intends to effect service by means of said instant messaging services, we direct that in addition thereto, the party must also effect service of the same document/documents by e-mail, simultaneously on the same date".

ORDER 5 RULE 25. Service where defendant resides out of India and has no agent— Where the defendant resides out of India and has no agent in India empowered to accept service, the summons shall be addressed to the defendant at the place where he is residing and sent to him by post, if there is postal communication between such place and the place where the Court is situate : Provided that where any such defendant [130][resides in Bangladesh or Pakistan] the summons, together with a copy thereof, may be sent for service on the defendant, to any Court in that country (not being the High Court) having jurisdiction in the place where the defendant resides: Provided further that where any such defendant is a public officer [131][in Bangladesh or Pakistan (not belonging to the Bangladesh or, as the case may be, Pakistan military naval or air forces)] or is servant of a railway company or local authority in that country, the summons, together with a copy thereof, may be sent for service on the defendant, to such officer or authority in that country as the Central Government may, by notification in the Official Gazette, specify in this behalf

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Abhimanyu Shandilya

Responded 2 years ago

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A.Dear Client
If the second summon was returned stating that he is not available there then you can try to send the summon once again. If it does not get delivered then pray to the forum to send the summon through the local court or police station. The NCDRC has lot of discretionary powers and it can try to issue order to send the summon in other ways.
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