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Properties are situated in different courts, suit can be filed in any one of them for the same cause of action

In CIVIL APPEAL NO.1052 OF 2019,  SHIVNARAYAN vs MANIKLAL, the Supreme Court issued several clarifications with regard to ambit and scope of Section 17 of C.P.C. :-

(i) The word ‘property’ occurring in Section 17 although has been used in ‘singular’ but by virtue of Section 13 of the General Clauses Act it may also be read as ‘plural’, i.e., ”properties”.

(ii) The expression any portion of the property can be read as portion of one or more properties situated in jurisdiction of different courts and can be also read as portion of several properties situated in jurisdiction of different courts.

(iii) A suit in respect to immovable property or  properties situate in jurisdiction of different courts may be instituted in any court within whose local limits of jurisdiction, any portion of the property or one or more properties may be situated.

(iv) A suit in respect to more than one property situated in jurisdiction of different courts can be instituted in a court within local limits of jurisdiction where one or more properties are situated provided suit is based on same cause of action with respect to the properties situated in jurisdiction of
different courts.

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