Appeal when time barred in Pakistan
SCMR 1092), " · Lahore High Court
This case involved a family property dispute in which the petitioners sued for a declaration of ownership rights over land, challenging a gift made by their relative to his daughters. During the trial, the petitioners repeatedly failed to produce their evidence despite being given eleven opportunities. On 18 July 2008, when their evidence was again absent, the trial court closed the evidence and dismissed the suit.
The petitioners tried to appeal this decision, but filed their appeal on 31 October 2008, well beyond the legally allowed period. Under the Limitation Act, appeals against such orders must be filed within thirty days, meaning their deadline had expired by mid-August 2008, even allowing for court summer vacations. The appellate court rejected their request to excuse the delay and dismissed the appeal as time-barred.
The petitioners then approached the High Court, arguing that the trial court's date-fixing process was flawed and that court staff, not the petitioners, caused the confusion over hearing dates, so the penalty of closing their evidence should not apply. They also argued the delay in filing their appeal should be forgiven.
The High Court disagreed. It found no sufficient cause for the delay, noted that the petitioners had obtained certified copies of the judgment only in October 2008, and held that the judgment was not void. Since the appeal was hopelessly late and lacked valid grounds for delay, the High Court dismissed the petition, upholding the lower courts' decisions. This case underscores how strictly limitation deadlines are enforced in Pakistani courts.
یہ مقدمہ ایک خاندانی جائیداد کے تنازعے سے متعلق تھا جس میں درخواست گزاروں نے زمین پر ملکیتی حقوق کے اعلان کے لیے دعویٰ دائر کیا تھا اور اپنے رشتہ دار کی جانب سے اپنی بیٹیوں کو دی گئی ہبہ کی گئی جائیداد کو چیلنج کیا تھا۔ سماعت کے دوران درخواست گزار گیارہ مواقع ملنے کے باوجود اپنے شواہد پیش کرنے میں بار بار ناکام رہے۔ 18 جولائی 2008 کو جب وہ ایک بار پھر اپنے شواہد پیش نہ کر سکے تو ٹرائل کورٹ نے شہادت کا مرحلہ بند کر کے دعویٰ خارج کر دیا۔
درخواست گزاروں نے اس فیصلے کے خلاف اپیل دائر کرنے کی کوشش کی، لیکن ان کی اپیل 31 اکتوبر 2008 کو دائر ہوئی جو کہ قانوناً مقررہ مدت سے کہیں زیادہ تاخیر کا شکار تھی۔ قانونِ حدِ میعاد کے تحت ایسے احکامات کے خلاف اپیل تیس دن کے اندر دائر کرنا لازم ہے، یعنی عدالتوں کی گرمیوں کی چھٹیوں کو مدنظر رکھتے ہوئے بھی ان کی میعاد اگست 2008 کے وسط تک ختم ہو چکی تھی۔ اپیلٹ ک