M.K. Utthan Sudhar Samiti Maryadit v. Babulal Shukla & Ors.
Background
The appellant society's limited grievance was that although the High Court, while issuing notice in a Civil Revision Petition, had initially indicated that the appellant would be heard at the time of final disposal, its application to intervene in that proceeding was ultimately rejected by the High Court. The appellant approached the Supreme Court against that rejection.
Decision Breakdown
The Supreme Court, after hearing counsel for both sides, held that in the interest of justice the appellant's intervention application should be allowed and that the appellant should be permitted to participate in the proceedings. It accordingly allowed the appellant to participate in Civil Revision Petition No. 414 of 2004, which remained pending before the High Court, and requested the High Court to expedite the disposal of that petition. The appeal itself, which was only about the right to intervene, not the merits of the underlying revision petition, was disposed of with no order as to costs.
Lesson Learnt
If a court indicates at an early stage that a party will be heard before a matter is finally decided, that party has a legitimate right to be allowed to participate, and a later order shutting them out can itself be challenged and corrected, even though the underlying dispute is still pending elsewhere.