Batcha Sahib vs Periyanayagammal

Balakrishna Ayyar, J.—The document of compromise executed by the parties does not appear to have been before either of the Courts

below so that we do not know for certain whether as a matter of actual fact that document was attested or not. The copy of the decree in O. S.

No. 577 of 1936 shows that two advocates appeared for the petitioner and a pleader for the first defendant and in the ordinary course of practice,

the learned District Munsiff would not have accepted the compromise and embodied it in a decree of his Court if counsel on both sides had not

signed the document to vouch for its authenticity. The probability is therefore in favour of the view that the document was actually attested.

Even if it was not, I do not think that it vitiates the decree and the charge it created. In those cases where parties enter into a compromise and

that compromise is embodied in a decree of Court, we have to make a distinction between the substance of the transaction and the formalities

necessary to give it validity. Thus merely because a compromise is embodied in a decree it will not prevent the parties affected by it from showing

that it was vitiated by fraud, deception, undue influence or other invalidating circumstances. Such factors would affect the substance of the

transaction. But this does not mean that toe decree which embodies the compromise entered into by the parties should be attested in those cases

where the agreement between the parties requires attestation or that because the agreement subsequently embodied in the decree is not attested,

the decree is invalid. These are matters of form which do not affect the decree. The provisions relating to attestation are primarily Intended as

safeguards against forgery and false personation and similar malpractices and there is no reason in principle why the requirements about attestation

should be extended to agreements which immediately afterwards are incorporated in a decree of Court. After all, it is the decree that is being

executed and not the agreement on which it is founded. And the decree creates a charge by operation of law (vide Venkatachala Pillai Vs. M.R.

Rajagopal Naidu and Another, , AIR 1943 354 (Oudh) Rustamalli Goharalli Mirza Vs. Aftabhuseinkhan Najafallikhan Mirza, .

It is true that a different view was taken in Ghasiram v. Kundanbal'' ILR (1941) Nag 513 but I find it difficult to follow it.

I think the objections taken to the execution of the decree are without substance. The appeal is allowed with costs throughout.