In Brief
Jersey Developers and its US-based directors were served by newspaper publication in a bank recovery suit and obtained an ex-parte decree in 2004. The defendants became aware of the decree only in 2014 when one director visited India. The Supreme Court set aside the ex-parte decree, finding the substituted service ineffective for defendants abroad. The Court allowed the appeal, restored the suit for trial on merits, and ordered the defendants' deposited amount (100% of the claim) be held in an interest-bearing fixed deposit—to be appropriated toward any decree if the bank succeeds, or repaid if the suit is dismissed."
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