In Brief
A plaintiff sought to execute a civil judgment but initially approached the Tehsildar (an administrative officer), believing he had authority to execute the decree. After the Tehsildar rejected the application as outside his jurisdiction, the plaintiff filed an execution petition before the competent court. The courts below dismissed the petition as time-barred. The Supreme Court held that the period spent bona fide pursuing the remedy before the Tehsildar must be excluded from the limitation period under Section 14 of the Limitation Act. Since the plaintiff acted diligently and in good faith before what it believed was the proper forum, the time taken should not count against the plaintiff. The appeal was allowed and the execution petition was restored for consideration.
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