In Brief
A widow, Smt. Vimal Vaidya, inherited two properties—one in Indore and one in Mumbai (Bombay)—and transferred both to different parties. The plaintiff, a member of the original joint family, filed a single suit in Indore against all defendants challenging all transfers, claiming the properties were joint family property. The defendants at Mumbai objected that Indore court lacked jurisdiction. The Supreme Court held that under Section 17 of the Code of Civil Procedure, properties in different jurisdictions can be sued in one court only when there is a single common cause of action. Here, the causes of action were entirely separate—different defendants, different properties, different dates. The court dismissed the appeal, upholding the trial court's decision to strike out the Mumbai property claim.
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