Judgment:
ORDER
R. Ramanujam, J.
1. As common question of law and fact arises for consideration in these revision petitions, they are being disposed of by this common order.
2. Revision petitioner therein is the defendant in O.S. Nos. 103, 106; 104, 107 and 105 of 1999 respectively on the file of the Junior Civil Judge, Uravakonda. In those suits, the petitioner-defendant herein, filed I.A. Nos. 279, 282, 280, 282 and 281 of 2000 respectively, under Order 7 Rules 10 and 11 of the Civil Procedure Code seeking rejection of the plaints on the ground that the reliefs sought for therein are barred by limitation. Those applications were dismissed by the learned junior Civil Judge by separate orders. Against those orders, the present revision petitions are filed.
3. The learned Counsel for the petitioner, Sri O. Manohar Reddy, strenuously, contended that the learned Junior Civil Judge has erred in dismissing the applications, in his submission,, the Court, below ought to have framed a preliminary) issue regarding limitation and should have rejected the plaints after consideration of the same.
4. I do not find any merit in the aforesaid submission of the learned Counsel for the petitioner; The question of limitation is always considered as a mixed question of fact and law. It is also settled now that the plaint has to be returned under Order 7 Rule 10 of the Civil Procedure Code only in cases where the Court has no jurisdiction, Such is hot the case here. Likewise, a plaint can be rejected under Order 7 Rule 11 of the Civil Procedure Code, inter alia, when there is a statutory bar to the suit. It is not the case of the petitioner-defendant that the suits are barred by any statute. The plea of limitation is never considered as a statutory bar. It may be noted that even for disposing the suit on a preliminary issue under Order 14 Rule 2 of the Civil Procedure Code, that issue must relate to the either jurisdiction of the Court or a bar created by any law for the time being in force. In the present cases, already three witnesses were examined oft behalf of the respondent-plaintiff and the plaintiff dosed his evidence on his side long back. As already noted that the question of limitation is a mixed question of fact and law and, therefore, in my considered view, the learned Junior Civil Judge is right in not taking the issue regarding limitation as a preliminary issue under Order 14 Rule 2 of the Civil Procedure Code. Further, the learned Junior Civil Judge has rightly observed that the issue regarding limitation, which was already framed, will be decided along with other issues after adducing the evidence on the side of the petitioner-defendant.
5. In the aforementioned circumstances, all the Civil Revision Petitions, therefore, fail and are accordingly dismissed. No Costs.