Injunction suit - Or.VII, rule 11 C.P.C - Rejection of plaint - Letter of Credits & it's acceptance - Malayn Bank had forwarded the documents presented by the Synergic Companies to the Allahabad Bank. Out of four Letters of Credit, Allahabad Bank had accepted the presentation of documents in two Letters of Credit with the consultation of the STC. Only one of the presentation was rejected while there is no information with respect to the response of the Allahabad Bank on presentation of documents of the fourth Letter of Credit. - Even on the Letter of Credit for which the presentation was rejected, the response was made after 19 days while UPC-600 provides that rejection or any objection against the presentation must be communicated to the negotiating bank of the beneficiary within 5 days. - Single judge rightly rejected the plaint as It is not enough to allege fraud but there must be clear evidence both as to the fact of fraud as well as to the bank's knowledge of such fraud. - 2015 S.C. MSK LAW REPORTS

The
learned Single Judge rejected the plaint  of  the  appellants  herein  under
Order VII Rule 11 of the Code of Civil Procedure, 1908.
Division  Bench  of
the Delhi High Court by which the High Court dismissed the appeals filed  by
the appellants.

 M/s.  Millenium  Wires  (P)

Ltd. (hereinafter referred  to  as  "Millenium  Wires")  and  State Trading

Corporation of India Limited (hereinafter  referred  to  as  "STC")   entered

into an Associateship Agreement (hereafter referred to as "the  Agreement"),

for importing continuous  cast  copper  wire  rods  from  Synergic  Material

Services  PTE  Limited,  Singapore   and    Synergic   Industrial   Material

Services, Malaysia (hereinafter referred to as  "Synergic,   Singapore"  and

"Synergic,  Malaysia"  severally   and   collectively   as   the   "Synergic

Companies"). 

 The STC opened 4 Letters of Credit  with  the  Allahabad  Bank

being  Issuing  Bank  and  the  Malayn  Banking  BHD,  Malaysia  being   the

Confirming Bank.

With respect to all these Letters of Credit the  Malayn  Bank  had  released

the payment to the Synergic Companies after the documents were presented  by

them. It was at this stage that the Millenium Wires and STC  approached  the

Delhi  High  Court  by  filing  a  suit  seeking  permanent,  mandatory  and

perpetual injunction  against  the  Synergic  Companies  from  claiming  any

benefit under the Letters of Credit in question and against  the  Confirming

Foreign Bank being Malayn Bank to prevent any action  or  release  of  funds

under the Letters of Credit.

The Malayn Bank filed an application under Order VII Rule 11 of the Code  of

Civil Procedure, 1908.

Apex court held that

In view of that, the following observation of the Court  in  R.D.  Harbottle

(Mercantile) Ltd. v. National Westminster Bank, (1977)  3  WLR  752,  should

suffice:

"Banks must be allowed  to  honour  their  guarantees  without  interference

except in clear cases of notice of fraud to the  bank.  The  merchants  take

risk which are not to be imposed on the banks. Such interference will  deter

trust in international commerce."

We would uphold and restate the law on injunction against  honouring  Letter

of Credit by a Bank as summed up by the learned Single Judge as follows:

(1) The Court must be slow in granting an order  of  injunction  restraining

the realisation of a bank guarantee or Letter of Credit.

(2)  There are two exceptions to the above rule. The first is that  it  must

be clearly shown that a fraud of a grievous nature has  been  committed  and

to the notice of the Bank. The second is that injustice of  the  kind  which

would make it impossible for the guarantor to reimburse  himself,  or  would

result in irretrievable harm or injustice to one of the  parties  concerned,

should have resulted.

(3) It is not enough to allege fraud but there must be clear  evidence  both

as to the fact of fraud as well as to the bank's knowledge of such fraud.

It would suffice to say here that injunctions against the negotiating  banks

for making payments to the beneficiary must be given cautiously as  constant

judicial interference in the normal practices of market can have  disastrous

consequences as it affects the  trustworthiness  of  the  Indian  banks  and

markets.

Furthermore, it appears that the Malayn Bank  had  forwarded  the  documents

presented by the Synergic Companies to  the  Allahabad  Bank.  Out  of  four

Letters  of  Credit,  Allahabad  Bank  had  accepted  the  presentation   of

documents in two Letters of Credit with the consultation of  the  STC.  Only

one of the presentation was rejected while  there  is  no  information  with

respect to the response of the Allahabad Bank on presentation  of  documents

of the fourth Letter of Credit. Even on the Letter of Credit for  which  the

presentation was rejected, the response was made after 19  days  while  UPC-

600 provides that rejection or any objection against the  presentation  must

be communicated to the negotiating bank of the beneficiary within 5 days.

In the circumstances as narrated above and in light of the  settled  law  on

the point of injunction against the banks to  honour  their  guarantees,  we

are of the view that these appeals  are  to  be  dismissed  and  accordingly

appeals are dismissed. - 2015 S.C. MSK LAW REPORTS