KORKOR AND OTHERS vs. DADAH AND ANOTHER [1971]DLCA2125

Date	1971-02-22
Suit No.
Citation No.	[1971]DLCA2125

APALOO JA

LASSEY JA

SOWAH J.A.

ADDAI FOR THE APPELLANTS.

NO APPEARANCE BY OR ON BEHALF OF THE RESPONDENTS.

[1971]DLCA2125
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													<main id="main" class="content" style="min-height: 60rem" >KORKOR AND OTHERS <o:p></o:p>vs. <o:p></o:p>DADAH AND ANOTHER <o:p></o:p>[COURT OF APPEAL]<o:p></o:p>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;[1971] 1 GLR 265<o:p></o:p><div style="mso-element:para-border-div;border:none;border-bottom:solid windowtext 1.5pt;
padding:0in 0in 1.0pt 0in">

DATE:
22 FEBRUARY 1971.<o:p></o:p>

</div>COUNSEL:&nbsp;&nbsp; <o:p></o:p><div style="mso-element:para-border-div;border:none;border-bottom:solid windowtext 1.5pt;
padding:0in 0in 0in 0in">

ADDAI FOR
THE APPELLANTS.<o:p></o:p>

</div>CORAM:
<o:p></o:p><div style="mso-element:para-border-div;border:none;border-bottom:solid windowtext 1.5pt;
padding:0in 0in 0in 0in">

APALOO, LASSEY AND SOWAH JJ.A.<o:p></o:p>

</div><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p>JUDGMENT OF SOWAH J.A.<o:p></o:p>This is
an appeal from the ruling of the Circuit Court, Sunyani, disallowing an
application by the plaintiffs seeking to tender the testimonies of two
witnesses who gave evidence in the suit at the Tano Local Court, Bechem, and
before transfer of the suit to the High Court, Sunyani.<o:p></o:p><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p>The
original writ was issued out of the Tano Local Court; during its pendency, the
defendants raised the issue of jurisdiction of the court to entertain it;
thereupon, there was caused a transfer of it to the High Court, Sunyani (see
paragraph (9) of the statement of claim). Pleadings were ordered in accordance
with the rules of court and when the matter came up for hearing, the learned
judge of the High Court made the following order:<o:p></o:p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top:0in;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:5.0pt;
margin-left:.5in;text-align:justify;mso-pagination:none;border:none;mso-padding-alt:
31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt;mso-border-shadow:yes">“Order:
Due to the great number of older cases in the cause list and the number of
part-heard cases to be disposed of before the criminal session on 5 June 1968,
which session is likely to take the remainder of this legal term which ends on
31 July 1968, it will be more convenient to transfer this case to the circuit
court which has jurisdiction now to deal with the case as the value of the land
is £G400 (N¢800.00) as pleaded. Case is therefore transferred to Circuit Court,
Sunyani, for hearing on 13 June 1968. (Sgd.) Sampson Baidoo JUDGE.”<o:p></o:p><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p>The
circuit court became seised of the proceedings thereafter. At the hearing, the
applicants applied in proper fashion to tender the evidence of the said
witnesses who had given evidence in the said local court and had since died.
Learned counsel sought in aid of this application, Order 37, r. 28 of the
Supreme [High] Court (Civil Procedure) Rules, 1954 (L.N. 140A), which reads,
“All evidence taken at the hearing or trial of any cause or matter may be used
in any subsequent proceedings in the cause or matter.” The circuit judge, in
dismissing the application, made the following pronouncement:<o:p></o:p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top:0in;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:5.0pt;
margin-left:.5in;text-align:justify;mso-pagination:none;border:none;mso-padding-alt:
31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt;mso-border-shadow:yes">“This
suit was transferred to this court for hearing because the local court which
purported to entertain the suit had no jurisdiction to do so. The proceedings
before that court were therefore in principle void ab initio. But for the
statutory provisions permitting cases in such situations to be transferred by
or to the High Court, the suit should have been dismissed. It is therefore not
my view that this trial is a continuation of the case as was heard in the local
court. This is a trial de novo and any evidence before the local court is not
part of the proceedings before this court. In the absence of agreement between the
parties therefore I have to reject the evidence sought to be tendered by the
plaintiffs and that piece of evidence is rejected accordingly.”<o:p></o:p><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p>The
learned circuit judge was factually wrong when he held that the transfer of the
case was directly from the local court to his court. The transfer was from the
High Court, but this mistake is of no particular moment. He, however, purported
to rely for his ruling, on two main grounds: first, on the law as stated in the
case of Angu v. Attah (1916) P.C. ‘74-’28’ 43 at p. 47:<o:p></o:p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top:0in;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:5.0pt;
margin-left:.5in;text-align:justify;mso-pagination:none;border:none;mso-padding-alt:
31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt;mso-border-shadow:yes</main>