LARTEY vs. OFORI AND ANOTHER [1973]DLHC2398

Date	1973-11-07
Suit No.
Citation No.	[1973]DLHC2398

ANTERKYI J.

DR. I. L. OHENE-DJAN FOR THE PLAINTIFF.

S. K. K. SOTOMEY FOR THE DEFENDANTS.

[1973]DLHC2398
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													<main id="main" class="content" style="min-height: 60rem" >LARTEY<o:p></o:p>&nbsp;vs. <o:p></o:p>OFORI AND ANOTHER <o:p></o:p>[HIGH COURT,
SUNYANI]<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;[1973]
1 GLR 230<o:p></o:p><div style="mso-element:para-border-div;border:none;border-bottom:solid windowtext 1.5pt;
padding:0in 0in 0in 0in">

DATE:
7 NOVEMBER 1972.<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">

DR. I. L. OHENE-DJAN FOR THE PLAINTIFF.<o:p></o:p>

S. K. K. SOTOMEY FOR THE DEFENDANTS.<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">

ANTERKYI J.<o:p></o:p>

</div><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p>JUDGMENT OF ANTERKYI J.<o:p></o:p>This was
a motion by the plaintiff-applicant to set aside the order of this court made
on 28 February 1972 striking out his action for want of prosecution under Order
62, rr. 1 and 2 of the Supreme [High] Court (Civil Procedure) Rules, 1954 (L.N.
140A).<o:p></o:p>The writ
issued by his solicitor was sealed on 11 June 1970. After respective attempts
had been made at Kumasi and Mampase-Bekwai on 15 and 16 July 1970 to serve
them, the defendants could not be found. But after these fruitless attempts to
serve the defendant on 15 and 16 July 1970 a solicitor signing “for: Agent for
Messrs. Lynes Quashie-Idun &amp; Co., Solicitors for the defendants’ did file
on 28 July 1970 (about twelve days after the fruitless attempts to serve the
defendants) a praecipe (for search for appearance) which states: “I hereby
apply for search for appearance to the plaintiff’s writ of summons by the
defendants herein in the above-named suit.” And the return by the registrar as
endorsed on the praecipe was: “Both defendants, Charles S. Ofori and Kwabena
Appiah could not be traced at Kumasi and Mampase-Bekwai for the writ of summons
to be served on them.”<o:p></o:p><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p>The
defendants so remained unserved with the writ up till 25 January 1972 when the
registrar took out a summons for the action to be struck out within the
provisions of Order 62; and service of the summons was to be effected on each
of the parties to the action, on the solicitor for the plaintiff, and on the
solicitor (for the defendants) who filed the praecipe for search for appearance
of the defendants. From the returns of service of this summons, the first
defendant (Ofori) and the solicitor for the defendant were served at Kumasi on
4 February 1972, but the second defendant (Appiah) could not be found by the
serving bailiff who gave the following reasons for non-service: “That there is
no street called Mampase at Bekwai, rather we have Nampansa street at Bekwai
and there is nobody called Appiah at H/No. 3 Nampansa, Bekwai.” On 28 February
1972, the return day of the summons, upon the non-appearance of each party and
of the respective solicitors served, the suit was struck out by the court.<o:p></o:p>Thereafter
on 27 September 1972 (about eight months after the order striking out the suit)
the solicitor for the plaintiff filed a motion on notice on behalf of the
plaintiff, returnable on 23 October 1972,<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">“praying
this honourable court to set aside the order striking out the plaintiff’s claim
for lack of prosecution made by this honourable court on 28 February 1972 or
thereabout and to relist the case for hearing and determination upon the
grounds stated in the accompanying affidavit.”<o:p></o:p><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p>On the
face of the motion paper only the two defendants (and not the solicitor) were
to be served with this application; the return of the serving bailiff was that
on 5 October 1972 he served the motion paper and affidavit on Charles S. Ofori
(the first defendant) at Kumasi. The affidavit in support of the motion reads
as follows:<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">“I,
Emmanuel Charles Lartey of Afirisipa in the Brong-Ahafo Region make oath and
say as follows: <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">(1) That
I am the deponent and the plaintiff herein. <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">