ISSAKA WAHAB vs. KWASI OKYERE [2020]DLHC10281

Date	2020-02-11
Suit No.	SUIT NO LDA/0005/2019
Citation No.	[2020]DLHC10281

HER LADYSHIP JUSTICE ANANDA JULIANA AIKINS

COUNSEL FOR THE PLAINTIFF: MR. YAW DANKWAH ESQ.

COUNSEL FOR THE DEFENDANT: MR. SETH ASANTE ESQ.

[2020]DLHC10281
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													<main id="main" class="content" style="min-height: 60rem" >ISSAKA WAHAB<o:p></o:p>vs.<o:p></o:p>KWASI OKYERE<o:p></o:p>[HIGH
COURT, ACCRA]<o:p></o:p><div style="border-top: none; border-right: none; border-left: none; border-image: initial; border-bottom-width: 1.5pt; border-bottom-color: windowtext; padding: 0cm 0cm 1pt;">

<p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="margin-bottom:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt;
text-align:center;line-height:115%;border:none;mso-border-bottom-alt:solid windowtext 1.5pt;
padding:0cm;mso-padding-alt:0cm 0cm 1.0pt 0cm">SUIT
NO LDA/0005/2019&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;DATE:
11TH FEBRUARY, 2020<o:p></o:p>

</div>COUNSEL:<o:p></o:p>COUNSEL FOR
THE PLAINTIFF: MR. YAW DANKWAH, ESQ.<o:p></o:p><div style="border-top: none; border-right: none; border-left: none; border-image: initial; border-bottom-width: 1.5pt; border-bottom-color: windowtext; padding: 0cm 0cm 1pt;">

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-align:
justify;line-height:115%;border:none;mso-border-bottom-alt:solid windowtext 1.5pt;
padding:0cm;mso-padding-alt:0cm 0cm 1.0pt 0cm">COUNSEL
FOR THE DEFENDANT: MR. SETH ASANTE, ESQ.<o:p></o:p>

</div>CORAM:<o:p></o:p>HER
LADYSHIP JUSTICE ANANDA JULIANA AIKINS<o:p></o:p><div style="border-top-width: 1.5pt; border-top-color: windowtext; border-left: none; border-bottom-width: 1.5pt; border-bottom-color: windowtext; border-right: none; padding: 1pt 0cm;">

<p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="margin-bottom:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt;
text-align:center;line-height:115%;border:none;mso-border-top-alt:solid windowtext 1.5pt;
mso-border-bottom-alt:solid windowtext 1.5pt;padding:0cm;mso-padding-alt:1.0pt 0cm 1.0pt 0cm">JUDGMENT<o:p></o:p>

</div>&nbsp;By a notice of appeal filed on the 8th
of March 2018, the plaintiff appealed against the judgment of the District
Court, Amasaman which was delivered on 5th December 2017. Both
parties i.e. the plaintiff and the defendant filed their respective submissions
subsequent to the notice of appeal. In the defendant’s submission, the issue of
time limits for filing appeals has been raised and this Court must necessarily
consider this issue since it is a very serious and crucial issue.<o:p></o:p>&nbsp;Now Order 51(3) of the High Court (Civil Procedure)
Rules, 2004 C.I 47 provides that
a person
wishing to appeal a final decision of a District Court shall file a notice of
appeal within 3 months from the date of the decision appealed against. And
Section 3 of Act 620 i.e. the Courts
(Amendment) Act of 2002 also provides for the amendment of Section 21 of Act 459, the Courts Act of
1993.&nbsp; The said section 21 (5) of
the Courts Act as amended reads as follows:-<o:p></o:p>“21(5) The High Court shall not entertain
any appeal unless the appellant has fulfilled all condition imposed in that
behalf by Rules of Court.”
<o:p></o:p>The record of proceedings from the District
Court shows that the judgment appealed against was delivered on the 5th
of December 2017 yet the plaintiff filed his notice of appeal on the 8th
of March, 2018, clearly outside the stipulated three (3) months period allowed
by the rules of Court.<o:p></o:p>There is no evidence on the record that
shows that the plaintiff sought leave of the Court below or of this Court for
an extension of within which to appeal before he filed his notice of
appeal.&nbsp; This Court is thus of the
opinion that the notice of appeal filed by the plaintiff is void since same was
filed outside the stipulated three (3) months period allowed by the rules.<o:p></o:p>&nbsp;The Supreme Court, in the case of Doku v Presbyterian Church of Ghana&nbsp; [2005-2006] SCGLR page two at P. 701, stated that it was in the interest of the
public that, there should be an end to litigation, and that the rules of Court
stipulates time limits in order to achieve certainty and procedural integrity.
An appellant cannot therefore choose when to resurrect litigation in a matter
in which a decision has already been given. It was the opinion of their
Lordships that the time limits were too important for Courts to ignore. In
applying the principle enunciated in the above cited case to the instance case,
it can clearly be seen that the plaintiff in this case did not file his notice
of appeal within the time limits set by the rules of Court. It is the opinion
of this Court that the plaintiff’s notice of appeal is void and so same is
struck out. Cost of GH₵2,000.00
is awarded the defendant against the plaintiff.<o:p></o:p>&nbsp;(SGD)<o:p></o:p>JUSTICE
ANANDA J. AIKINS (MRS)<o:p></o:p>JUSTICE
OF THE HIGH COURT<o:p></o:p>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;