{"id":10490,"date":"2025-10-21T10:34:19","date_gmt":"2025-10-21T10:34:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.legalserviceindia.com\/Legal-Articles\/?p=10490"},"modified":"2025-10-21T10:42:04","modified_gmt":"2025-10-21T10:42:04","slug":"written-statement-can-not-be-filed-beyond-120-days-in-a-commercial-dispute","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.legalserviceindia.com\/Legal-Articles\/written-statement-can-not-be-filed-beyond-120-days-in-a-commercial-dispute\/","title":{"rendered":"Written Statement can not be filed beyond 120 days in a Commercial Dispute"},"content":{"rendered":"<h2 id=\"case-fact\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Fact_of_the_Case\"><\/span>Fact of the Case<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>This case arises from a dispute between <b>Ms. Rajilaxmi Oils<\/b> and <b>Kriti Nutrients Ltd.<\/b> involving trademark and copyright claims. The petitioner, Ms. Rajilaxmi Oils, filed a civil suit under <b>Section 142 of the Trade Marks Act, 1999<\/b> and <b>Section 60 of the Copyright Act, 1957<\/b>, in 2020 before the Commercial Court, Indore. Subsequently, the respondent filed another suit against the petitioner in 2021, also in the Commercial Court, Indore. During the pendency of these suits, the respondent obtained an <b>ex-parte injunction<\/b> from the Commercial Court, Delhi, which led to the seizure of the petitioner\u2019s products. The petitioner alleged wrongful seizure and continued non-release of their goods even after the dismissal of the Delhi suit.<\/p><div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_82_2 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-grey ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<div class=\"ez-toc-title-container\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<span class=\"ez-toc-title-toggle\"><a href=\"#\" class=\"ez-toc-pull-right ez-toc-btn ez-toc-btn-xs ez-toc-btn-default ez-toc-toggle\" aria-label=\"Toggle Table of Content\"><span class=\"ez-toc-js-icon-con\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #0c0c0c;color:#0c0c0c\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #0c0c0c;color:#0c0c0c\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/www.legalserviceindia.com\/Legal-Articles\/written-statement-can-not-be-filed-beyond-120-days-in-a-commercial-dispute\/#Fact_of_the_Case\" >Fact of the Case<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/www.legalserviceindia.com\/Legal-Articles\/written-statement-can-not-be-filed-beyond-120-days-in-a-commercial-dispute\/#Right_to_File_Written_Statement_Beyond_120_Days\" >Right to File Written Statement Beyond 120 Days<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/www.legalserviceindia.com\/Legal-Articles\/written-statement-can-not-be-filed-beyond-120-days-in-a-commercial-dispute\/#The_Core_Dispute\" >The Core Dispute<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/www.legalserviceindia.com\/Legal-Articles\/written-statement-can-not-be-filed-beyond-120-days-in-a-commercial-dispute\/#The_Courts_Reasoning\" >The Court\u2019s Reasoning<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/www.legalserviceindia.com\/Legal-Articles\/written-statement-can-not-be-filed-beyond-120-days-in-a-commercial-dispute\/#Courts_Decision\" >Court\u2019s Decision<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-6\" href=\"https:\/\/www.legalserviceindia.com\/Legal-Articles\/written-statement-can-not-be-filed-beyond-120-days-in-a-commercial-dispute\/#Case_Details\" >Case Details<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-7\" href=\"https:\/\/www.legalserviceindia.com\/Legal-Articles\/written-statement-can-not-be-filed-beyond-120-days-in-a-commercial-dispute\/#Disclaimer\" >Disclaimer<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-3' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-8\" href=\"https:\/\/www.legalserviceindia.com\/Legal-Articles\/written-statement-can-not-be-filed-beyond-120-days-in-a-commercial-dispute\/#Written_By\" >Written By<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n\n<h2 id=\"written-statement\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Right_to_File_Written_Statement_Beyond_120_Days\"><\/span>Right to File Written Statement Beyond 120 Days<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Due to these circumstances, the petitioner delayed filing their written statement in the main suit before the Commercial Court, Indore. They applied for condonation of this delay and requested that their written statement be taken on record. However, the trial court denied this application, holding that the delay was unjustified and that the written statement was filed beyond the <b>120-day statutory limit<\/b> prescribed by the <b>Commercial Courts Act, 2015<\/b>. The petitioner challenged this denial by filing the present petition under <b>Article 227 of the Constitution of India<\/b>.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"core-dispute\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"The_Core_Dispute\"><\/span>The Core Dispute<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>The central issue was whether the trial court was justified in refusing to allow the belated filing of the written statement. The court analyzed <b>Order VIII Rule 1 of the Civil Procedure Code (CPC)<\/b> as amended by the <b>Commercial Courts Act, 2015<\/b>, which governs the time limit for filing written statements. The provisions specify:<\/p>\n<table border=\"1\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"5\">\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<th>Provision<\/th>\n<th>Time Limit<\/th>\n<th>Remarks<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Initial Filing Period<\/td>\n<td>Within 30 days of service of summons<\/td>\n<td>Mandatory timeline<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Extension (if granted by court)<\/td>\n<td>Up to 120 days (maximum)<\/td>\n<td>Allowed only with written reasons<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Beyond 120 days<\/td>\n<td>Not permissible<\/td>\n<td>Right to file written statement is forfeited<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<h2 id=\"reasoning\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"The_Courts_Reasoning\"><\/span>The Court\u2019s Reasoning<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>The court carefully considered the petitioner\u2019s argument that the delay was caused by the parallel suits and the ex-parte injunction obtained in the Delhi Court, which had affected their ability to file on time. However, the court rejected these arguments, noting that the <b>Delhi suit was dismissed well before<\/b> the filing of the written statement and that <b>no genuine effort<\/b> was made to file it within the statutory period thereafter.<\/p>\n<p>The court referred extensively to the following <b>Supreme Court judgments<\/b> to support its reasoning:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><i>SCG Contracts India Private Limited v. K.S. Chamankar Infrastructure Private Limited<\/i> (2019 12 SCC 210)<\/li>\n<li><i>Raj Process Equipment and Systems Pvt. Ltd. v. Honest Derivatives Pvt. Ltd.<\/i> (2022 SCC Online SC 1877)<\/li>\n<li><i>Prakash Corporates v. Dee Vee Projects Limited<\/i> (2022 5 SCC 112)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>These decisions underscore the importance of maintaining <b>strict timelines in commercial litigation<\/b> to ensure speedy justice. The court reaffirmed that the <b>120-day period is mandatory<\/b> and not extendable beyond that limit.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"decision\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Courts_Decision\"><\/span>Court\u2019s Decision<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Ultimately, the court held that the trial court had rightly exercised its discretion and complied with statutory mandates in refusing to accept the delayed written statement. The petition was dismissed as <b>devoid of merit<\/b>. The court emphasized that procedural timelines in commercial suits are strict and that <b>delay without sufficient cause<\/b> cannot be condoned to maintain the efficiency of commercial dispute resolution.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"case-details\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Case_Details\"><\/span>Case Details<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<table border=\"1\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"5\">\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<th>Case Title<\/th>\n<td>Ms. Rajilaxmi Oils Vs. Kriti Nutrients Ltd.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<th>Order Date<\/th>\n<td>6th October 2025<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<th>Case Number<\/th>\n<td>M.P. No. 4924\/2023<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<th>Neutral Citation<\/th>\n<td>2025 MPHC IND 29084<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<th>Name of Court<\/th>\n<td>High Court of Madhya Pradesh at Indore<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<th>Hon\u2019ble Judges<\/th>\n<td>Shri Justice Vivek Rusia and Shri Justice Binod Kumar Dwivedi<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<h2 id=\"disclaimer\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Disclaimer\"><\/span>Disclaimer<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>The information shared here is intended to serve the public interest by offering insights and perspectives. However, readers are advised to exercise their own discretion when interpreting and applying this information. The content herein is subjective and may contain errors in perception, interpretation, and presentation.<\/p>\n<h3 id=\"author\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Written_By\"><\/span>Written By<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p><b>Advocate Ajay Amitabh Suman<\/b>, IP Adjutor [Patent and Trademark Attorney], High Court of Delhi<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Fact of the Case This case arises from a dispute between Ms. Rajilaxmi Oils and Kriti Nutrients Ltd. involving trademark and copyright claims. The petitioner, Ms. Rajilaxmi Oils, filed a civil suit under Section 142 of the Trade Marks Act, 1999 and Section 60 of the Copyright Act, 1957, in 2020 before the Commercial Court,<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":56,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_bbp_topic_count":0,"_bbp_reply_count":0,"_bbp_total_topic_count":0,"_bbp_total_reply_count":0,"_bbp_voice_count":0,"_bbp_anonymous_reply_count":0,"_bbp_topic_count_hidden":0,"_bbp_reply_count_hidden":0,"_bbp_forum_subforum_count":0,"two_page_speed":[],"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"_joinchat":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[21],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-10490","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-intellectual-property"},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.legalserviceindia.com\/Legal-Articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10490","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.legalserviceindia.com\/Legal-Articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.legalserviceindia.com\/Legal-Articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.legalserviceindia.com\/Legal-Articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/56"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.legalserviceindia.com\/Legal-Articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=10490"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.legalserviceindia.com\/Legal-Articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10490\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.legalserviceindia.com\/Legal-Articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=10490"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.legalserviceindia.com\/Legal-Articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=10490"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.legalserviceindia.com\/Legal-Articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=10490"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}