Wakilii

Charles Kiggundu & 7 Ors v John Kawesi (Miscellaneous Application No. 607 of 2009 ) (Miscellaneous Application No. 607 of 2009)

High Court · [2009] UGHC 106 · 2009 Application Granted AI-generated summary ↓ Download Pin to watchlist Add to matter
Jurisdiction
Uganda
Case Type
Interlocutory application arising from civil suit for production of original land title documents
Decision
Respondent ordered to produce original land title documents and certified copies within 10 days

Observed later treatment

No later-treatment classification is recorded for this judgment.

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Holding

Held that where a plaintiff attaches a copy of a certificate of title to his plaint and the defendants allege forgery, the plaintiff must produce the original certificate for inspection. The respondent's claim that the original was lost was inconsistent with his pleaded case and his failure to apply for a duplicate or pursue certification through mandamus. Application granted; respondent ordered to produce originals and certified copies within 10 days.

Outcome

Respondent ordered to produce original land title documents and certified copies within 10 days

Facts

The respondent filed Civil Suit No. 179 of 2009 against the Chief Registrar of Titles and eight applicants concerning land comprised in Block 12 Plot 542. The respondent attached a copy of the certificate of title as annexture B to his plaint. In their defence, the eight applicants alleged that the title was a forgery. On 10 August 2009, the applicants served the respondent with a notice to produce the original documents, but he failed to comply. The respondent claimed in his affidavit that the original certificate was lost when he was imprisoned at the instance of the second applicant, and that his home was later razed to the ground. He also claimed that the Bukalasa Land Registry frustrated his attempts to obtain certified copies. The applicants brought this application under Order 10 of the Civil Procedure Rules seeking production of the original title documents.

Issues

  1. Whether the respondent should be ordered to produce the original owner's copy and certified copies of the land title and annextures to the plaint.

Orders

  • Application allowed.
  • Respondent to produce in court the original of the owner's copy and certified copies of annextures B and D to the plaint within 10 days from the date of this ruling.
  • Costs of the application awarded to the applicants.

Rules and key headnotes

Documentary Evidence — Production of Original Documents — Certificate of Title
Where a plaintiff attaches a copy of a certificate of title to his plaint and the defendants allege forgery, the plaintiff must produce the original certificate for inspection and evidential purposes.
Documentary Evidence — Lost Documents — Burden of Proof
A party claiming that an original document has been lost must provide evidence of the loss and demonstrate that he has taken steps to obtain a duplicate or certified copy from the issuing authority.
Production of Documents — Inconsistency with Pleadings
Where a plaintiff's pleadings presuppose possession of an original document but he later claims the document was lost without having pleaded the loss, the court may infer that he still possesses the original and order its production.

Legislation cited (5)

Full judgment

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Charles Kiggundu & 7 Ors v John Kawesi (Miscellaneous Application No. 607 of 2009 ) (Miscellaneous Application No. 607 of 2009) [2009] UGHC 106 (2 November 2009)
Source: this page presents Wakilii’s issue analysis and metadata for a publicly reported Ugandan judgment. Any AI-generated summary is marked as such. Judgment text is sourced from the Uganda Legal Information Institute (ulii.org). Wakilii is not affiliated with ULII.