In a decision which may come to haunt the cocerive tactics of the Government departments, the Supreme Court in recently in R.L. Kalathia & Co. v. State of Gujarat has declared that merely because a contractor has given no-due certificate, it cannot be argued that it has relinquished all claims and debts. Holding that it was obligatory practice to get the money from the Government departments for the contractor to issue no-due certificate, the Supreme Court declared that it would not be consequential to the matter if the contractor alleged that the no-due certificate was given under coercion/threat etc.
The Court inter alia observed as under;
5) It is true that when the final bill was submitted, the plaintiff had accepted the amount as mentioned in the final bill but “under protest”. It is also the specific claim of the plaintiff that on the direction of the Department, it had performed additional work and hence entitled for additional amount/damages as per the terms of agreement. Merely because the plaintiff had accepted the final bill, it cannot be deprived of its right to claim damages if it had incurred additional amount and able to prove the same by acceptable materials.
6) Before going into the factual matrix on this aspect, it is useful to refer the decisions of this Court relied on by Mr. Altaf Ahmed. In the case of Chairman and MD, NTPC Ltd. vs. Reshmi Constructions, Builders & Contractors, (2004) 2 SSC 663, which relates to termination of a contract, one of the questions that arose for consideration was “Whether after the contract comes to an end by completion of the contract work and acceptance of the final bill in full and final satisfaction and after issuance a ‘No Due Certificate’ by the contractor, can any party to the contract raise any dispute for reference to arbitration? While answering the said issue this Court held:-
“27. Even when rights and obligations of the parties are worked out, the contract does not come to an end inter alia for the purpose of determination of the disputes arising thereunder, and, thus, the arbitration agreement can be invoked. Although it may not be strictly in place but we cannot shut our eyes to the ground reality that in a case where a contractor has made huge investment, he cannot afford not to take from the employer the amount under the bills, for various reasons which may include discharge of his liability towards the banks, financial institutions and other persons. In such a situation, the public sector undertakings would have an upper hand. They would not ordinarily release the money unless a “No-Demand Certificate” is signed. Each case, therefore, is required to be considered on its own facts.
28. Further, necessitas non habet legem is an age-old maxim which means necessity knows no law. A person may sometimes have to succumb to the pressure of the other party to the bargain who is in a stronger position.”
7) In Ambica Construction vs. Union of India, (2006) 13 SCC 475 which also deals with issuance of “No-claim Certificate” by the contractor. The following conclusions are relevant which read as under:-
“16. Since we are called upon to consider the efficacy of Clause 43(2) of the General Conditions of Contract with reference to the subject-matter of the present appeals, the same is set out hereinbelow:
“43. (2) Signing of ‘no-claim’ certificate.—The contractor shall not be entitled to make any claim whatsoever against the Railways under or by virtue of or arising out of this contract, nor shall the Railways entertain or consider any such claim, if made by the contractor, after he shall have signed a ‘noclaim’ certificate in favour of the Railways, in such form as shall be required by the Railways, after the works are finally measured up. The contractor shall be debarred from disputing the correctness of the items covered by ‘no-claim certificate’ or demanding a reference to arbitration in respect thereof.”
17. A glance at the said clause will immediately indicate that a no-claim certificate is required to be submitted by a contractor once the works are finally measured up. In the instant case the work was yet to be completed and there is nothing to indicate that the works, as undertaken by the contractor, had been finally measured and on the basis of the same a no-claim certificate had been issued by the appellant. On the other hand, even the first arbitrator, who had been appointed, had come to a finding that no-claim certificate had been given under coercion and duress. It is the Division Bench of the Calcutta High Court which, for the first time, came to a conclusion that such no-claim certificate had not been submitted under coercion and duress.
18. From the submissions made on behalf of the respective parties and in particular from the submissions made on behalf of the appellant, it is apparent that unless a discharge certificate is given in advance, payment of bills are generally delayed. Although, Clause 43(2) has been included in the General Conditions of Contract, the same is meant to be a safeguard as against frivolous claims after final measurement. Having regard to the decision in Reshmi Constructions it can no longer be said that such a clause in the contract would be an absolute bar to a contractor raising claims which are genuine, even after the submission of such no-claim certificate.
19. We are convinced from the materials on record that in the instant case the appellant also has a genuine claim which was considered in great detail by the arbitrator who was none other than the counsel of the respondent Railways.”
8) In National Insurance Company Limited vs. Boghara Polyfab Private Ltd., (2009) 1 SCC 267, the question involved was whether a dispute raised by an insured, after giving a full and final discharge voucher to the insurer, can be referred to arbitration. The following conclusion in para 26 is relevant:-
“26. When we refer to a discharge of contract by an agreement signed by both the parties or by execution of a full and final discharge voucher/receipt by one of the parties, we refer to an agreement or discharge voucher which is validly and voluntarily executed. If the party which has executed the discharge agreement or discharge voucher, alleges that the execution of such discharge agreement or voucher was on account of fraud/coercion/undue influence practised by the other party and is able to establish the same, then obviously the discharge of the contract by such agreement/voucher is rendered void and cannot be acted upon. Consequently, any dispute raised by such party would be arbitrable.”
9) From the above conclusions of this Court, the following principles emerge:
(i) Merely because the contractor has issued “No Due Certificate”, if there is acceptable claim, the court cannot reject the same on the ground of issuance of “No Due Certificate”.(ii) Inasmuch as it is common that unless a discharge certificate is given in advance by the contractor, payment of bills are generally delayed, hence such a clause in the contract would not be an absolute bar to a contractor raising claims which are genuine at a later date even after submission of such “No-claim Certificate”.(iii) Even after execution of full and final discharge voucher/receipt by one of the parties, if the said party able to establish that he is entitled to further amount for which he is having adequate materials, is not barred from claiming such amount merely because of acceptance of the final bill by mentioning “without prejudice” or by issuing ‘No Due Certificate’.
10) In the light of the above principles, we are convinced from the materials on record that in the instant case, the appellant/plaintiff also had a genuine claim which was considered in great detail by the trial Court and supported by oral and documentary evidence. Though the High Court has not adverted to any of the factual details/claim of the plaintiff except reversing the judgment and decree of the trial Court on the principle of estoppel, we have carefully perused and considered the detailed discussion and ultimate conclusion of the trial Judge. xxx
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