Holding

Judgments rendered by judges appointed in violation of Article 233 are valid under the de facto doctrine and are not void.

Summary

The appellants were convicted by two District Judges whose appointments were later declared invalid for violating Article 233 of the Constitution. The appellants argued that the judgments rendered by those judges were void and that the Constitution (20th Amendment) rendered them a surplusage. The Supreme Court held that the judges, though not validly appointed, acted de facto under colour of lawful authority, and therefore their judgments remain valid. The Court explained that the de facto doctrine is a matter of public policy and is reflected in Article 71(2) of the Constitution and Section 107(2) of the Representation of the People Act. It further held that the 20th Amendment does not automatically invalidate past judgments and that Section 9 of the Cr.P.C. was satisfied. Consequently, the appeals were dismissed.

Issues considered

Whether judgments pronounced by District Judges whose appointments were later declared invalid under Article 233 are void.
Whether the de facto doctrine applies to such judgments.
Whether the Constitution (20th Amendment) Act, 1966 makes those judgments invalid.
Whether the trial conducted by such judges complied with Section 9 of the Criminal Procedure Code.
Whether the appellants' right to liberty under Article 21 was infringed.

Legislation cited

Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973s. Section 9
Constitution of Indias. Article 21, s. Article 233, s. Article 71(2)
Constitution (Twentieth Amendment) Act, 1966
Essential Commodities Acts. Section 6A, s. Section 6C
Representation of the People Act, 1951s. Section 107(2)

Subjects

de facto doctrinejudicial appointmentvalidity of judgmentsArticle 233Constitutional amendmentpublic policycollateral attackCriminal Procedure Code

Judgment

474

A GOKARAJU RANGARAJU ETC.
v.
STATE OF ANDHRA PRADESH

April 15, 1981
B
[ 0. CHINNAPPA REDDY, A.P. SEN AND
BAHARUL ISLAM, JJ. ]

De facto doctrine-Nature and scope of-Appointment of District Judge
declared void-Judgment rer.dered by him, whether becomes void.
c
Interpretation of statutes-Abundans cautela non nocet when applied-Legis-
lature, wheth~r makes superfluous legislation.

The appellants in both the appeals were convicted of certain offences
by two[District Judges.' By the time the appeals went up for hearing to the High
D Court, the appointment of the two District Judges was quashed by this Court as
being in violation of Article 233 of the Constitution.

The appellants contended before the High Court that having regard to the
fact that the Supreme Court had quashed the appointment of District Judges,
the judgments rendered by them in these tw.o cases became void. The High
Court, rejecting the contention, held that since the District Judges held office
E under lawful authority, the judgments rendered by them during the tenure of
their office were valid and that in any event the validity of the judgments could
not be questioned in collateral proceedings.

In appeal to this Court it was contended that trial by a Sessions Judge
appointed in violation of Article 233 was not a trial by a Sessions Judge duly
appointed to exercise jurisdiction in a Court of Sessions under section 9, Cr.P.C.
F and that the appellants' liberty was being taken a way otherwise than in accor-
dance with the procedure established by law and that the Constitution (Twen-
tieth Amendment) Act, 1966 would be a surplusage if the de facto doctrine was
applied to judgments rendered by persons appointed as District Judges contrary
to the provisions of Article 233 of the Constitution. ·

G Dismissing the appeals,

HELD : The l\\O Judges who gave the judgments in the two cases were not
usurpers or intruders but were persons who discharged the functions and duties
of Judges under colour of lawful authority. So long as an office is validily
created it matters not that the incumbent was not validily appointed. A person
H appointed to a post of Sessions Judge would be exercising jurisdiction in the
G. RANGARAJU V. ANDHRA PRADESH 475

Court of Session and his judgments and orders would be those of that court and A
would continue to be valid notwithstanding that his appointment to such court
might be declared invalid. On that account alone it cannot be said that the pro-
cedure prescribed hy law had not been followed. [487 E-F]

Mi/wardv. Thatsher [1787] 2 T. R. 81 @ 87, Seaddling v. Lorant [1851] 3
HLC 418, re. James (An Insolvent) [1977] 2 W.L.R. I, Norton v. Shelby County
[1886] !18 US 425-30 Law Ed. 178; referred to. B
The doctrine of de facto envisages that acts performed de facto by the
officers within the scope of their assumed official authority, in the interest of the
public or third persons and not for their own benefit, are generally as valid and
binding as if they were the acts of officers de jure. [478 HJ
c
The de facto doctrine is founded on good sense, sound policy and practical
L expedience. It is aimed at the prevention of public and private mischief and
protection of public and private interest. It ·avoids endless confusion and
needless chaos. An illegal appointment may be set aside and a proper
appointment may be made but the acts of those who hold office de facto are not
so easily undone. They may have lasting repercussions and confusing sequels
if attempted to be undone. [479 B]
D
Pu/in Behari v. King Emperor [1912] 15 Cal Law Journal 517@ 574,
Immedisetti Ramkrishnaiah Sons v. State of Andhra Pradesh and Anr. AIR 1976
A.P. 193 ; referred to.

A defective appointment of a de facto judge cannot be permitted to be
questioned in a litigation between two private litigants. If this were not so, so E
soon as a Judge pronounces a judgment litigation may be commenced for a dec-
laration that the judgment was void because the judge was no judge. To question
a Judge's appointment in an appeal against his judgment is such a collateral
attack. [485 B-C]

The de facto doctrine saves acts done by a Judge whose appointment has
later been declared void, from being invalidated. The doctrine is recog- F
nised in Article 71(2) (which declares that acts done by the President in the
exercise of his powers shall not be invalidated by reason of the election being
declared void) and section 107(2) of the Representation of the People Act, 1951
(which provides that acts or a person participating as member of Parliament
or a State Legislature shall not be declared invalid by reason of his election
being declared void). The doctrine, therefore, is no stranger to the Constitu-
tion and the laws. (485 E-F] G
The Constitution (Twentieth Amendment) Act, 1966 is an instance where
the de facto doctrine was applied to remove and taint of illegality being attribu-
ted to the judgments or orders passed by District Judges appointed before 1966
otherwise than in accordance with the provisions of Articles 233 and 235 of the
Constitution and which appointments were declared invalid by this Court in ff
Chandra Mohan v. State of U.P., [1967] l SCR 77. (485 HJ
476 SUPREME COURT REPORTS [1981] 3 S.C.R.

A It is not a necessary inference from the Twentieth Amendment that but for
that amendment the judgments, decrees etc. of those District Judges would have
been void. As a general rule Parliament may be presumed not to make super-
fluous legislation. But this presumption is not a strong presumption in that
it is not uncommon to !ind statutes containing provisions introduced because
abundans cautela non nocet (there is no harm in being cautious). (486 C-D]

B The statutory reiteration of the Jaw, a clear judicial pronouncement on a
subject notwithstanding, only leads to the inference that the statute making
body, though mindful of the real state of the law, was acting under the influence
of excessive caution. The Constitution (Twentieth Amendment) Act, 1966 is
one such instance. [486 E-F]

CRIMINAL APPELLATE JURISDICTION : Criminal Appeal No. 234
c of 1976.

Appeal by special leave from the judgment and order dated the
5th December, 1975 of the Andhra Pradesh High Court in Criminal
Revision Case No. 816 of 1974 (Criminal Revision Petition No. 732
of 1974).
D
AND

Criminal Appeal Nos. 315 and 316 of 1976.

Appeals by special leave from the judgment and order dated the
12th April, 1976 of the Andhra Pradesh High Court in Criminal
E
Appeal Nos. 310 & 311of1975.

P. Govindan Nair and A. Subha Rao for the Appellant in Cr!.
A. No. 234/76.

M. N. Phadke, and B. Kanta Rao for the Appellant in Cr!. A.
F Nos. 315 & 316 of 1976.

G. N. Rao for the Respondent in all the appeals.
The Judgment of the Court was delivered by

G CHINNAPPA REDDY, J. What is the effect of the declaration
by the Supreme Court that the appointment of an Additional
Sessions Judge was invalid o;i, judgments pronounced by the Judge
prior to such declaration is the question for consideration in these
criminal appeals. The question may seem to be short and simple
H but it cannot be answered without enquiry and research. An answer,
on first impression, may be 'a judgment by a judge who is not a
judge is no judgment' a simple, sophisticated answer. But it appears
G. RANGARAJU v. ANDHRA PRADESH (Chinnappa Reddy, J.) 477

second thoughts are necessary. What is to happen to titles settled, A
declarations made, rules issued, injunctions and decrees granted and
even executed ? What is to happen to sentences imposed ? Are
convicted offenders to be set at liberty and to be tried again ? Are
acquitted accused to be arrested and tried again ? Public Policy
is clearly involved. And, in the tangled web of human affairs, law
must recognise some consequences as relevant, not on grounds of
B
pure logic but for reasons of practical necessity. To clear the con-
fusion and settle the chaos, judges have invented the de faeto
doctrine, which we shall presently examine. de facto doctrine is
thus a doctrine of necessity and public policy.

Crl. A. No. 234 of 1976 arises out of a proceeding under
c
S.6A of the Essential Commodities Act, by which the District Reve-
nue Officer West Godavari, Andhra Pradesh, ordered the confiscation
of qs. 203. 74 kgs. of paddy and qs. 302.25 kgs. of rice. The appel-
lant, Gokaraju Rangaraju, preferred an appeal under S. 6C of the
Essential Commodities Act to the Court of Session, West Godavari.
The appeal was heard by Shri G. Anjappa, Additional Sessions
D
Judge and was rejected. The appellant preferred a Criminal Revi-
sion Petition before the High Court of Andhra Pradesh. Criminal
Appeal Nos. 315 and 316 of 1976 arise out of Sessions Case No. 12
of 1975 in the Court of Session, Guntur Division' The case was
·heard and the judgment was pronounced by Shri Raman Raj Saxena,
E
II Additional Sessions Judge, Guntur. The convicted accused pre-
ferred appeals to the High Court of Andhra Pradesh. By the time
the Criminal Revision case filed by Gokaraju Rangaraju and the
Criminal Appeals filed by the appellants in Crl. Appeals Nos. 315
and 316 of 1976 came up for hearing before the High Court of
Andhra Pradesh, this Court by its judgment dated 2nd September
1975 quashed the appointment of Shri G. Anjappa, Shri Raman
F
Raj Saxena and two others as District Judges Grade II, on the
ground that their appointment was in violation of the provi-
sions of Art. 233 of the Constitution. Thereupon a point was
raised in the Criminal Revision case as well as in the Criminal
Appeals that the judgments ,rendered by Shri Anjappa and Shri G
Raman Raj Saxena were void and required to be set aside.
-The High Court overruled the point raised by the present appel-
lants and held that though the appointment of Shri Anjappa
and Shri Raman Raj Saxena as District Judges Gr. H was invalid,
yet they were not mere usurpers but had held office under lawful H
authority and therefore, the judgments rendered by them were valid
and could not be questioned in collateral proceedings. The present
478 SUPREME COURT REPORTS (1981) 3 S.C.R.

A appeals have been preferred by special leave granted by this Court.
In Criminal Appeals Nos. 315 and 316 of 1976, however, the special
leave granted by this Court was limited by the order granting leave
to the question whether the judgments rendered by Sessions Judges
were void where their appointment as Sessions_ Judges was subse-
quently declared illegal.
B '
--shri Govindan Nayar learned counsel for the appellants in
Cr!. A. No. 234 of 1976 and Shri Phadke, learned counsel for the
apJ'ellants in Cr!. Appeals Nos. 315 & 316 of 1976, argued before
us that the judgments rendered by Shri Anjappa and Sbri Raman
Raj Saxena were void as they were never duly appointed as District
c Judges. It was _urged that there \Vas no need for them to question
the appointment of Shri Anjappa or Shri Raman Raj Saxena as
their appointment bad already be_en quashed by the Supreme Court.
It was saidJhat the de facto doctrine was based on public policy and
necessity and that in the present case neither public policy or neces-
sity required that the judgments should not be set aside. No in-
D convenience would be caused by ordering a rehearing of the appeals
or a retrial of the accused. It was also urged that the attack, if
any, on the appointment of Shri Anjappa and Shri Raman Raj was
not a collateral attack. It was. submitted that a question of juris-
diction could be raised at any stage in a criminal case and a trial by
a Sessions Judge who was appointed in violation of Art. 233 was
E not a trial by a Sessions Judge duly appointed to exercise jurisdiction
· in a Court of Session under S. 9 of the Code of Criminal Procedure.
It was argued that the de facto doctrine ·was not an absolute doc-
• trine. ,It was subject to certain limitations. One such limitation
was that imposed by Art. 233 of the Constitution. A person
-~-----, appointed as a District Judge contrary to the provisions of Art. 233
was no judge and his judgments were no judgments. It was sub-
mitied that the 20th Amendment of the Constitution ·would be a
__surplusage if the de facto doctrine was to b-e applied to judgments
rendered by persons appointed as District Judges contrary to the
provisions of Art. 233 of the Constitution. It was also suggested
that the Fundamental Right of the _appellants under Art. 21 of the
G Constitution was violated as their liberty was being taken away
otherwise than in accordance with the procedure established by law.
------
We are unable to agree with the submissions of the learned
c~unsel for the appellants. The doctrine is now well established
H · that "the acts of the Officers de facto performed by them within the
scope of their assumed official authority, in the interest of the public

::,, '
G. RANGARAJU v. ANDHRA PRADESH (Chinnappa Reddy, J.) 479

or third persons and not for their own benefit, are generally as valid A
and binding, as if they were the acts of officers de jure" (Pulin Behari
v. King Emperor)(1). As one of us had occasion to point out earlier
"the doctrine is founded on good sense, sound policy and practical
expedience. It is aimed at the prevention of public and private
mischief and the protection of public and private interest. It avoids
endless confusion and needless chaos. An illegal appointment may B
be set aside and a proper appointment may be made, but the acts
of those who hold office de facto are not so easily undone and may
have lasting repercussions and confusing sequels if attempted to be
undone. Hence the de facto doctrine" (vide Immedisetti Ram-
krishnaiah Sons v. State of Andhra Pradesh and Anr.(2)
c
In Pu/in Behari v. King Emperor, (Supra) Sir Ashutosh Mukerjee J. \
noticed that in England the de facto doctrine was recognised from
the earliest times. The first of the reported cases where the doctrine
received judicial recognition was the case of Abbe of Fountaine
decided in 1431. Sir Ashutosh Mookerjee noticed that even by 1431 D
the de facto doctrine appeared to be quite well known and, after
1431, the doctri11e was again and again reiterated by English Judges.

In Milward v. Thatcher( 3), Buller J. said :

"The question whether the judges below be properly E
judges or not, can never be determined, it is sufficient if
they be judges de facto. Suppose a person were even cri-
minally convicted in a Court of Record, and the Recorder
of such Court were not duly elected, the conviction would
still be good in law, he being the judge de farto".
F
In Seaddling v. Lorant(4 ), the question arose whether a rate
for the relief of the poor was rendered invalid by the circumstance
that some of the vestry men who made it were vestry men defacto
' and not de ju re. The Lord Chancellor observed as follows :

With regard to the competency of the vestry men, who G
were vestry men de facto, but not vestry men de jure, to
make the rate, your Lordships will see at once the impor-

(!) [1912] 15 Cal Law Journal 517@ 574.
(2) AIR 1976 A.P. 193
(3) [1787] 2 T.R. 81@ 87. H
(4) [1851] 3 HLC 418.
\
'480 SUPREME COURT REPORTS [1981] 3 S.C.R.

A tance of that objection, when you consider how many pub-
lic officers and persons there are who were charged with
very important duties, and whose title to the office on the
part of the public cannot be ascertained at the time. You
will at once see to what it would lead if the validity of
their acts, when in such office, depended upon the propriety
B of their election. It might tend, if doubts were cast upon
them, to consequences of the most destructive kind. It
would create uncertainty with respect to the obedience to
public officers and it might also lead to persons, instead of
resorting to ordinary legal remedies to set right anything
done by the officers, taking the law int9 their own hands".
c
Some interesting observations were made by the Court of
Appeal in England in re James (An Insolvent).( 1) Though the learned
Judges constituting the Court of Appeal differed on the principal
question that arose before them namely whether "the High Court
of Rhodesia" was a British Court, there did not appear to be any
D
difference of opinion on the question of the effect of the invalidity
of the appointment of a judge on the judgments· pronounced by
him. Lord Denning M. R., characteristically, said : "He sits in
the seat of a judge. He wears the robes of a judge. He holds the ·
office of a judge. May be he was not validly appointed. But, still,
E he holds the office. It is the office that matters, not the incumbent
......... so long as the man holds the office and exercises it duly and
in accordance with law, his orders are not a nullity. If they
are erroneous they may be upset on appeal. But if not erroneous
they should be upheld". Lord Denning then proceeded to refer to
the State of Connecticut v. Carroll decided by the Supreme Court
F of Connecticut, Re Aldridge decided by the Court of Appeal in New
Zealand and Norton v. Shelby County decided by the United States
Supreme Court. Observations made in the last case were extracted
and they were :

"Where an office exists under the law, it matters not
G how the appointment of the incumbent is made, so far as
the validity of his acts are concerned. It is enough that he
is clothed with the insignia of the office, and exercises its
powers and functions ...... The official acts of such persons
are recognised as valid on grounds of public policy, and for
the protection of those having official business to transact."
H
(!) [1977] 2 W.L.R. 1.
G. RANGARAJU v. ANDHRA PRADESH (Chinnappa Reddy, J.) 481

Scarman LJ who differed from Lord Denning on the question A
whether the High Court of Rhodesia was a British Court appeared
to approve the view of Lord Denning M. R. in regard to the de
facto doctrine. He said :

"He (Lord Denning) invokes the doctrine of recogni-
tion of the de facto judge, and the doctrine of implied man- B
date or necessity. I agree with much of the thinking that
lies behind his judgment. I do think that in an appropriate
case our courts will recognise the validity of judicial acts,
even though they be the acts of a judge not lawfully appoin-
ted or derive their authority from an unlawful government.
But it is a fallacy to conclude that, because in certain cir- c
cumstances our Courts would recognise as valid the judicial
acts of an unlawful court or a de facto judge, therefore, the
Court thus recognised is a British Court".

The de facto doctrine has received judicial recognition in the
United States of America also. In State v. Gardner (Cases on
D
Constitutional Law by Mc. Gonvey and Howard Third Edition 102)
the question arose whether the offer of a bribe to a City Commis-
sioner whose appointment was unconstitutional was an offence.
Broadbury, J. said.

"We think that principle of public policy, declared by E
\. the English Courts three centuries ago, which gave validity
.to the official acts of persons who intruded themselves into
an office to which they had not been legally appointed, is as
applicable to the conditions now presented as they were to
the conditions that then confronted the English Judiciary.
We are not required to find a name by which officers are to F
be known, who have acted under a statute that has subse-
quently been declared unconstitutional, though we think
such officers might aptly be called de facto officers."

In Norton v. Shelby Cou11ty(1), Field, J., observed as follows :
G
"The doctrine which gives validity to acts of officers
de facto whatever defects there may be in the legality of
their appointment or election is founded upon considera-
tions of policy and necessity, for the protection of the pub-
H
(I) [1886] 118 US 425-36 Law Ed 171.
482 SUPREME COURT REPORTS ( 1981] 3 S.C.R.

A lie and individuals whose interests may be affected thereby.
Offices are created for the benefit of the public, and private
parties are not permitted to inquire into the title of persons
clothed with the evidence of such offices and in apparent
possession of their powers and functions. For the good
order and peace of society their authority is to be respected
B and obeyed until in some regular mode prescribed by law
their title is investigated and determined. It is manifest
that endless confusion would result, if in every proceeding
before such officers their title could be called in question."

In Cooley's 'Constitutional Limitations', Eighth Edition,
Volume Up. I 355, it is said,
c
"An officer de facto is one who by some colour or
right is in possession of an office and for the time being
performs its duties with public acquiescence, though having
no right in fact. His colour of right may come from an
election or appointment made by some officer or body
D having colourable but no actual right to make it; or made
in such disregard of legal requirements as to be ineffectual
in law; or made to fill the place of an officer illegally re-
moved or made in favour of a party not having the legal
qualifications; or it may come from public acquie.scence in
the qualifications; or it may come from public acquiescence
E in the officer holding without performing the precedent
conditions, or holding over under claim of right after his
legal right has been terminated; or possibly from public
acquiescence alone when accompanied by such circum-
stances of official reputation as are calculated to induce
people, without inquiry, to submit to or invoke official
F action on the supposition that the person claiming the
office is what he assumes to be. An intruder is one who
attempts to perform tbe duties of an office without authority
of law, and without the support of public acquiescence.

G No one is under obligation to recognise or respect the
acts of an intruder, and for all legal purposes they are abso-
lutely void. But for the sake of order and regularity, and
to prevent confusion in the conduct of public business and
in security of private rights, the acts of officers de facto are
H not suffered to be questioned because of the want of legal
authority except by some direct proceeding instituted for
G. RANGARAJU v. ANDERA PRADESH (Chinnappa Reddy, J.) 483

the purpose by the State or by .some one claiming the office A
de jure, or except when the person himself attempts· to
build up some right, or claim some privilege or emolu-
ment, by reason of being the officer which he claims to be.
In all other cases the acts of an officer de facto are as valid
and effectual, while he is suffered to retain the office, as
though he were an officer by right, and the same legal
B
consequences will flow from them for the protection of
the public and of third parties. There is an important
principle, which finds concise expression in the legal maxim
that the acts of officers de facto cannot be questioned
collaterally."
c
In Black on judgments it is said:

"A person may be entitled to his designation although
he is not a true and rightful incumbent of the office, yet
he is no mere usurper but holds it under colour of lawful
authority. And there can be no question that judgments
D
rendered and other acts performed by such a person who is
ineligible to a judgeship but who has nevertheless been
duly appointed, and who exercises the power and duties of
tl•e office is a de f:1cto judge, and his acts are valid until he
is properly removed."
E
· The de fi1cto doctrine has been recognised by Indian Courts
also. Jn Pu/in Behari v, King Emperor, Sir Ashutosh Mookerjee, J
after tracing the history of the doctrine in England observed as
follows :

"The substance of the matter is that the de facto doc-
F
trine was introduced into the law as a matter of policy and
necessity, to protect the interest of the public and the indi-
vidual where these interests were involved in the official
acts of persons exercising the duties of an office without
being lawful officers. The doctrine in fact is necessary to
G
maintain the supremacy of the law and to preserve peace
and order in the community at large. Indeed, if any indi-
vidual or body of individuals were permitted, at his or their
pleasure, to collaterally challenge the authority of and to
refuse obedience to the Government of the State and the H
numerous functionaries through whom it exercised its various
484 SUPREME COURT REPORTS [1981] 3 S.C.R.

A powers on the ground of. irregular existence or defective
title, insubordination and disorder of the worst kind would
be encouraged. For the good order and peace of society,
their authority must be upheld until in some regular mode
their title is directly investigated and determined."

B In P. S. Menon v. State of Kera/a and Ors.(1) a Full Bench of
the Kerala High Court consisting of P. Govindan Nair, K.K. Mathew
and T.S. Krishnamoorthy Iyer, JJ said about the de.facto doctrine :

"This doctrine was engrafted as a matter of policy and
necessity to protect the interest of the public and individual
c involved in the official acts of persons exercising the duty
of an officer without actually being one in strict point of j
law. But although these officers are not offiers de jure they
are by virtue of the particular circumstances, officers, in
fact, whose acts, public policy requires should be considered
valid".
D
In the judgment under appeal Kuppuswami and Muktadar, JJ
observed :

"Logically speaking if a person who has no authority
to do so functions as a judge and disposes of a case the
judgment rendered by him ought to be considered as void
E and illegal, but in view of the considerable inconvenience
which would be caused to the . public in holding as void
judgments rendered by judges and other public officers whose
title to the office may be found to be defective at a later
date. Courts in a number of countries have, from ancient
times evolved a principle of law that under certain condi-
F tions, the acts of a judge or officer not legally competent
may acquire validity''.

J A judge, de facto, therefore, is one who is not a mere intruder
or usurper but one who holds office, under colour of lawful autho-
rity, though his appointment is defective and may later be found to be
G defective. Whatever be the defect of his title to the office, judgments
pronounced by him and acts done by him when he was clothed
with the powers and functions of the office, albeit unlawfu11y, have the
same efficacy as judgments pronounced and acts done by a Judge de
H (1) AIR 1970 Kerala 165@ 170.
G, RANGARAJU v. ANDHRA PRADESH (Chinnappa Reddy, J.) 485
jure. Such is the de facto doctrine, '!Jorn of necessity and public
policy to prevent needless confusion and endless .mischief. There is
A
yet another rule also based on public policy. The defective appoint-
ment of a de facto judge may be questioned directly in a proceeding
to which he be a party but it cannot be permitted to be questioned
in a litigation between two private litigants, a litigation which is of
no concern or consequence to the judge except as a judge. Two
B
litigants litigating their private titles cannot be permitted to bring
. in issue and litigate upon the title of a judge to his office. Other-
wise so soon as a judge pronounces a judgment a litigation may be
commenced for a declaration that the judgment is void because the
judge is no judge. A judge's title to his office cannot be brought
into jeopardy in that fashion. Hence the rule against ·collateral
attack on validity of judicial appointments. To question a judge's
c
appointment in an appeal against the judgment is, of course, such a
collateral attack.

We do not agree with the submission of the learned counsel
that the de facto doctrine is subject to the limitation that the defect
in the title of the judge to the office should not be one traceable to D
the violation of a constitutional provision. The contravention of a
constitutional provision may invalidate an appointment but we are
not concerned with that. We are concerned with the effect of the
invalidation upon the acts done by the judge whose appoint-
ment has been invalidated. The de facto doctrine saves such
Acts. The de facto doctrine is not a stranger to the Constitu- E
tion -or to the Parliament and the Legislatures of the States.
Art. 71 (2) of the Constitution provides !hat acts done by the Presi-
dent or Vice President of India in the exercise and performance of
the powers and duties of his office shall not be invalidated by reason
of the election of a person as President or Vice President being
declared void. So also Sec. I 07(2) of the Representation of the F
People Act 1951 (Act 43 of 1951) provides that acts and proceedings
·in which a person has participated as a Member of Parliament or a
Member of the Legislature of a State shall not be invalidated by
reason of the .election of such person being declared to be void.
There are innumerable other Parliamentary and State Legislative
enactments which are replete with such provisions. The Tw1<ntieth G
Amendment of the Constitution is an instance where the de facto
doctrine was applied by the Constituent body to remove any suspi-
cion or taint of illegality or invalidity that may be argued to have
attached itself to judgment, decrees sentences or orders passed or
made by certain District Judges appointed before 1966, otherwise
H
than in accordance with the provision of Art. 233 and Art 235 of
486 SUPREME COURT REPORTS [1981) 3 S.C.R.
&
A the Constitution. The Twentieth Amendment was the consequence
of the decision of the Supreme Court in Chandra Mohan v. Stale of
Uttar Pradesh and Ors.(1)., that appointments of District Judges
made otherwise than in accordance with the provisions of Arts. 233
and 235 were invalid. As such appointments had been made in many
States, in order to pre·empt mushroom litigation springing up all
B over the country, it was apparently thought desirable that the pre-
cise position should be stated by the Constituent body by amending
the Constitution. Shri Phadke, learned counsel for the appellants,·
argued that the constituen~ body could not be imputed with the
intention of making superfluous amendments to the Constitution.
Shri Phadke invited us to say that it was a necessary inference from
c the Twentieth Amendment of the Constitution that, but for the
amendment, the judgments, decrees etc. of the District Judges appoint-
ed otherwise than in accordance with the provisions of Art. 233
would be void. We do not think that the inference suggested by
Shri Phadke is a necessary inference. It is true that a> a general
rule the Parliament may be presumed not to make superfluous legis-
D
lation. The presumption is not a strong presumption and statutes
are full of provisions introduced because abundans cautela non nocet
(there is no harm in being cautious). When judiciai pronouncements
have already declared the law on the subject, the statutory reitera-
tion of the law with reference to the particular cases does not lead to
the necessary inference that the law declared by the judicial pro-
E
nouncements was not thought to apply to the particular cases but may
also lead to the inference that the statute-making body was mindful
of the real state of the law but was acting under the influence of
excessive caution and so to silence the voices of doubting Thomases
by declaring the law declared by judicial pronouncements to be appli-
F cable also to the particular cases. In Chandra Mohan's case (Supra)
this Court held that appointments of District Judges made otherwise
than in accordance with Art. 233 of the Constitution were invalid.
Such appointments had been made in Uttar Pradesh and a few other
States. Doubts had been cast upon the validity of the judgments,
decrees etc. pronounced by those District Judges and large litigation
G had cropped up. It was to clear those doubts and· not to alter the
law that the Twentieth Amendment of the Constitution was made.
This is clear from the statement of objects and reasons appended to
the Bill which wa5 passed as Constitution (20th Amendment) Act.
1966. The statement said :
H
(I) [1967] 1 SCR 77.
G. RANGARAJU v. ANDHRA PRADESH (Chinnapp'.l Reddy, J.) 487

"Appointments of District Judges in Uttar Pradesh A
and a few other States have been rendered invalid and ille·
gal by a recent judgment of the Supreme Court on the
ground that such appointments were not made in accord-
ance with the provisions of Art. 233 of the Constitution ......
As a result of these judgments, a serious situation has arisen
because doubt has been thrown on the validity of the
B
judgments, decrees, orders and sentences passed or made
by these District Judges and a number of Writ Petitions
and other cases have already been filed challenging their
validity. The functioning of the District Courts in Uttar
Pradesh has practically come to a stand-still. It is, there-
fore, urgently necessary to validate the judgments, decrees,
c
orders and sentences passed or made heretofore by all such
District Judges in those States .......... "

In our view, the de facto doctrine furnishes an answer to the
submissions of Shri Phadke based on Sec. 9 Criminal Procedure D
Code and Art. 21 of the Constitution. The judges who rejected the
appeal ·in one case and convicted the accused in the other case were
·not mere usurpers or intruders but were persons who discharged the
functions and duties of judges under colour of lawful authority. We
are concerned with the office that the judges purported to hold. We
are not concerned with the particular incumbents of the office. So E
long as the office was validly created, it matters not that the incum-
bent was not validly appointed. A person appointed as a Sessions
Judge, Additional Sessions Judge or Assistant Sessions Judge, would
be exercising jurisdiction in the Court of Session, and his judgments
and orders would be those of the Court of Session. They would conti-
nue to be valid as the judgments and orders, of the Court of Session, F
notwithstanding that his appointment to such Court might be dec-
lared invalid. On that account alone, it can never be said that the
procedure prescribed by law has not been followed. It would be a
different matter if ·the constitution of the Court itself is under
challenge. We are not concerned with such situation in the instant
cases. We, therefore, find no force in any of the submissions of the
G
learned counsel.

Shri Govindan Nair attempted to argue that the confiscation
was not justified on the merits. We find no reason to interfere with H
488 SUPREME COURT REPORTS (1981] 3 S.C.R.

A the concurrent findings of fact arrived at by the lower Courts. Shri
Phadke requested us to widen the scope of the appeals and to per-
mit him to canvas the correctness of the convictions and sentences
also. We declined to do so. All the appeals are dismissed.
B
P.B.R Appeals dismissed.