Published Paper Details:

An abstract on cause of action and jurisdiction under the Code of Civil Procedure (CPC) must outline how the "bundle of material facts" that defines a cause of action decides where and if at all a civil suit may be filed, and how courts sift out plaints at the threshold regarding jurisdictional competence and revelation of a cause. Cause of action is not specifically defined under the CPC, but Indian courts always refer to it as all the facts which the plaintiff must establish, if navigated, in order to secure a judgment; it is the matrix of facts connecting a right, its violation, and the defendant's challenged acts. Jurisdiction over civil actions interconnects with cause of action via Section 20 CPC, which gives territorial jurisdiction when the defendant is found, carries on business, or where the cause of action accrues wholly or in part; hence, even partial accrual of crucial facts can determine forum competence. Standards of pleading support this nexus: Order VII Rule 1 mandates setting out the cause of action in the plaint, whereas Order II Rule 2 necessitates inclusion of the entire claim based on the same cause for avoiding multiplicity of proceedings. At the stage of gatekeeping, courts can dismiss a plaint under Order VII Rule 11 for non-disclosure of a cause of action or for a prima facie jurisdictional bar, examining only the averments in the plaint on a face-value basis to eliminate vexatious or incompetent suits. Doctrinally, Indian precedent defines both narrow and expansive meanings of cause of action--from facts which constitute violation of a right to the entire ensemble of material facts required for relief--each with implications for territorial forum choice and maintainability. In total, cause of action is the factual basis of a civil claim and the functional basis of territorial jurisdiction under Section 20; combined with rules of pleading and the power of rejection under Order VII Rule 11, it frames where suits are instituted, how they are articulated, and whether or not they move beyond the threshold.