[1994] UGHC 13

[1994] UGHC 13

The court held that while Order 6 Rule 18 of the Civil Procedure Rules allows for amendments to pleadings at any stage, such amendments must not cause injustice or substantially alter the character of the suit. In this case, the plaintiff's suit was for a liquidated sum under summary procedure, and the original...

Source-derived case information.

Citation
[1994] UGHC 13
Parties
Plaintiff: Uganda Petroleum Co. Ltd; Defendant: Haji Kayongo
Court
High Court of Uganda
Jurisdiction
Uganda
Case Number
Civil Suit No.504 of 1993
Procedural Posture
Civil Suit / Ruling on Oral Application to Amend Pleadings
Outcome
application to amend pleadings rejected
Legal Topics
Amendment of Pleadings, Summary Procedure, Liquidated Claims
Source Language
en
Civil Procedure Amendment of Pleadings Summary Procedure Liquidated Claims

Source-derived case record

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Parties

Uganda Petroleum Co. Ltd

Plaintiff

Haji Kayongo

Defendant

Procedural Posture

Civil Suit / Ruling on Oral Application to Amend Pleadings

  1. 1 Whether the plaintiff should be granted leave to amend the pleadings to include a prayer for damages after close of its case.
  2. 2 Whether such an amendment would cause injustice or substantially change the character of the suit.

Ratio Decidendi

The court held that while Order 6 Rule 18 of the Civil Procedure Rules allows for amendments to pleadings at any stage, such amendments must not cause injustice or substantially alter the character of the suit. In this case, the plaintiff's suit was for a liquidated sum under summary procedure, and the original pleadings did not lay any ground for a claim for damages. Allowing the amendment to include a prayer for damages after the close of the plaintiff's case would fundamentally change the nature of the action and prejudice the defendant, who had not been put on notice of such a claim. The authorities cited confirm that amendments should not be permitted if they introduce new matters...

Court Disposition

application to amend pleadings rejected

Orders

  • The application to amend the pleadings by inserting a prayer for damages is rejected with costs to the defendant.