Superintendence Company of India (P) Ltd. v. Krishan MurgaI

12:78 A SlJPERJNTENDENCE COMPANY OF INDIA (P) LTD. _v._ KRJSHAN MURGAI B _May_ 9, 1980 [N. L. UNTWALIA, V. D. TuLZAPURKAR AND AP .. SEN, JJ.] _Covenant in restruiflf_ _of trade-Contract_ _Act,_ 1872, _Section_ 27, _scope_ _of-_ f_W lzetht:r_ _a post-service restrictive cpvenant._ _in_ _restraint_ _of._ _trade_ _in service_ _t1greement_ b~tween _the_ _parties is_ _void-Even_ _if_ _it_ _be_ _valid, whether_ _it_ _could_ _be enfiorceable. as enjoined by ittustrations_ (c) _and (d)_ _,to_ _Section 57_ _of_ _th•_ C _Specific Relief_ _Act,_ 1963. _y_ The- appellant company carries on busine$ as valuers and surveyor! undertaking inspection of quality, weighment analysis, sampling of merchandise and commodities, cargoes, industrial products, machinery, textiles etc. It has established a reputation and gocxlwill in its business by developing its own techniques for quality testing and control and possess trade secrets in the D form of these techniques and clientele. It has its headoffice at Calcutta and a branch at New Delhi and employs various persons as managers and in other c~cities in Calcutta; New Delhi and other pla.ces~ E F G H On March 27, 1971, the respondent was employed by the appellant company as the Branch Manager of its New Delhi office on terms and conditions contained in the letter of appointment issued to him on the same date. Clause ( 10) of the terms and conditions of employment placed the respondent under a post service restraint• that he shall not serve any other competitive firm nor carry on business on Q.is own in similar line as that of the appellant company for two Y"'l"' at tho place of his last posting. On November 24, 1978, the appellant company terminated the respondent's semces with effect from December 27, 1978. Thereafter, respondent started his own business under the name and style of "Superintendence and Surveillence Inspectorate of India" at E.-22 South Extension New Delhi on lines identical with or substantially similar to that of the appellant company.' On April 19, 1979 the appellant company brought a suit in the Delhi HighJ Court on its original side, claiming Rs. 55,000/- as dama8"8 on account _ofT_ the b~ch of negative covenant contained in clause ( 10); and for permanent\ injunction restraining the respondent by himself, his servants, agents or otherwise, from carrying on the said business or any other business on Imes similu to that of the appellant conipany or associating or representing any competitors of the appellant company 'before the expiry of two ye;m from December 27, 1978. After filing the suit the appellant company sought an _ad_ _interim_ injuncilon by way of enforcing the aforesaid negative covenant a1*i a Single Judge of the Delhi High O>uft initially granted an _ad_ _interim_ injunction on April 29, 1979 which was confirmed by him on May 25, 1979 after hearing the respondent. On appeal by the respondent, the Division Bench" of the High Court reversed the interim ord~r and hence the appeal by certificate. Dimlissing the appoal, the Court **A** **B** c **D** SUPERINTl!NDBNGB COMP ANY _V._ KRISHAN MURGA! 12 7 9 HELD: _(Per_ _Tulzapurkar_ _l.,_ _on_ _behalf of_ Untwali~ _l._ _and_ _himself)._ !. Assuming that the negative covenant contained in clause (10) of the service agreement is valid and not hit by section 27 of the Indian Contract Act, it is not enforceable against the respondent at the instance of the appellant company. The appellant company should have taken care to uae appropriate language, while incorporating such reStrictive covenant so as to include every case of [1 ] cessation of employment arising from any reason whatsoever and not llsed the expression "leave", which normally is synony**pious** **to** **the** **expression** **"quit"** **and indicates voluntary act on the** **part** **of** **the** employee. [1285 F, 1287 A, B-C] I I _i_ _..._ ' T ,, ~ (2) The word "leave" has various shades of meaning depending upon the context or intent with which it is used. According to the plain grammaticel meaning that word in relation to an employee would normally be '\j'coostrued a& meaning voluntary leaving of the service by him and would ~ not iI}.clude a case 'where he is discharged or dismissed or his services are **terminated by** **his** **employer.** **Ordinarily, the** **word** **connotes voluntary action.** [1286-D] (3) In the instant case, having regard to the context in which the expression leave occurs in clause (10) of tho service agreement and reading it alongwith all the other terms of agreement, it is clear that the word •ieave• was. intended by the parties to ·refer to a case where the employee voluntarily left the services of his own. [1286 G-H, 1287 A] _Murray_ v. _Close,_ 32 Law Times Old series p. 89; held inapplicable to Indian Law. _Muesling_ v. _International Rly. Co.,_ 147 N.Y.S. 177,' 178 85 Misc 309; _y_ quoted with approval. E _**Per, Sen**_ **1.:** \ **1.** **Agreements** **of** **service, containing a negative covenant** **preven.ting** **the** employee from working elsewhere are not void under section 27 of the Contract Act, on the ground that they are in restraint Of trade. Such agreements are enforceable, the reason being that the doctrine of restraint of trade never applies during the continuance of a contract of employment and applies only when the contract comes to an end. While during the pet:iod of employ\. ment the Courts undoubtedly would not grant any specific performance of i a contract of personal service, nevertheless Section 57 of the Specific Relief Act clearly provides for the grant of an injunction to restxain the breach **of** **such a covenant,** **as** **it** **is** **not** **in** **restraint of, but in furtherance** **of** **trade.** [1289 C-EJ 2. There is a clear distinction between a restriction in a ' contract of employment Which is operative during the period of employment and one which is to operate after the termination of employment. Mere existence of **negative covenant** **in** **a service agreement does not make** **it** **void** **on** **the** ground that it was in restraint of trade and contrary to the Contxact Act. The restriction contained in clause 10 of the agreement in this case is clearly in restraint of trade and therefore illegal under section 27 of the Cootract Act. It is not seeking to enforce the negative covenant during the term of employment of the respondent but after the tennination of his . serviceo. [1289 F-G, 1290 F-0, 1291 C-D] **F** G 1280 SUPREME COURT REPORTS [1980] 3 s.c.R. , A _Niranjan Shankar Golikari_ v, _Century Spinning and Manufacturing Co.,_ _Ltd.,_ [1967] 2 SCR 378, distinguished. 3. \Vhen a rule of English law receives statutory recognition by the Indian Legislature, it is the language of the Act which determines the scope, un· influenced by the manner in which the anologous provision comes . to be construed narrowly or otherwise modified in order to bring the construc.tion within the scope and limitations of the rule governing the English doctrine of trade. [1291 H, 1292 A] _Satyavrata Ghosh_ v. _Kurmee_ _Ram_ _Bangor,_ [1954] SCR 310. followed. 4. A contract which has for its object a restraint of trade is, _prima facie_ c D E F G H ~oid. The question whether an agreement is void under section 27 must be decided upon the wording of that section. There is nothing in the woro----v- 6. _A_ law does not cease to be operative because it is an anachronism or because it is antiquated or because the reason why it originally became the law could_ be no reason for the introduction of such a law at the present times. Neither the test of reasonableness nor the principle of that the restraint being partial was reasonable are applicable to a case governed by Section 27 of the Contract Act, unless it falls within Exception I. Under Section 27 of the Contract Act, a service covenant extended bey00d' the termination of the service is void. [1299 AMC:/ _Nor<Je.nfelt_ v. _Maxim. Nordenfelt Guns_ _'am!_ _Ammunition_ _Co._ _Ltd.. L.R._ [1894] A.C. 535; _Mason_ v. _Pruvident Clothing and Supply Co. Ltd.. L.R._ [1930] A.C. 724; _Herbert Morris Ltd._ v. _Saxe/by;_ discussed. 7. On a true construction of clause 10 of the agreement the negative convenant not serve elsewhere or enter into a competitive business does not, arise ing of section 27 to suggest that the principle stated therein does not apply when the restraint is for a limited period only or is confined to a particular area. Such matters of partial restriction have effect only when the fact fall within the exception to the section. Section 27 of the Contracts Act is general in terms, and declares aU agreements in restraint void _pro tanto,_ except in the case specified in the application and unless a particular contract can be distinctly brought within Exception I there is no escape from the prohibition. Here the agreement in question is not a "good will of business", type of contract, and, therefore does not fall within the exception. If the agreement on the pa.rt of the respondent puts a restraint even though partial, it wa.o void, and, therefore, the contract must be treated as one which cannot be enforced. [1292 E.H, 1293 A, F-GJ _Madhub Chander_ v. _Rai Coomar_ _Dass,_ (1874) Bom.L.R. 76 @ 85-86; approved. _5._ A contract in restraint of trade is one by which a party restricts liis . future liberty to carry on his trade, business or profession in such maniier and with such persons _as_ he choooes. A contract of this class is _prima facie_ void, but it becomes binding upon proof that the restriction is justifiable in the circumstances as being reasonable from _the_ point of view of the parties themselves and also of the community. Under Section 27 of the Contract Act the onus is upon the covenanter. [1292 H, 1293 A. & 1294 D·E] _{_ r / SUPERINTENDENCE COMPANY _V._ KRISHAN MU!lGAl 1281 .when. fhe employee does not leave the services but is dismissed from Service. A Wrongful dismissal is a repudiation of contract of service which relieves the employee of the restrictive covenant. [1299 &F] _General Bil/posting_ _Co._ v. _Atkinson,_ L. R. [1909] AC 118; referred to. B c D I! F G II \. 8. The word 'leave' has various shades of meaning depending upon the context of intent with which it is used. According to the plain meaning, the word 'leave' in relation to an employee, should be construed to mean where he "voluntarily" leaves i.e. of his ovm volition and does not include a. case of dismissal. The word 'leave' appears to connote voluntary actiOn, and is synoDJDlOUS with the word 'quit'. It cloes not refer to the expulsion of an emp- · luyee by the act of his employer without his consent and against his remonstrance. That is a meaning in consonance with justice and fair play. [1299 H, 1300 A-BJ 9. Restrictions on com~titions during the period of service a.re Jilormally valid and indeed may be implied by law by virtue of the servant's duty of fidelity. Ill such cases t,he restriction is generally reasonable, 'having regard to the inlernit of the employer and does not cause a.ny undue hardship to the employee, who wi11 receive a wage or salary for the period in question. But if the covenant is to operate after the termination of services, or is too widely v"orded. tile Conrt may refuse to enforce it. [1300 CD] 10. It is well established that employee's covenants should he carefully scrutinised because there is inequality of bargaining power between the pa.rties; iacleed no bargaining -power may occur because the employee is presented with a standard form of contract to accept or reject. At the lime of the agree' ment, the employee may have given little thought to the restriction becauae '. of' his eagerness for a job; such contracts "tempt improvident persons, for the \~ of present gain, to deprive themselves of the power to make future acqui ~ms and expose them to impooition and oppression". [1300 E-F] \ 11. The Courts view. with disfavour a restrictive covenant by an employee nol. to engage in a business similar to or competitive with that of the employer aft¢ the termination of his contract of employment since a. restrictive covenant,.,,cillary to a contract of employment is likely to affect the employee's means, or procuring a livelihood for himself and hi• family. [1301 B-C] 12\ The true rule of construction is that when a covenant or agreement is impea~hed on the ground that it is in restraint of trade, the duty-of the Court is, frrst 'to interpret the covenant or agreement itself, and to ascertain according to the ordinary rules of construction what is the fair meaning of the parties. If there i,o;: an ambiguity it must receive a narrower construction than the wider. The restraint ma.y not be greater than necessary to prptect the employer, nof l,mduly harsh and oppressive to the employee. Even if the word 'leave' cont3ined in clause 10 of the a'greement is susceptible of another construction as ~ing operative on termination, however, accomplished of the service _e.f?._ by dismissal without notice, would having regard to the provisions of oection 27 'of the Contract Act, 1972, try to preserve the Government in clause l 0 by il,ving to it a restrictive meaning, as implying volition i.e. wher,e the employee ~igns or voluntarily leaves the services. The restriction being too wide, and violative Of section 27 of the Contract Act, must be subjected· to a narrower co~truction. [1301 C-G] . . \ \ A B c D E F G H On March 21, 1980 we dismissed the appeal at the·copclusion of the hearing and it was stated that our reasons will follow. We now proceed to give .our reasons for the dismissal. I ' Briefly stated the facts are these. The appellant company carries on business as valuers and· surveyors, undertaking inspection of quality, weighment, analysis, sampling of merchandise and commodities, cargoes, industrial products, machinery, textiles, etc. It has estabilshetl a reputation and goodwill in its business by developing its own tQilniques for quality testing and control and possesses trade secrets in. the form of these. teohniques and clientele. It has its head oflicd at Calcutta and a branch at New Delhi and employs various persons as managers and in other capacitie~ in Calcutta, New Delhi and other places. On March 2 7, 1971 the respondent was emplayed by · the appellant company as the Branch Manager of its New Delhi office on terms and conditions contained in the letter of appointment issued to him on the same date. Cause (10) of the terms and conditions of employment placed the respondent under a post-service restraint that ho shall·not serve any other competitive firm nor carry on business on his own in similar line as that of the appellant company for two years at the place of his last posting. Since it is vital we set out the< said clause which ran thus : . "10. That you will not be permitted to join any firm of our competitors or run a business of your ow11 ln similar 1282 SUPREME COURT REPORTS [1980] 3 s.c.R. CIVIL APPELLATE JURISDICTION : Civil Appeal No. 1933 of 1979. Appeal by Special Leave from the Judgment and Order dated the 20th July, 1979 of the Delhi High Court in F.A.O. (OS) No. 86 of 1979. _A._ _K. Sen,_ _P. P._ _Rao,_ _N._ _D._ _Garg,_ _R._ _Venkataramani_ and _S._ _K._ _Bisaria_ for the Appellant. _K. K._ _Venugopal,_ _H. K._ _Puri_ and _S._ C. _Dlumda_ for the Respondent . . The following Judgments were delivered TuLZAPURKAR, J. This appeal at the instance of the appellant company (original plaintiff) is directed against an inter-locutory order passed by the High Court in F.A.O. (0.S.) 86 of 1979 refusing to ~y grant temporary injunction in a suit which is stil\ pending. Principally it raises two substantial questions : (a) whether a post-service restrictive covenant in restraint of trade as contained in cl. ( 10) of the service agreement between the parties is void under s. 27 of the Indian Contract Act ? and (b) whether the said restrictive covenant, assruning it to be valid, is on its terms enforceable at the instance of the appellant company against the respondent ? ##### _f_ _I_ SUPBIUNTBNDENCB COMPANY _V._ KR!SHAN MURGA! 1283 _(Tulz.apurkar,_ _J.)_ lines directly and/ or indirectly, for a period of two years at A the place of your lllst posting after you leave the company." On November 24, 1978 the appellant company terminated tbei re.11pondent's services with effect from December 27, 1978. Thereafter the respondent started his own business under the name and style of. "Superintendence and Surveillance Inspectorate of India" at B-'.i?2, South Extension, New Delhi on lines identical with or subStan~ B c D E F tially 'similar to that of the appellant company. On April 19, 1979 the appellant company brought a suit in the Delhi High Court on its Original Side claiming Rs. 55,000/- as damages on account of the: _'-,,.,J.-_ breach of the aforesaid negative covenant ccntained in cl. (10) and ~ for permanent injunction restraining the respondent by himself, his servants, agents or otherwise, from carrying on the said business,or any other business on lines similar to that of the appellant company or associating or representing any competitors of the appl'.J!ant cqmpany before the .expiry of two years from December 27, 1978. After filing the suit the appellant company sought an interim injunction by way of enforcirig the aforesaid negative cQlvenant and a Single Judgei 'of the Dt:lhi High Court initially granted an ad interim injunction on: April 29, 1979 which was confirmed by him on May 25, 1979 after hearing . the respondent. The learned Single Judge took the view that the ne~ve covenant, being in partial restraint of trade, was reasonable _y_ inasmuch as it was limited both in point of time (two years) as well: 1 [as the area of operation (New Delhi which ] [was ] [his ] [last ][posting) and, ] therefore, ll(as not hit by s. 2 7 of the Contract Act. He also took the view that the negative covenant was enforceable as the expression, "leave" in cl. ( 10) was not confined to voluntarily leaving of the service by the respondent but was wide enough to include termination of his: services by the appellant company. On appeal by. the respondent, a Division Bench ef the High Court reversed the order of the learned Single Judge on both the points and that is how the two questioru; indicated at the commencement of this judgment arise for our determination in this appeal. mination in this appeal. ' Since in our vieW the appeal ii; capable of being dispooed of,,n G ###### " 1be second .point we think it unnecessary to decide or express our opinion on the fiist question which was hotly and ably debated at the bar by counsel on either< sidei but we will indicate briefly the rival lines on which the arguments proceeded. On the one ·hand counsel for th~ reipO!ldent tried to support the view of the Division Bench by pointiilg out that in India the law on the subject was codified by statute which B wu edlaustive and on the topic of agreements in restraint of trade and excefl(ions in that behalf the Indian Courts cannot invoke oc derive A c D E F G B 12S4 SUPREME COURT REPORTS [1980] 3 s.c.R. assistance from the English Common Law and the exceptionsi developed thereto by English decisions from time to time, that s. 27 _ol._ the Indian Contract Act was absolute in terms .in that it did not make any distinction between par_tial or general restraints and that unless. a case was covered by the Exception provided thereunder every restraint ol' trade, whether partial or general would be void under that section. In this behalf reliance was placed on a number of decisions of various High Courts commencing from the celebrated decision of Sir Richard Couch, C.J. in _M.adhub Chunder_ v. _Rajcoomar Doss(')_ wheres. 27 was interpreted in the aforesaid manner. Counsel urged that a distinction between a negative covenant operative during the period of employment and one that is operative during post-service period has been well recogttised and that all post-service restrictive covenants' were _prima facie_ void, that the only exceptions were those given in the statute and that the exceptions developed by' the English case .law could not be invoked here. According to him the tes~ of reaso~ble­ ness had been wrongly adopted by the learned Singlei Judge. He pointed out that accepting the interpretation placed on s. 27 by High· Courts even the Law Commission has recommended a change in that by suitable legislation. He further pointed out that the Division Bench has gone a step further and after considering whether the instim~ case would fall wi_thin those exceptions developed by English case . Law has come to a negative conclusion against the appellant company. On the other hand counsel for the appellant company contended that the interpretation of s. 27 as given by various Hfgh Courts including Sir Richard Couch's decision in _Madlmb Chzmder's_ case (supra) has not been so far considered by this Court and it requires to be· examined and considered by this Court, especially in view of certain observations made by this Court in· _Niranjan Shankar Golikari's_ ( [2] ) case which warrant such reconsideration. Though i_t was a casei dealing with negative c01Venant that was operative during the employment period counsel pointed out that entire case law Indian as well as English was discussed and this Court at page. 389 of th<1 repo<t observed thus : "The result of the above discussion,is that considerations against restrictive covenants are different in cases where the restriction is to apply during the period after the termination of the contract than those in cases where it is to operate during the period of the contract.'" I (I) [1874] 14 Beng. L. R. 76. (2) [1967] 2 SCR 378. i . SUPERINTENDENCE COMPANY _v._ KRISllAN MURGA! 1285 . _(Tulzapurkar,_ _J.)_ B ... According to counsel the very fact that this Court has observed that A considerations _qua_ post-service restrictions are different from those that are· to be considered in cases of restrictiops during the employiµent suggests that perhaP5 a rigorou~ test of reasonableness may have to be adopted in the former cases but there would be cases where postservice restrictions, if !eason:able, even after app_lying the rigorous tests may be valid as not falling under s. 2 7 of the Act, it was, there-. fore, not correct to ·say that aU post-service restrictions were volp. His precise contention was that even a post-service restrictive covenart,t, if it was reasonable, qualified or limited in operation both iD point bf time l\Ild area, as was the case here, does not amount to any restraint of trade at all within the meaning of s. 27 and such restrictive covenan could· be justified as being necessary and essential to protect th employer's interests, his trade secrets and his trade connections and, therefore, valid. As regards the argument based on codified exception, counsel pointed out, that even the case of a restrictive covenant operative during the period of employment between master and servant c had not been provided for as an exceptiOl!I below s. 27 but even sa 1 o such restrictive covenant was never regarded as amounting to restraint of trade under s. 27 mainly because it was always; regarded as reason-· able and necessary tOI protect the employer's interests, which shows that the statutory exceptions were not exhaustive. . Lastly,· counsel urged that the Law Commission's recommendation on which reliance wa• - placed by respondent's coousel would be inconsequential because it E proceeds on the acceptance of the interpretation placed on s. 27 by various High•Courts and he is seeking tol get that interpretation eimmin E ed and considered bY-:this Court. However, as we have said above, we do not propose to discuss or decide the aforesaid question inasmuch as this appeal can be disposed of by deciding the second question that has been raised before us and ··, for that purpose we shall proceed on tbe assumption tbat the negative l c~venant contained in cl. (10) of tbe service agreement is valid and not hit by s. 27 of tbe Contract Act. The question is whether tbe said restrictive covenant is on its terms enforceable against the respondent F \ at tbe instance of tbe appellant [1 ] company. G We have already quoted the restrictive covenant contained in cl. ( 10). In terms tbe clause provides that the restriction contained !herein will come into operation "after you (respondent) leave the company". Admittedly in tbe instant case the respondent had not on his own left the .company but his services were terminated by the appel- B !ant COOlpany by a. notice dated November 24, 1978 with effect from December 27, 1978. The question is whether the phrase "after you B c D E F G H 1286 SUPREME COURT REPORTS [1980] 3 s.c.R. leave the company" ml!llllS the leaving of service by the responde!llt voluntarily or would include even ~e case of termination of his services by the appellant company. The Division Bench of the High Court has,taken the view that the word "leave" does not include termination Of service by the employer. Counsel for the appellant company con~ tended that the word "leave" occurring in the phrase "after you leave the company" would be wide enough to include all cases of cessation of service whether brought about by voluntary quitting on the part of the employee or termination of his services by the employer and in that behalf reliance was placed upon an English decision in _Murray_ v. _Giese(•)_ where it was held that an agreement restricting competition with an employer "after leaving his ser'1ice" would be operative on the termination, however accomplished, of the service, e.g. by a disnrissal without notice. ( _vide_ : Stroud's Judicial Dictionery, 4th Edn., Vol. 3, page 1508, Item 13, under the word 'leaving'). In our view, the word "leave" has various shades of meaning depending upon the context or intent with which it is used. According to the plain grammatical meaning that word in relation to an employee would normally be construed as meaning voluntary leaving of the service by him and would not include a case where he is discharged or dismissed or his services are terminated by his employer. Ordinarily the word "leave" appears to connote voluntary action. In Words & Phrases Permanent Edition Vol. 24 at page 499 the following statement of law based on an American decision occurs: "An application for the employment of a street car conductor provided that in the event of his leaving the services for any reasons whatever within six months, the money paid to him for work under instruction while on trial shol1ld be deducted from such moneys as should be due from the company on the date of his_ "leaving". Held, that the word "leaving'; meant to quit or depart, implying, volition on the part of the person leaving, and limited the forfeiture of the instruction wages to a case where plaintiff left defendant's employ of his own volition, nor was such instruction effected by the words, "for any reason whatsoever." _Muesling_ v. _International_ _Ry._ _Co.,_ 147 N.Y.S. 177, 178, 85 Misc. 309_ In our view having regard to the context in which the expression "leave" occurs in cl. (10) o~ the service agreement and reading it alongwith all the other terms of employment it seems to us clear that in the instant case the word "leave" was intended by the parties to refer only to a case where the employee has voluntarily left the services (I) 32 Law Times Old Series 89. _(_ i _I_ SUP!!RINTBNDENCB COMPANY _v._ KRISHAN MURGA! 1287 _(Sen, 1.)_ of the appellant company of bis own, and since hem the respondent's services were terminated by the appellant company the restrictive covenant contained in cl. (10) would be inapplicable and, therefore, not enforceable against the respondent at the instance of the appellant company. Counsel for the appellant company urged that our constru~ A ... tion would lead to puttin8. a premium upon an dishonest employee who B by his own misdemeanour and misbehaviour may invite termination of his services . .All that we can say is that the appellant company sholl1d have taken care · _td_ use appropriate language while incorporat~ ing such restrictive covenant so as to include every case of cessation of employment arising from any reason whats0ever and not used the expression "leave," which normally is synonymous to the expression · C "quit" and indicates voluntary act on the part of the employee. _,;;.' In the reswt the appeal is dismissed with no order as to costs. SEN, J. I regret that my learned brethren propose to express nd opinion on the question on which, in my view, the appeal turns. The question is whether a negative covenant which restricts the right of the employee, after the cdnclusion of the term of service, or the termination of the employment for other reasons, to engage in any business similar to or competitive with that of the employer, is in restraint of1 trade and, therefore, void under section 27 of the Contract Act,' 1972. i have no doubt in my mind that the appeal - can'not be decided without deciding this question. This appeal on certifiCate from a judgment of the Delhi High court, relates to a covenant in restraint of trade contained in an agreement between the appellant company and the respondent in circumstances which we will explain. The appellant company carr\.. ies on the business of valuer, surveyor, inspection of quality, weigh ~ ment, analysis, sampli'ng of merchandise and commodities, cargoes, industrial products, machinery, textiles, etc. It has its head office at Calcutta with a branch at New Delhi. On or about March 27, 1971, the respondent who is a surveyor and· valuer was employed by the appellant as the B~anch Manager of its New Delhi office. One of the terms and conditions of the employment was that the respondent would 'not serve elsewhere or enter into any business for a period of 2 years after leaving the service. The term is contained in cl~use 10 of the agreement which reads : D E ' F G \ 10. That you will not be permitted to join any firm of our e competitors or run a business of your own in similarity as directly and/or indirectly, for a period of two years at the . <!i·--. 128f3 SUPREME COURT REPORTS [1980] 3 :;.C.R. I A place of your last posting after you leave the ! Company. . B c ' ' /D The appellant terminated the services of the cespandent by its · Jetter dated December 27, 1978. Thereafter the respondent started a business of his own under the name and styic of "Superintendence aild Surveillance Inspectorate of India" at E-22, South Bxtensian, New Delhi on Jines identical° with and substantially similar to that of th_e appellant. On April 19, 1979, the appellant commenced a suit in the Delhi High Court in its original side claiming Rs. 55,000/- as damages on account of breach of the covenant and for permanent injunction to restrain the respondent by himself, his servants or agents or otherwise from carrying on the said busi'ness or any other business on Jines similar to thg.t of the appellant or associating or representing any Competitors of the appellant before the expiry q_f two years from December 27, 1978. A Single Judge of the Delhi High Court/adopting the test cf reasonableness, held that under sectian 27 of the Cantract Act to determine whether the agreement is void, one has to see whether the restraint is reaSO'nable; and if so the negative covenent can be enforced as enjoined by illustratians ( c) and (d) to section 57 of the specific Relief Act, 1963. He t E held that Clause 10 of the agreement is not unreasonab:e, because "' I ## I F G the area of restraint is re&tricted to New Delhi, the place of last posting of the responde'nt and is not unlimited, being limited to a period of two years from the date he left the service. He went on to say that negative covenant in a contract of employment has always been enforced, if it is in the protection of the employer, and referred to _Niranjan Shankar GoUkari_ v. _Century_ _Spinning and Mfg. Co. Ltd._ [1967] 2 S.C.R. p. 378. He further ../ held that the negative covenant was operative as the word "leave" ' in clause 10 was wide enough to include terminatio)J of service. He, i accordingly, by his order dated May 25, 1979. made the earlier _ex_ _parte_ _ad_ _interim_ injunction granted by him on April· 24, 1979 _I_ ab~lute but restricted its operation to New· Delhi and for the period ending 27th December, 1980 or till the decision of suit, whichever is earlier. ~ On appeal by the respondent, a Division Bench of the High Court reversed the order of the learned Single Judge holdH ing that negative covenant operating beyond the period of employment was in restraint of trade and, therefore, void under sectioll 27 of the Contract Aot. . I ' SUPERINTENDENCE COMPANY _V._ KRISIIAB: MURGA! 1289 _(Sen,_ _!.)_ Four questions arise in this appeal : 1. Whether Clause 1 O of the agreement was in restraint of trade; and if so, being partial was }. valid and enforceable being reasonable?; 2. Whether according to the test of reasonableness laid down by Lor!! Macnaghten irt _Norden/ell_ v. _Hakim Nordenfelt Guns_ _&_ _Ammunition_ _Co._ _Ltd.,(')_ an injunction to enforce the negative covenent can be granted under illustrations ( c) and ( d) to section 57 of the Specific Relief Act, 1963, despite section 27 of the Contract Act, 1872? 3. Whether, and to what extent, the provisions of Section 27 of the Contract Act are subject to the common law doctrine of restraint of trade ? 4. Whether the word "leave" in Clause 10 of the agreement between the parties makes the negative covenant operative only when a sery vant voluntarily leaves his employment, or, applies even in a case of termination of his services by an order of dismissal or termination of his services? Agreements of service, contajl;ting a negative covenant preventing the employee fmm working elsewhere during the term covered by the agreement, are not void under section 27 of the Contract Act, on the ground that !hey are in restraint of trade. Such agreements are enforceable. 1be reason is obvious. The doctrine of restraint of trade never applies during the continuance of a contract of employment; it applies only when the _¥_ contract comes to an end. While during the period of employment, the Courts undoubtedly would not grant any specific performance of a contract of personal service, nevertheless; Section 57 of the Specific Relief A_ct clearly provides for the grant of an injunction to restrain the breach of such a covenant as it is not in restrafut of, but ill furtherance of trade. B ~ ### \ D E F G n \ \_ In _Niranjan Shankar GoUkari's_ case, supra, this Court drew a , distinction between a restriction in a contract of employment which is operative du.ring the period of employment and one which is to operate after thP, rermi'nation of employment. After referring to certain Englisn cases where such distinction had been drawn, the Court observed: "A similar distinction has also been drawn by the Courts in India and a restraint by which a person binds himself during the term of his agreement directly or indirectly not to take service with any other employer or be engaged by a third party has been held not to be void and not against section 27 of the Contract Act." (1) L. R. [1894] A. C. 535 23-610SCI/80 \ A **B** c 1290 SUPREME COURT REPORTS [1980] 3 s.c.R. It referred to with approval the decision in _The Brahmaputra_ _·rea_ _Cv. Ltd._ v. _Scarth,_ LL.R. (1885) 11 Cal, 545, where the condition under which the covenantee _was_ partially restrained from competing after the term of his engagement with his former employer, was held to be bad but the condition by which he bound himself during the term of his agreement, not, directly or indirectly, to compete with his employer was held good, and observed: "At page 550 of the report the Court observed tha1 an agreement of service by which a person binds himself during the term of the agreement 'not to take service with any one else, or directly, or indirectly take part in, promote or did any business in direct competition with that of his employer was not hit by section 27." i The Court further observed: **D** "An agreement to serve a person exclusively for E F G The Court also approved of the several Indian decisions where an agreement of service contained both a positive covenant viz. that the employee shall devote his whole-time attention to the service of the employers and also a negative covenant preventing the employee from working elsewhere during the term of the agreement, and flte High Courts have enforced such a negative covena'nt during the t~ of employment having regard to illustrations ( c) and ( d) to section :{ 57 of the Specific Relief Act which, in terms, recognised such contraets and the existence of negative covenants therein, a:nd stated that the contention that the existence of such a negative covenant in .a service agreement made the agreement void on the ground that it was in restraint of trade and contrary to section 2 7 of the Contract Act had no validity. In conclusion, the Court observed: a definite term is a lawful agreement, a'nd it is difficult to see how that . can be · unlawful which is essential to its fulfilment, and to the due protection of the interests of the employer, while the agreement is in **force."** _"The result_ _of_ _the above discussion is that con-_ _siderations against restrictive covenants_ _are_ _different_ _in_ **H** _cases_ _whete_ _the_ _restriction is_ _to apply during the period after_ _the_ _te.J'mination_ _of the qmtract than those in cases where_ _it_ _is_ _to_ _operate during !he period_ _of the contract. Negative_ SUPERINTENDENCE COMPANY _V._ KRISHAN MURGA! 1291 _(Sen,_ /.) _·covenants operative during the period_ _of_ _the contract_ _of_ A . _employment when the employee is bound to serve his emplo-_ _yer exclusively_ _are_ _generally not regarded as restraint of_ _trade_ _and_ _therefwe do_ _not_ _fall_ _under section_ 27 _of the Con-_ . _tract Act._ A negative covenant that the employee would not engage himself in a trade or business or would not get himself 1 8 employed by any other master for whom he would perform similar or substantially similar duties is not therefore a restraint of trade unless the c9ntract as aforesaid is unconscionable or excessively harsh or unreasonable or one sided." (Emphasis supplied) The decision in _Niranjan Shankar Golikari's_ case supra is therefore C \ of little assistance to the appellant. It is not seeking to enforce the .ll!egative covenant during the term of employment of the respondent but after the termination of his services. The restriction contained in Clause 10 of the agreement is obviously in restraint of trade and, there fore, illegal and unenforceable under section 27 of the Contract Act. D In support of the appeal, learned counsel for the appellant has, in ·substance, advanced 11. two-fol.d contention. It is submitted, firstly, upon the common law doctrine of restraint of trade that though the _y_ -covenant is in restraint of trade, it satisfies the 'test of reasonableness', .as laid down by Lord Macnaghten in _Nordenfelt_ v. _Maxim Nordenfelt_ E _·Guns_ & _Ammunition Co. Ltd.,_ supra, and is, therefore, enforceable despite section 27 of the Contract Act, 1872, and, secondly, that the word "leave" in Clause 10 of the agreement is wide enough to make the covenant operative even on the termination of employment i.e. it 1includes the case of dismissal. I am afraid, the contentions are wholly ·'devoid of substance. F While the Contract Act, 1872, does not profess to be a complete code dealing with the law' relating to contracts, we emphasise that to '\. - the extent the Act deals with a particular subject, it is exhaustive upon the same and it is not permissible to import the principles of English Law _de hors_ the statutory provision, unless the statute is such that it G - .. cannot be understood without the aid of the English Law. The provisions of Section 27 of the Act were lifted from Hom. David D. Field's •-"° Draft Code for New York based upon the old English doctrine of restraint of . trade, as prevailing in ancient tiiles. When a rule of English law receives statutory recognition by the Indian Legislature, it is the language of the Act which determines the scope, uninfluenced H ·by the manner in which the anologous provision comes to be construed 0 narrowly, or, otherwise modified, in order to bring the construction A B D E F G ·.u 1292 SUPREME COURT REPORTS [1980] 3 s.c.R; within the scope and limitations of the rule governing the English' doctrine of restraint of trade. It has often been pointed out by the Privy Council and this Court that where there is positive enactment of Indian Legislature the proper course is to examine the language of the statute and to ascertain its· proper meaning uninfluenced by any consideration derived from the previous state of the law or the English law upon which it may be founded. Ir; _Satyavrata_ _Ghosh_ v. _Kurmee_ _Ram_ _Bangor,_ [1954] S.C.R. 310, Mukherjee J. while dealing with the doctrine of frustration of contract observed that the Courts in India are to be strictly governed The question whether an agreement is void under section 27 must· be decided upon the wording of that section. There is nothing in the wording of section 27 to suggest that the principle stated therein does not apply when the restraint is for a limited period only or is confin• ed to a particular area. Such matters of partial restriction. have effect only when the fact fall within the exception to the section. A contract, which has for its object a restraint of trade, is _prirri(.l_ _fpcie,_ void. Section 27 of the Contra_ct Act is general in terms and' -+. i by the provisions of Section 5 q of the Contract Act and not to be _·"'v_ influenced by the prevailing concepts of the English Law, as it has· _1'._ passed through various stages of development since the enactment of the Contract Act and the principles enunciated in the various decided cases are not easy Jo reconcile. What be says of the doctrine of frus-c tration under s. 5 6 of the Contract Act is equally true of the doctrine of restraint of trade under section 2 7 of the Act. Now, so far as the present case is concerned, the law is to be found' in section 27 of the Contract Act 1872, which reads: "27. _Agreem,,ent_ _in_ _restraint_ _of_ _trade_ void-Every agreement by which any one. is restrained from exercising a lawful profession, trade or business of. any kind is to that extent· void. Exception : One who sells the goodwill of a business may agree with the buyer to refrain from carrying on a similar business, within specified local linllts, so long as the buyer or any other person deriving title to the goodwill from him, carries on a like business therein, provided that . such limits appear to the Court reasonable, regard being had to the nature of the busi!ness." _I_ The section is general in terms, and declares all agreements in restraint· void _pro_ _tanto,_ except in the case specified in the exception. ~ SUPERINTENDENCE COMPANY _V,_ KRIS~ MURGA! 1293 _(Sen,!.)_ A B c D E F G H •UJl!ess a particular contract can be distinctly brought within Exception 1 there is no escape from the prohibition. We have nothing to do ·with the policy of such a law. All we have to do is to take the words of the Contract Act and put upon the meaning which they appear ,.._ .plainly to bear. This view of the section was expre8sed by Sir Richard Couch C.J. in celebrated judgment in _Madhub Chunder_ v. _Rajcoomar_ _Doss_ [1874] Beng L. R. 76 at pp. 85-86 laying down that whether the restraint was general or partial, unqualified or quaTh t fied, if it was in the nature of a restraint of trade, it was void. The observations of Sir Richard Couch, C.J., in _Madhub Chunder_ v. _Rajcoomar_ _Doss,_ supra, which have become the _locus_ _classicus_ were ...._,..these: _"J_ "The words 'restraint from exercising a lawful profession, trade or business' do not mean an absolute restriction, and are intended to apply to a partial restriction, a restriction limited to some particular place, otherwise the first exception would have been unnecessary." Moreover, "in the following section (s. 28) the legislative authority when it intends to speak of an absolute restraint and not a partiall one, has introduced the word 'absolutely'. . . The use of this word in s. 28 supports the view that in s. 27 it was intended to! prevent not merely a total restraint from carrying on trade or ;business but a partial one. We have nothing to do with the _Y_ policy of such a law. All we have to do is to take thel words of the Contract Act, and put upon them the meanin!J which they appear plainly to bear." The test laid down by Sir Richard Couch, C.J. in _Madhub Chunder_ v. _Rajcoomar_ _Doss,_ supra, has stood the test of time and has invariably been followed by all the High Courts in India. ' The agreement in question is not a 'goodwill of business' type of contract and, therefore, does not fall within the exception. If the agreement on the part of the respondent puts & restraint even though ·partial, it was void, and, therefore, the contract must be treated as one ·which cannot be enforced. It is, however, argued that the test of the validit}j of a restraint, whether general or partial, is dependent on its reasonableness. It is -pointed out that the distinction drawn by Lord Macclesfield in _Mitchel_ v. _Reynolds_ (1711) 1 PMas_161 between general and partial restraint, was removed 5y the House of Lords in _Nordenfelt_ v. _Maxim_ _Nortlen-_ _Je/t_ _Guns_ _and_ _Ammunition_ _Co._ (supra). According to the judgment of _)_ 1294 SUPREME COURT REPORTS U980] 3 s.c.11. •. A B Lord Macnaghten in _N ordenfelf s_ case, the validity in either case was. reasonableness with reference to particular circumst~ces. It is urged that all covenants in restraint of trade partial as well as general a.re _prima facie_ void and they cannot be enforced, according to the test laid down by Lord Macnaghten in _Nordenfelt's_ case and accepted by the House of Lords in _Mason_ v. _Provident C/.othing_ _arui_ _Supply Co._ _Ltd.,_ L.R. [1930] A.C. 724, unless the test of reasonableness is testified. It is also urged that while an employer is not entitled to protect himself against competition _per se_ on, the part of an employee after the employment has ceased, he is entitled to protection of his proprietary interest viz. his trade secrets, if any, and a blisiness connection. t The test of reasonableness which now governs the commoni law _1_ _[c ]_ doctrine. of restraint of trade has been stated in Chitty on Contracts,, . 23rd Edn., Vol. I. p. 867 : I( D "While all restraint of trade to which1 the doctrine applied are _prima facie_ unenforceable, all, whether partial or total, are enforceable, if reasonable." A contract in restraint of trade is one by which a party restricts his future liberty to carry on his trade, bnsiness or profession in such manner and with such persons as he chooses. A contract of thi~ class. is _prima fade_ void, but is becomes binding upon proof that th<i restriction is justifiable in the circumstances as being reasonable from the E. point of view of the parties themselves and also of the community. In Elizabethan days, all agreements in restraint of trade, whether '<!: general or restrictive to a particular area, were held to be bad; but a distinction came to be taken between covenant in general restraint of trade, and those where the restraints were only partial. F According to !lie test laid down by Parker, C.J. (later Earl of Macclesfield) in _Mitchel_ v. _Reynolds,_ supra, the general restraint was one which covered an indefinite area, and was, as a rule held bad,. while a partial restraint was valid if reasonable, the onus being upon _f_ the covenanter to show it to be unreasonable., G H There is no higher authority upon this subject than Tindal, C.J .,. who had to do much with moulding of the law on this subject and bringing it into harmony with the needs of the changing times. Iw _Mornen_ v. _Graves_ [1831] 7 Bing. 735, Tindal, C.J. said : "The law upon this subject (i.e. restraint of trade) has been laid down with so much authority and precision; by Parker, C.J., in giving the judgment of the Court of B.R. (King's Bench) in the case of _Mitchel_ v. _,Reynolds_ which has been the leading case on the subject from that time: to ' , SUPERINTENDENCE COMPANY _V._ KRISHAN MURGA!. 1 95 _(Sen,_ J.) the present, that little more remains than to apply the principle of that case to the present. Now the rule laid down by the court in that case is . 'that voluntary reitraints, 'by agreement between the parties, if they amount to a general restraint of trading by either party, are void, whether. with or without consideration, but particular restraints of trading, if made upon a good and adequate consideration, so aS' to be a proper and useful contract, that is, so as it is a reason**able restraint only, are good:'** Later on he goes on to observe : "Parker, C.J., says, : a restraint to carry on a: trade throughout the kingdom must be void; a res_traint to carry it. on within a particular place is good, which are rather in-', stances and examples than limits of the application of the·. rule, which can only be at least what is a reasonable restraint with reference to the particular cases." A B \ q I \ ' By decrees, the common law doctrine of restraint of trade, bas been D progressively expanded and the legal principles applied and developed so as to suit the exigencies of the times, with the growth of ~ade and co=erce, rapid industrialisation and improved means of communi**cation.** ' In _Nurdenfelt_ v. _Maxim Nordenfelt Guns_ & _Ammunition Co. Ltd.,_ (supra), Lord. Macnaghton held that the only true test in all cases, whether of. partial .or general restraint, was the test proposed by Tindal, C.J. : What.is ·a ·reasonable restraint with reference to ·a particular case?: Thereby he denied that general and partial restraints. fall into distinct categories. A partial restraint in his opinion was not _prima_ _fade'_ valid. It was on the same footing as a general restraint i.e. _prima facie_ void, but valid, if reasonable. _/_ In _Mason_ v. _Provident Clothing and Supply Co. Ltd.,_ supra, the, HmJSe of Lords held that ·Lord Macnaghton's proposition was a correct statement of the modem law. · The House of Lords in this case ."" r developed the law in two respects : First, it held that all covenants in restrnlnt of trade, partial as: well as &eneral, _prima fade_ void and that they cannot be enforced unless the test of reasonableness as propounded by Lord Macnaghton is satisfied. Secondly, it made a sharp distinction, stressed as long ago as 1869 by James, L.J., in _Leather Cloth_ _Co._ v. _Lorsont_ [1869] L.R. 9 Eq. 345, between contracts of service and contracts for the sale of a business. ' In _Herbert Morris Ltd._ v. _Saxelby,_ supra, the House of Lords held that a master cannot protect himself from competition by an ex-servant E F G H . 12 36 SUPREME COURT REPORTS 11980] 3 s.c.R . **A** 01 his new employer. He cannot stipulate freedom from competition. P. ut he can protect his trade secrets or his confidential information. **B** **c!** I **0** **E** **F** **G** I **H** # **l** The 'test of reasonableness' evolved in co=on law after the deciion of Lord Macnaghton, in _Nordenfelt's_ case, supra, and re-affinned by the two decisions in _Mason_ v. _Provident Clothing_ & _Supply Co._ _Ltd.:and Herbert Morris Ltd._ v. _Sexelby,_ supra, is that such covenants are _prima facie,_ void and the onus. rests upon the covenante to prove that the restraint is reasonable. In _Nordenfelfs_ case, Lord Macnaghton also adverte.d to the distinction between covenant entered by the seller of the business on the one hand and the covenant by the employee on the other. Framers of section 833 of Field's Draft Code for New York designed some hundred and twenty-five years ago, expressed the iiiten• tion to replace the co=on law stating that "contracts in restraint of trade have been allowed by modern decisions td a very dangerous extent", and they proceeded to draft the provision with the d~liberate intention of narrowmg the law. The provision was never applied to New York, but found its way into the Contracti Act, 1872 as section 27. Several sections of the Field's Code were enacted in the! Act. The Cede was anathema to Sir Frederick Pollock who in his preface to Pollock and Mulla's Indian Conlf<lct Act, p. 5, described the Code as the evil genius of the Act, the worst principles of codification iever produced, and advocated that 'whenever the Act wasi revised everything taken from the Code should be strnclc out'. It must be remembered that the test of reasonableness comes from th~ judgment of Lord Macnaghten in _Nordenfelfs_ case in the House of Lords in 1894. In 1862, however, when the Field provision'. was drafted, it was not easy to foresee that the co=on law would shortly discard the distinction drawn by Lord Macclesfield in _Mitchel_ v. _Reynolds_ in **1711,** between general and partial restraints. A general restraint was one which covered an indefinite area, and was, as a rule, held bad, while a partial restraint was valid, if reasonable, the onu$ being upon the covenanter to show it to be unreasonable. This was a mere rule of thumb, but was stubbornly adhered to by as great a common lawyer as Bowen, **L.J.,** as late as 1893, when the _Nordenfelf:l_ case was in the Court of Appeals : L.R. [1893] **1 Ch.** **D.** 630. Be that as it may, in Field's draft, as early as 1862, ar<? clearly expressed two principles th'lt govern the modem ~o=on law today, but were unknown to it at that stage, and were not unequivocally stated until 1916, first that restrictive covenants are _prima facie,_ invaJid, and secondly between master and servant covenants on the one hand and vendor and purchaser covenants on the other; there is a great gulf _(_ **i** _I_ r SUPERINTENDENCE COMPANY _v._ KRISHAN MURGA! 1297 _(Sen,_ /.) fixed. The onus of proving. reasonableness under Exception 1, was A placed on the covenantee, while the common law at the\ time placed ·1t upon the covenanter to show unreasonableness. Sir Frederick Pollock's criticism(') of the substantive part of ~ection 27 was that it laid down too rigid' a rule of invalidity, not merely for general bnt also for partial restraints, and of the exceptions that they were too narrow, being based upon an idea of the common law, now outmoded, that a restraint must be confined within loca~ limits. · His views on the main body of the section may be illustrated by, _twd_ quotations : "The law of India .... is tied down by. the language of the section to the principle, now exploded in England, of a hard and fast rule qualified by strictly limited exceptions •.• " "To escape the prohibition, it is not enough to show that the restraint created by an agreement is partial, and general." c Two passages. from his comments on Exception 1 may also be D -cited ; "The extension of modem commerce and means of communication has displaced the old doctrine that the operation <>f agreements of this kind must be confined within a definite neighbourhood. But the Anglo Indian law has stereotyped that doctrine ill a narrower form than even the old authodties would justify." "Meanwhile the common law has, .on the contrary; been widening the old fixed rules as to limits of space have been broken down, and the court has only to consider in every case of a restrictive agreement whether the restriction is 'reasonable in reference to the interests of the parties con E F .,. cemed reasonable in reference to the interests of the public." f Reverting to th~ judgment . of Sir Richard Couch in _Madlmb_ _·Chunder_ v. _Rajcoomar Doss,_ supra, we find that that eminent Judge held that section 27 of the Contract Act does away with the distinction observed in English cases following upon _Mitchel_ v. _Reynolds,_ supra, G :between partial and total restraints of trade, and makes all contracts falling within the terms of section void, unless they fall within the exceptions. As already stated, that decision has always been followed. In _Shaikh Kalu_ v. _Ram_ _Saran Bhagat,_ [1908] 13 C.W.N. 388 :Mllkherjee and Camduff, JJ, referred to the history of the legislation H _(l_ Pollock & Milla's India Contrzct and Specific Relief Act, 9th Ed., at pp, 271, 274 and 292. 1298 SUPREME COURT REPORTS !1980] 3 S.C.R. A on the subject and observed that the framers of the Act deliberately reproduced Section, 833 of Field's Code with the. full knowledge that the effect would be to lay down a rule much narrower than what was. recognised at the time by the co=on law, while the rules of the , co=on law, on the other hand, had since been considerably widened and developed, on entirely new lines. They held that the wider construction put upon section 27 by Sir Richard Couch.in _Madhub Chundur_ v. _Raj_ _Coomar Doss,_ supra, is plainly justified by the language used, and that the selection had abolished the distinction between partial and' total restraints of trade and said : c "The result is that the rule as embodied in _sec._ 27 _of the_ _Indian Contract Act presents an almost startling dissimilarity_ _to the most modern phase_ _of the English rifle on the .subject._ They went on to observe: _"As observed, however, by Sir Richard Couch in the case_ _to which_ _we have referred,_ _we have nothing_ _to_ _do_ _with the_ D _policy_ _of the law, specially as the Legislature has deliberately_ _left the provision in sec._ 21; _in its original form,_ though other provisions of the Contract Act have from time to time been amended. The interference would be almost irresistible under these circumstances, that the Courts have rightly E F G H (Emphasis supplied) The Law Commission, in its Thirteenth Report, has recommended that Section 27 of the Act should be suitably. amended to allow such restrictions and all contracts in restraint of trade, general or partial, as were reasonable, in the interest of the parties as well as of the public. That, however involves a question of policy and that is a matter for Parliament to decide. The duty of the Court is to interpret the section according to its plain linguage. The question for consideration is whether, assuming that the \vider construction placed by Sir Richard Couch in _Madlu1b Clmndur_ v. ascertained the intention of the legislature. _The silence of the_ _Legislature in a case_ _of this description is almost as_ _emphatic_ _as an express recognition of the construction which .has been_ _judicially put upon the statute during many years past._ In this view of the matter, if we adopt the construction of sec. 27 of the Indian Contract Act as first suggested by Sir Richard Couch and subsequently affirmed in the cases to which we have referred, a construction which is consistent with the plain language of the section, the agreement in this case must be pronounced to be void." 1 _f_ SUPERL'HENDENCE COMPANY _V._ KRISHAN MURGA! 129~ _(Sen,_ J.) . _Raj_ _Coomar Doss,_ supra, to have been the law, at the time of enact- . ment, it has since become obsolete. A law does not cease to be operative becaus~ it is an anachronism or because it is antiquated or because the reason why it originally became the law, would be no reason for the introduction of such a law at the present time. Neither the test of reasonableness nor the principle of that the restraint being partial was reasonable are applicable to a case governed _ by Section 2 7 of the Contract Act, unless it falls within Exception 1. We, therefore, feel that no useful purpose will be served in discussing the several English Decisions cited at the Bar. Under Section 27 of the Contract Act, a service covenant extended beyond the termination of the service is void. Not a single Indian Decision tas been brought to our notice where an injunction has been granted against an employee after the termination of his employment. There remains the question whether the w01:_d 'leav()' in clause 10 of the agreement is wide enough to make the negative covenant operative **D** on I.he termination of employment. We may for convenience of reference, reproduce that covenant below : _;r-_ #### ' "10. that you shall not be permitted to join any firm of our competitors or run business of your own in similarity as directly and/or indirectly for a period of 2 years at the place of your last posting af!er you leave the Company." On a true construction of clause 10 of the agreement, the negative covenant not to serve elsewhere or enter into a competitive business **does not, in my view, arise when the employee does not** l~ave **the ser-** vices but is dismissed from service. Wrongful dismissal is a repudiation of contract of service which relieved the employee of the restrictive covenant _General Bil/posting_ v. _Atkinson_ L.R. [1909] AC. 116 . It is, however, urged that the word 'leave' must, in the context in which it appears, be construed to mean as operative on the termination of employment. Our attention is drawn to Stroud's Judicial Dictionary, 4th Edn., Vol. If, Pr. 13 p. 1503. There is reference to _Mars_ v. _Close,_ 32 L.T.0.S. 89. Ari agreement restricting competition with **an employer "after leaving his service" was held** **to** **be** **operative** **on the** **termination, however, accomplished,** **of** **th-e** **service, e.g.** **by** ~ **dismissal** without notice. E G The word 'leave' has various shades of meaning depending upon **H** the context or intent with which it is used. According to the plain , meaning, the word 'leave' in relation to an emplgyee, should be . 1300 SUPREME COURT REPORTS [1980] 3 S.C.R • ·C construed to mean where he "voluntarily" leav~s i.e. of his own volition and does not include a case of dismissal. . The word 'leave' appears to connect voluntary action, and is synonymous with the word 'quit'. It does not refer to the expulsion of an employee by the act of his employer without his. consent and against his remonstrance. That is a ~eaning in consonance with justice and fair play. It is also the ordinary plain meaning of the word 'leave'. ln shorter Oxford English Dictio nary, 3rd Ed. Vo1. X, page 1192, th,e following meaning is given "to depart from; quit; relinquish, to quit the service of a **person."** The drafting of a negative covenant in a contract of employment is often a matter of great difficulty .. In the employment cases so far discussed, the issue has been as to the validity of the covenant operating after the end of the period of_ service. Restrictions on competition during that period are normally valid, and indeed may be implied by law by virtue of the servant's duty of fidelity. In such cases the res triction is generally reasonable, having regard to the interest of the employer, and does not cause any undue hardship to the employee, who will receive a wage or salary for the period in question. But if the, covenant is to operate after the termination of services, or is· too widely worded, the Court may, refuse to enforce it. _(_ - " f, , )<; It is well settled that employees covenants should be carefully scrutinised because there is inequality of bargaining power between the parties; indeed no bargafuing power may occur because the employee is presented with a standard form of contract to accept or reject. At the time of the agreement, the employee may have given little thought to the restriction because of his eagerness for a job; such contracts :F "tempt improvident persons, for the sake of present gain, to deprive themselves of the power to make future acquisitions, and expose them **to iinpositiOn** **and oppression."** TI1ere exists a difference in the nature of the interest sought to be protected in the case of an employee and of a purchaser and, therefore, G . as a positive rule of law, the extent of restraint permissible in the two types of case is different. The essential line of distinction is that the p11rchaser is entitled to protect himself against competition on the patt of his vendor, while the employer is not entitled to protection against mere competition on the part of his servant. In addition thereto, a restrictive covenant ancillary to a contract of employment is likely to .H affect the employee's means or procuring a livelihood for himself and his family to a greater degree than that' of a seller, who usually receive ample. consideration for the sale of the goodwill of his- business. SUPERINTENDENCE COMPANY _V,_ KRISHAN MURGA! 1301 _(Sen,_ _!.)_ The distinction rests upon a substantial basis, since, in the f0rmer class of contracts we deal with the sale of commodities, and in the latter class with the performance of personal service-altogether different in substance; and the social and economic implications !Ire va~tly different. The Courts, therefore, vi~ with disfavour a restrictive covenant by an employee not to engage in a business similar to or competitive with that of Jhe employer after the termination of his contract of employment. The true rule of construction is that when a covenant or agreement is impeached on the ground that it is in restraint of trade, the duty of the Court is, first to interpret the covenant or agreement itself, and to ascertain according to the ordinary rules of construction what is the fair meaning of the parties. If there is an ambiguity it must receive a narrower construction than the wider. In _Mills_ v. _Dunham,_ L.R. (1891] 1 Ch. 576, Kay, Ll. observed: c· "If there is any ambiguity in a stipulation between em- It ployer and employee imposing a restriction on the latter, it ought to receive the narrower construction rather than the wider-the employed ought to have the benefit of the doubt. It would not be following out that principle correctly to give the stipulation a wide construction so as to make it illegal and thus set the employed free from all restraint. It is also a E' settled canon of construction that where a clause is ambiguous a construction which will make it valid is to be preferred to one which will make it void." The restraint may not be greater than necessary to protect the employer, nor unduly harsh and oppressive to the employee. I would, therefore, .for my part, even if the word 'leave' contained in clause 10 of the agreement is susceptible of another construction as being opera tive on termination, however, accomplished of the service e.g. by dis missal without notice, would, having regard to the provisions of Section 27 of the Contract Act, 1872, try to preserve the covenant in clause 10 by giving to it a restrictive meaning, as implying volition i.e. where the employee resigns or voluntarily leaves the services. The res triction being too wide, and violative of section 27 of the Contract Act, must be subjected to a narrower construction. In the result, the appeal must fail and is dismissed but there·shall be no order as to costs. S.R. _Appeal_ _dismissed._ _I_ B '