In the First Schedule, in Order XXII,-



(i)in rule 4, after sub-rule (3), the following sub-rules shall be inserted, namely:-



"(4) The Court whenever it thinks fit, may exempt the plaintiff from the necessity of substituting the legal representatives of any such defendant who has failed to file a written statement or who, having filed it, has failed to appear and contest the suit at the hearing; and judgment may, in such case, be pronounced against the said defendant notwithstanding the death of such defendant and shall have the same force and effect as if it has been pronounced before death took place.



(5)Where-



(a) the plaintiff was ignorant of the death of the defendant, and could not, for that reason, make an application for the substitution of the legal representative of the defendant under this rule within the period specified in the Limitation Act, 1963(36 of 1963), and the suit has, in consequence, abated, and



(b) the plaintiff applies after the expiry of the period specified therefor in the Limitation Act, 1963(36 of 1963), for setting aside the abatement and also for the admission of that application under section 5 of that Act on the ground that he had, by reason of such ignorance, sufficient cause for not making the application within the period specified in the said Act,



the Court shall, in considering the application under the said section 5, have due regard to the fact of such ignorance, if proved.";



(ii)after rule 4, the following rule shall be inserted, namely:-



"4A.Procedure where there is no legal representative.- (1) If, in any suit, it shall appear to the Court that any party who has died during the pendency of the suit has no legal representative, the Court may, on the application of any party to the suit, proceed in the absence of a person representing the estate of the deceased person, or may by order appoint the Administrator-General, or an officer of the Court or such other person as it thinks fit to represent the estate of the deceased person for the purpose of the suit; and any judgment or order subsequently given or made in the suit shall bind the estate of the deceased person to the same extent as he would have been bound, if a personal representative of the deceased person had been a party to the suit.



(2)Before making an order under this rule, the Court-



(a) may require notice of the application for the order to be given to such (if any) of the persons having an interest in the estate of the deceased person as it thinks fit; and



(b) shall ascertain that the person proposed to be appointed to represent the estate of the deceased person is willing to be so appointed and has no interest adverse to that of the deceased person.";



(iii)to rule 5, the following proviso shall be added, namely:-



"Provided that where such question arises before an Appellate Court, that Court may, before determining the question, direct any subordinate Court to try the question and to return the records together with evidence, if any, recorded at such trial, its findings and reasons therefor, and the Appellate Court may take the same into consideration in determining the question.";



(iv)in rule 9, the following Explanation shall be inserted at the end, namely:-



"Explanation.- Nothing in this rule shall be construed as barring, in any later suit, a defence based on the facts which constituted the cause of action in the suit which had abated or had been dismissed under this Order.";



(v)after rule 10, the following rule shall be inserted, namely:-



"10A.Duty of pleader to communicate to Court death of a party.- Whenever a pleader appearing for a party to the suit comes to know of the death of that party, he shall inform the Court about it, and the Court shall thereupon give notice of such death to the other party, and, for this purpose, the contract between the pleader and the deceased party shall be deemed to subsist.".