Public Administration in Ancient India c15.71

c15.71

The defendant, after having become acquainted with the tenor of the plaint, had to give a written reply.² A reply might be one or other of four sorts, namely, a denial (mithyā), a confession (sampratipatti), a special plea (pratyavaskandana), a plea of former judgment (prāṇnyāya).³ Before the answer to the plaint was tendered, the plaintiff was at liberty to amend his plaint in any way he liked,⁴ but after the delivery of the reply, no amendment was permitted. The plaintiff was entitled to submit a rejoinder to the defendant’s reply.