Murugappa Chetty vs Perumal Kangany – clr volume 2 page 056

In the case between the payee-plaintiff and the maker-defendant of a promissory note, the court addressed whether a signed blank, stamped promissory note provides prima facie authority to complete the instrument for any amount covered by the stamp under Section 20 of the Bills of Exchange Act, 1882, and whether a special arrangement limiting such authority must be specially pleaded and proven. The court held that the signature on a blank note confers such authority, and any agreement limiting the amount must be explicitly pleaded. The decision reaffirmed the principle that specific limitations on prima facie statutory authority require clear pleadings and satisfactory evidence, emphasizing procedural fairness and legal certainty in negotiable instruments law.

Clarence J. — The findings