The respondents are plaintiffs and the appellants are defendants in O.S. No. 137 of 1997. The appellants-defendants entered appearance in the suit through a counsel and sought time for filing written statement. The trial Court granted time to the appellantsdefendants on various dates for filing written statement. On 05.10.1998, neither the appellants-defendants appeared nor they filed the written statement and consequently, an ex parte order came to be passed against them. Thereafter, the case was adjourned to 12.10.1998, 16.10.1998 and 13.11.1998. On 13.11.1998, the plaintiffs examined P.W.1 and the matter was adjourned to 19.11.1998, for consideration. Again, the matter was posted to 30.11.1998, on which date th e ex parte decree came to be passed. The appellantsdefendants filed an Application under Order 9 Rule 13 C.P.C. to set aside the ex parte decree. They also filed I.A.No. 259 of 1999 to condone delay of 21 days in filing the application under Order 9 Rule 13 C.P.C. Delay condonation application ended in dismissal on 21.11.2000. The appellants-defendants filed C.R.P. No. 129 of 2001 assailing the order passed in I.A.No. 259 of 1999. The Civil Revision Petition came to be allowed condoning the delay of 21 days in filing the Petition under Order 9 Rule 13 C.P.C, by order dated 09.07.2001. The relevant portion of the order reads as hereunder:
