Gujarat High Court Civil Manual (subordinate court practice), 1960
Where a suit or proceeding has been "dismissed with costs" and there is more than one defendant the Court must be deemed to have intended that each of the defendants is to receive his costs from the plaintiff or applicant. Where several defendants are represented by separate lawyers, the order "dismissed with costs" will mean that separate sets of costs are to be allowed to the defendants engaging separate lawyers. Whether more than one set of costs should be allowed or not is, of course, in the discretion of the Court, but it is its duty to make its intention clear. Accordingly, in all cases where several defendants are represented by more than one lawyer, it will be its duty to obviate ambiguity by specifying whether one or separate sets of costs are allowed.