Judgment

BEG, J.:- The Plaintiff-Appellant, Gorakh Nath Dube, before us by grant of special leave against the judgment and decree of the High Court of Allahabad allowing a Defendants second appeal, had filed a suit for the cancellation of a sale deed, dated 12-4-1932, to the extent of a half share claimed by the Plaintiff in fixed rate tenancy plots on a payment of Rs. 250/-, or, whatever sum the plaintiff may be found liable to pay, and, after cancellation of the sale-deed to the extent of the plaintiff s share, for an award of possession of the plaintiff s share. There was no prayer for partition, and, by asking for possession of his share, the plaintiff could only be seeking joint possession after declaration of rights claimed. The plaintiff based his claim in the fixed rate tenancies on the ground that, although, the vendor Sukhpal Dube, his uncle, had, on 28-9-1912, ostensibly singly and separately purchased the plots, which were the subject matter of the impugned sale, yet, actually, this was an acquisition on behalf of the joint Hindu family which provided the funds for the purchase of the plots. The Trial Court had dismissed the plaintiff s suit on 4-1-l960. The learned District Judge of the Jaunpur had allowed the plaintiff s appeal and decreed the suit on 30-4-1962. The Defendant-Respondents before us then filed a second appeal in the High Court on 18-8-1962 which was admitted for hearing. During the pendency of the second appeal, a notification under Section 4 of the U. P. Consolidation of Holdings Act of 1954 (hereinafter referred to as the Act ) was published in the Government Gazette on 22-10-1966 declaring that village Kukuripur, in which the plots in dispute were situated, had come under consolidation operations. Consequently, the Defendants-Appellants filed an application under Section 5 of the Act in the second appeal. The High Court, by its Judgment dated 5-5-1967, after dismissing the Defendant s application under Section 5 of the Act, dealt with the merits of the case and accepted the appeal of the Defendants-Respondents.

2. Learned Counsel for the Defendants-Respondents has taken a preliminary objection to the hearing of this appeal on merits by us on the ground that the High Court should have held that the plaintiff s suit before it had abated under the provisions of Section 5 (2) of the Act which reads as follows:

"5 (2) Upon the said publication of the notification under sub-section (2) of Section 4 the following further, consequences shall ensue in the area to which the notification relates, namely-

(a) every proceeding for the correction of records and every suit and ,proceeding in respect of declaration of rights or interest in any land lying in the area, or for declaration or adjudication of any other right in regard to which proceedings can or ought to be taken under this Act, pending before any court or authority whether of the first instance or of appeal, reference or revision, shall, on an order being passed in that behalf by the court or authority before whom such suit or proceeding is pending, stand abated:

Provided that no such order shall be passed without giving to the parties notice by post or in any other manner and after giving them an opportunity of being heard:

Provided further that on the issue of a notification under sub-section (1) of Section 6 in respect of the said area or part thereof, every such order in relation to the land lying in such area or part, as the case may be, shall stand vacated;

(b) such abatement shall be without prejudice to the rights of the persons affected to agitate the right or interest in dispute in the said suits or proceedings before the appropriate consolidation authorities under and in accordance with the provisions of this Act and the rules made thereunder".

3. The learned Judge who heard and disposed of the second appeal held that Section 5 did not apply to a case in which possession could be granted only after cancellation of a sale deed to the extent of