SupremeToday Landscape Ad
Back
Next
Judicial Analysis Court Copy Headnote Facts Arguments Court observation
Listen Audio Icon Pause Audio Icon
judgment-img

1980 Supreme(SC) 66

SUPREME COURT OF INDIA
S. MURTAZA FAZAL ALI, P.S. KAILASAM and A.D. KOSHAL, JJ.
Gapadibai, Appellant
Versus
The State of M.P., Respondent.
Civil Appeal No. 1120 of 1970
Decided on 8-2-1980.

Headnote:Nature of evidence to show benami transaction of purchase by wife - House purchased by wife whether can be attached for recovery of sums due from the husband

       – in order to prove the benami nature of the transaction the State could have led evidence to show (1) that the defendant husband paid the consideration, (2) that he had the custody of the sub–deed, (3) that he was in possession of the property and (4) the motive for transaction – See decision in Gapadibai v. The State of Madhya Pradesh, AIR 1980 SC 1040 = 1980 (2) SCC 327 = 1980 UJ(SC) 498 = 1980(2) SCWR 30.

       – once the plaintiff proved by virtue of the registered sub–deed that she was the owner of the house and also explained the source of the price paid by her for it, that was sufficient to hold that the property belonged to her and could not be attached for the recovery of dues owing by her husband. The state, in the case of Gapadibai v. The State of M.P., AIR 1980 SC 1040 = 1980(2) SCC 327 = 1980 UJ (SC) 498 = 1980(2) SCWR 30.

JUDGMENT

This Appeal by the plaintiff in pursuance of certificate under Art. 133 of the Constitution is directed against the judgment of Madhya Pradesh High Court dated the 11th of April, 1969 reversing the judgment and decree of the trial court and dismissing the plaintiffs suit. It appears that certain proceedings were taken against Defendant No. 5 husband of the plaintiff, for the recovery of sums due to the Government and in consequence the house in suit was attached. The plaintiff claimed release of the property on the ground that the house was her personal property and could not be attached for sums owing by her husband. The defence of the State was that the property belonged to the husband and that, therefore, attachment was valid. The trial court accepted the plaintiffs case and decreed the suit. The High Court disagreed with the trial court and dismissed the suit.

2. We have gone through, the judggment of the trial court as also that of the High Court and find that the High Court had made a wrong approach to this case. In the first place, the State never pleaded that the house in question was purchased by the husband through a benami transaction in the name of his wife. It was also not pleaded clearly that the property belonged to the husband and that it has been sold to the wife with the intention to defeat the creditors of the husband. A vague allegation of this type seems to have been made in the written statement but no evidence whatsoever has been led to show as to whether there was any such intention on the part of defendant No. 5. Even the data when the sums sought to be recovered become due has not been proved or indicated to the satisfaction of the court. The trial court, after a very careful consideration of the evidence of the palintiff and the documents produced by her found tht she had established that the property in question belonged to her and not to defendant No. 5. In the instant case as the pliantiff relied on a registered documents which was proved to have been duly executed, a finding which has not been reveresed by the High Court, the onus lay on the State to prove that what was apparent was not the real. No evidence on behalf of the State was adduced to displace the presumption arising from the registered sale deed in favour of the plaintiff. On the other hand, the plaintiff led evidence oral and documentary, to show that she had sufficient means to purchase the houses. In fact, the sale deed was only for Rs. 1,000/- which was a small amount and the plaintiff had stated that she had various sources of income, namely, income from agriculture and contrcts and that she owned certain moveables given to her by her fathers sister, Daya Bai. The High Court, instead of deplacing the reasons given by the trial court, has rejected the oral evidence on agneral ground that there were some contradictions here and there and also misconstured the documents produced by the plaintiff which were in the nature of applications to the municipality for purchasing a backyard of the house in dispute and which were in the nature of applications to the municiplaity for purchasing a backyard of the house in dispute and which were allowed on the footing that the house belonged to her. These documents, which were allowed on the footing that the house belonged to her. These documents which were exhibited as P2 and P4, were fully considered by the trial court but were completely overlooked by the High Court. Once the plaintiff proved by virtue of the registered sale deed that she was the ownere of the house and also explained the source ofthe price paid by her fort it, that was sufficient to hold that the property belonged to her and could not be attached for the recoevery of dues owing by her husband. The State never pleaded or proved that the property was purchased by defendant No.5 in the name of his wife, the plaintiff. The onus to prove these facts lay on the State in the face of the registered sale deed and the other evi




Click Here to Read the rest of this document
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
SupremeToday Portrait Ad
supreme today icon
logo-black

An indispensable Tool for Legal Professionals, Endorsed by Various High Court and Judicial Officers

Please visit our Training & Support
Center or Contact Us for assistance

qr

Scan Me!

India’s Legal research and Law Firm App, Download now!

For Daily Legal Updates, Join us on :

whatsapp-icon Back to top