Judgment

VENKATARAMIAH, J.:- The above six appeals by certificate and Civil Appeals Nos. 494-496 of 1975, arise out of a common judgment dated December 15, 1972, of the High Court of Judicature at Patna passed in First Appeals Nos. 85 to 87, 130, 131 and 134 of 1966. After the above six appeals and Civil Appeals Nos. 494-496 of 1975 were heard together for sometime, we found that the above six appeals i.e. Civil Apps. Nos. 114-119 of 1976 could be disposed of by a separate judgment. We, therefore, proceeded with the consent of the learned counsel for the parties to hear fully Civil Appeals Nos. 114-119 of 1976. By this common judgment, we propose to dispose of the above six appeals. The further hearing of Civil Appeals Nos. 494-496 of 1975, is deferred.

2. The question which arises for our consideration in the above Civil Appeals Nos. 114-119 of 1976, is whether the appellants and others either claiming under the appellants or along with them are entitled to an estate popularly known as Bettiah Raj which was under the management of the Court of Wards, Bihar. The last male holder of the said estate, Maharaja Harendra Kishore Singh Bahadur died issueless on March 26, 1893, leaving behi