Supreme Court Of India
K.RAMASWAMY,N.P.SINGH
MUDAKAPPA
Versus
RUDRAPPA
Decided On : 09/28/1993
Karnataka Land Reforms (Amendment) Act 1 of 1974 - Section 1 - Sub-section (1) - Section 2 (3) - Section 2 (11) - Section 2 (17) - Section 2 (34) - Section 5 - Section 44 - Sub-section (2) - Section 45 - Section 48 - Sub-section (5) - Section 45 - Section 9 - Section 133 - Section 48a (5) - Section 112b – Constitution Of India - Article 226 – Article 227 - Property – Land - Unsuccessful plaintiff-appellant laid suit for perpetual injunction to restrain respondents uncles from interfering with his possession and enjoyment of suit scheduled property - Trial court by its judgment dated dismissed suit - Pending appeal, Came into force making extensive amendments - Conferred jurisdiction on Tribunal constituted under Act to decide the question of tenancy and nature of agricultural land and Civil Court was directed to make a reference calling for a report from Tribunal and on receipt thereof to decide the other questions in suit - Learned District Judge by his order referred matter to Tribunal - Tribunal found that tenancy was in favour of joint family and not to appellant - Based thereon District Judge dismissed appeal - In Misc. Second Appeal No. 97 of 1975 by judgment, division bench of Karnataka High Court dismissed appeal - Thus this appeal by special leave - Facts not in dispute are that appellants father and respondents are brothers - His suit is based on his tenancy rights for permanent injunction to restrain respondents from interfering with alleged possession of lands bearing R. S. Nos. 134 and 135 situated in Kittur Village and R. S. No. 109 situated in Mardur Village in Haven Taluk of Sharwar District in State of Karnataka –Held, There is yet another ground on which appellant is not entitled to relief - Pending adjudication, rival claims were admittedly made and Tribunal had gone independently into question and reiterated same view as held in enquiry - Against that decision, appellant filed Writ Petition No. 4694 of 1977 which was pending when second appeal was decided by division bench - We are informed that subsequently it was disposed of upholding the view of Tribunal and it became final - Therefore, having been allowed to become final, it operates as res judicata. In either view, appeal does not warrant any interference - Appeal Dismissed.
( 1 ) THE unsuccessful plaintiff-appellant laid the suit for perpetual injunction to restrain the respondent's uncles from interfering with his possession and enjoyment of the suit scheduled property. The trial court by its judgment dated 30/11/1973 dismissed the suit. Pending appeal, the Karnataka Land Reforms (Amendment) Act 1 of 1974 came into force making extensive amendments to the Karnataka Land Reforms Act 1961 for short 'the Act'. Section 45a conferred jurisdiction on the Tribunal constituted under the Act to decide the question of tenancy and nature of the agricultural land and the Civil Court was directed under S. 133 to make a reference calling for a report from the Tribunal and on receipt thereof to decide the other questions in the suit. The learned District Judge by his order referred the matter to the Tribunal. The Tribunal found that the tenancy was in favour of the joint family and not to the appellant. Based thereon the District Judge dismissed the appeal. In the Misc. Second Appeal No. 97 of 1975 by judgment dated 23/02/1978: (reported in AIR 1978 Karnataka 136), the division bench of the Karnataka High Court dismissed the appeal. Thus this appeal by special leave.
( 2 ) THE facts not in dispute are that the appellant's father and the respondents are brothers. His suit is based on his tenancy rights for permanent injunction to restrain the respondents from interfering with the alleged possession of the lands bearing R. S. Nos. 134 and 135 situated in Kittur Village and R. S. No. 109 situated in Mardur Village in Haven Taluk of Sharwar District in State of Karnataka. The division bench held thus (AIR 1978 Kant 136):
"whenever a statute confers a duty on an authority to decide a question and a corresponding right on an individual or individuals it has to be assumed that the statute, has, by necessary implication conferred on that authority the power to decide all issues which are incidental and ancillary to the main question to be decided. Otherwise the Tribunal will have to keep all the applications pending until such issues are decided by the Civil Court. In fact there is no procedure prescribed by the Act to refer such issues for the decision of the Civil Court. We do not think that it would be reasonable to hold that the Tribunal should await the decision of the Civil court on such issues, in view of sub-sec. (5) of S. 48a. which requires the Tribunal to hold an enquiry into all rival claims made in respect of registration of the occupancy rights in respect of the agricultural lands before disposing of the applications made to it. We, therefore, hold that the Land Tribunal is competent to decide for the purpose of disposing of the applications under S. 48a the question whether the lease-hold rights were held exclusively by the appellant or by the joint family consisting of the appellant and the respondents before the partition took place and thereafter by all of them as co-tenants till the appointed day. It is its duty to do so under the Act. The said question could not therefore be decided by the Civil Court in view of 5 132 of the Act,"
Section 44 of the Act in Chapter III reads thus:
44. "vesting of land in the State Government - (1) All lands held by or in the possession of tenants (including tenants against whom a decree or order for eviction or a certificate for resumption is made or issued) immediately prior to the date of commencement of the Amendment Act, other than lands held by them under leases permitted under S. 5, shall, with effect on and from the said date, stand transferred to and vest in the State Government,
(2) Notwithstanding anything in any decree or order of or certificate issued by any court or authority directing or specifying the lands which may be resumed or in any contract, grant or other instrument or in any other law for the time being in force, with effect on and from the date of vesting and save as otherwise expressly provided in this Act, the following consequences shall ensue,
Login now and unlock free premium legal research
Login to SupremeToday AI and access free legal analysis, AI highlights, and smart tools.
Login
now!
India’s Legal research and Law Firm App, Download now!
Copyright © 2023 Vikas Info Solution Pvt Ltd. All Rights Reserved.