SUPREME COURT OF INDIA
ARUN MISHRA, UDAY UMESH LALIT, JJ.
VINOD KUMAR DHALL - APPELLANT
VERSUS
DHARAMPAL DHALL (DECEASED) THROUGH HIS LRS. & ORS. - RESPONDENTS
CIVIL APPEAL NOS.4534-4535 OF 2018 (Arising out of SLP(c) Nos.35337-35338 of 2017)
Decided On : 26-04-2018
HINDU LAW - Joint Family Property - Suit for partition and separate possession - Property, house in question acquired in name of eldest child and after her marriage transferred in name of plaintiff - Entire family residing in house right from beginning - Plaintiff never resided in house and was not in possession and enjoyment of house at any point of time - Not a case of plaintiff that eldest child in whose name property was acquired, has spent money for construction of house and given it to plaintiff - House in question is family property and not exclusive property of plaintiff - Fact that house tax receipt electricity and water bills of house in question are in name of plaintiff has no effect - Provisions of Section 4 of Benami Transactions (Prohibition) Act, is not applicable - Order decreeing suit in favour of plaintiff, was set aside.
BENAMI TRANSACTIONS (PROHIBITION) ACT, 1988 [C.A. No. 45/1988] - Section 4 - Right to recover property held benami - Prohibition against - When applicable ? - Held, Section 4(3) of Act makes it clear that where person in whose name property is held as coparcener in Hindu Undivided Family and property is held for benefits of coparcener in property, provisions of Section 4 containing prohibition of right to recover property held benami would not be applicable. Bar of Act is not applicable to transaction as contained in Section 4(3) (a) and (b). If property is held in fiduciary capacity or is held as trustee for benefits of another person for whom he is trustee or towards whom he stands in such capacity, provision of Section 4 of Act could not be said to be applicable.
ORDER :
1. Leave granted.
2. Heard learned counsel for the parties.
3. The defendant is in appeal aggrieved by the judgment and decree passed by the trial court, as affirmed by the High Court in first appeal and review applied had also been rejected by the High Court. The plaintiff-respondent, Dharampal Dhall (since deceased), filed a suit for restoration of possession, mesne profits and for a permanent injunction with respect to House No.ED-48, Tagore Garden, New Delhi.
4. The plaintiff – Dharampal Dhall came with a case that he acquired the leasehold rights on plot admeasuring 149.33 square yards under the perpetual lease deed granted by the President of India in his favour and registered on 31.01.1966. The plaintiff raised a construction over the plot and obtained the necessary sanction from the competent authority as per the site plan and got installed electricity, water, and sewerage connections in the premises. However, it was stated in the plaint itself that entire family started living in the said house. The marriage of plaintiff, as well as defendants and all sisters, were solemnized from the house in question. When the relationship of Defendant No.2-the sister of the plaintiff, became strained with her husband, she started living in the said house along with her daughter. Defendant No.1 for some time in 1971 had resided out of Delhi. Father of the parties – Kashmiri Lal Dhall died on 10.08.1980, leaving behind several properties at Delhi. Defendant No.1 started living separately with effect from the year 1986. He acquired a house at Moti Nagar, New Delhi, and one more residential accommodation, i.e., GH-1/318, Pashchim Vihar, New Delhi.
5. It was further averred in the plaint that the mother of the parties died in the premises in question in the year 1990. The house remained in the custody/ possession of the Defendant No.2. At the relevant point of time, the plaintiff was posted at Bombay. The house was furnished. Furniture of the plaintiff was still lying in the house. Plaintiff came back to Delhi in the year 1993. However, at the same time, Defendant No.2 was permitted to occupy the house. Later on, it was found that Defendant No.1 had also started living in the said house. The plaintiff asked defendants to vacate the premises. They did not do so. Though, Defendant No.2 had shifted residence in January 1995. Hence, the suit was filed, after serving notice dated 30.6.1995. Defendant No.1 was ousted from the house by the mother in the year 1986. Thus, he had no right in the house. The conduct of Defendant No.1 was not proper with the plaintiff.
6. In the written statement filed by Defendant No.1, it was contended that the suit was not properly valued. The defendant had been occupying the premises since the year 1966. The suit was barred by limitation and was not maintainable. The allotment of the plot was obtained initially in the name of Kumari Sneh Lata, who was the eldest child of late Kashmiri Lal Dhall. The father of the parties obtained it in the year 1963 from the Delhi Development Authority (DDA). The entire amount was paid by late Kashmiri Lal to the DDA. Subsequently, construction was raised in 1965-66 by Kashmiri Lal out of his own money. At that time. Plaintiff was only a student studying at IIT, Kharagpur, West Bengal. The possession of the defendant was in the capacity of the owner. The plaintiff had no source of income at the relevant point of time. No gift deed had been made by any person in plaintiff’s favour. They are four sisters and two brothers, left as legal representatives of late Shri Kashmiri Lal. The suit was bad for non-joinder of necessary parties. The plaintiff was, thus, not entitled to any relief.
7. The trial court had decreed the suit. The judgment and decree had been affirmed by the High Court. Aggrieved thereby, the appellant has come up in appeals.
8. We have heard learned counsel for the parties at length. It was submitted by Mr. Mahabir Singh, learned senior counsel appearing on behalf o
Surendra Kumar v. Phoolchand (Dead) Through Lrs. & Anr. (1996) 2 SCC 491
Union of India v. Moksh Builders & Financiers Ltd. & Ors. (1977) 1 SCC 60
Kalwa Devadattam and Ors. v. The Union of India and Ors. [1964] 3 SCR 191
Sri Marcel Martins v. M. Printer & Ors. (2012) 5 SCC 342
Vathsala Manickavasagam & Ors. v. N. Ganesan & Anr. (2013) 9 SCC 152
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