Andhra Pradesh High Court
Judges : D.REDDAPPA REDDY
Masimukkula Narayana - Appellant
Versus
Masimukkula Suryakantham - Respondent
Decided On : 08-22-97
Indian Succession Act, 1925 - Indian Succession (Amendment) Act, 1962 - Suit for injunction - Will – Execution of will - Revision petition against order refusing to receive and mark in evidence a Will - Suit filed by respondent is one for bare injunction against petitioners in respect of plaint schedule properties - Main defence of petitioners is that they are absolute owners of suit properties by virtue of Will said to have been executed by husband of respondent, bequeathing suit properties in their favour and no injunction can be granted against true owners - When petitioners sought to mark the said Will during the course of trial, respondent objected to same on ground that will has to be proved only by way of Probate and a suit for injunction cannot be converted into one for Probate - District Munsif, having upheld respondent s objection, refused to receive and mark the Will - Held, Fact that the question of title also may have to be incidentally gone into in deciding whether an injunction can be given or not is not any justification for holding that suit is for a declaration of title and for injunction - " In Nagar Palika, Jind vs. Jagat Singh, it has been held by Supreme Court that even in a suit for injunction based on title, it is incumbent on part of Court to record a finding on the claim of title to the suit land. Learned counsel for the respondent/plaintiff is fair enough to state that there is catena of decisions supporting this proposition of law - It is difficult to sustain impugned order - Set aside and District Munsif is directed to receive Will sought to be adduced in evidence by petitioners/ defendants and give them an opportunity to prove the same in accordance with law - Revision petition is allowed.
( 1 ) THE defendants in OS. No. 550/92 on the file of the II Additional District munsif at Kakinada are the petitioners herein. They have preferred this revision petition against the order refusing to receive and mark in evidence a Will dt. 13-2-1992 on their behalf. The suit filed by the respondent is one for bare injunction against the petitioners in respect of plaint schedule properties. The main defence of the petitioners is that they are the absolute owners of the suit properties by virtue of the Will dt. 13-2-1992 said to have been executed by one Veerraju, the husband of the respondent, bequeathing the suit properties in their favour and no injunction can be granted against true owners. When the petitioners sought to mark the said Will during the course of trial, the respondent objected to the same on the ground that the will has to be proved only by way of Probate and a suit for injunction cannot be converted into one for Probate. The learned District Munsif, having upheld the respondent s objection, refused to receive and mark the Will dt. 13-2-1992. Hence, this revision petition.
( 2 ) IT is apparent from the impugned order that the learned District Munsif rested her decision solely on the basis of the following observations made by the Supreme Court in T. Venkata Narayana vs. Smt. Venkata Subbamma. "the mere suit for injunction cannot be converted into a suit for probation of a Will whereat the Will is to be proved. If the will is to be proved according to law, it has to be by way of probate in the Court having competency and jurisdiction according to the procedure provided under the Succession Act. That procedure cannot be converted in a suit for mere injunction as a probate suit and direct the parties to adduce evidence, be it primary or secondary evidence as the circumstances may warrant. "
( 3 ) EXECUTION of Wills, grant of probate therefor, legal obligation of the legatee to obtain probate and the Court competent to grant probate etc. , are governed by the provisions of the Indian Succession Act, 1925 (for short the act ). Section 2 (h) of the Act defines will as "the legal declaration of the intention of the testator with respect to his property which he desires to be carried into effect after his death. " Section 59 provides that "every person of sound mind not being minor may dispose of his property by Will". Section 213, which prescribes procedure for establishment of right as executor or legatee under a Will, reads as:"213. Right as executor or legatee when established - (1) No right as executor or legatee can be established in any Court of Justice, unless a court of competent jurisdiction in India has granted probate of the Will under which the right is claimed, or has granted letters of administration with the Will or with a copy of an authenticated copy of the Will annexed. (2) This Section shall not apply in the case of Wills made by muhammadans and, shall only apply (i) in the case of Wills made by any Hindu, Buddhist, Sikh or Jain where such wills are of classes specified in Clauses (a) and (b) of section 57, and (ii) in the case of Wills made by any Parsi dying, after the commencement of the Indian Succession (Amendment) Act, 1962, where such Wills are made within the local limits of the ordinary civil jurisdiction of the High Courts at Calcutta, Madras and bombay, and where such Wills are made outside those limits, in so far as they relate to immovable property situate within those limits".
( 4 ) A plain reading of sub-section (1) of Section 213 would definitely indicate that it prohibits any executor or legatee under a Will from establishing his or her right under the Will in any Court of justice without obtaining a probate of the Will or letters of administration. But, it is clear from sub-section (2) of Section 213 that Section 213 shall not at all apply to the Wills made by muhammadans and shall apply only to the wills made by any Hindu, buddhist, Sikh or Jain where such
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