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1994 Supreme(AP) 492

Andhra Pradesh High Court
Judges : B.K.SOMASEKHARA
G.Annapurnayya - Appellant
Versus
K.Appalanarsimhamurthy - Respondent
Decided On : 10-31-94

To establish a custom of illatom affiliation, two essential requisites are to be established viz. (1) such a person to be affiliated must marry the daughter of the other; and (2) there should be an agreement to give him a share) and both these conditions must be satisfied.

Headnote:

The plaintiff, brother-in-law of the deceased, filed a suit for partition and separate possession of properties, claiming 1/4th share as per an alleged illatom affiliation with the deceased's father. The defendants, the deceased's widow and son, contested the claim. The trial court dismissed the suit, finding no evidence of illatom affiliation or agreement to give a share. The plaintiff appealed.

Fact of the Case:

The plaintiff, brother-in-law of the deceased, filed a suit for partition and separate possession of properties, claiming 1/4th share as per an alleged illatom affiliation with the deceased’s father. The defendants, the deceased’s widow and son, contested the claim. The trial court dismissed the suit, finding no evidence of illatom affiliation or agreement to give a share. The plaintiff appealed.

Finding of the Court:

The High Court dismissed the appeal, upholding the trial court's findings. It held that the plaintiff failed to establish the existence of a custom of illatom affiliation among the Brahmin community or the family of the deceased's father. The court also found that there was no evidence of an agreement between the plaintiff and the deceased's father to give the plaintiff a share in the family properties.

Issues: 1. Whether the plaintiff was taken as an illatom son-in-law at the time of his marriage to late Annapuramma the daughter of late Somayajulu in 1944 with an understanding and promise to give a 1/4th share in all the properties then existing and that may be subsequently acquired. 2. Whether there is any custom of taking illatom adoption or affiliation prevalent in these parts or any where in Andhra pradesh among the Brahmin community? 3. Whether the plaintiff has acquired any right in the properties of late Somayajulu by reason of the alleged Hlatom adoption? 4. Whether late Annapurnamma was given the D-Schedule jewels at the time of marriage and if whether any or all of them were entrusted by the plaintiff to the 2nd defendant after her death after removing jewels from the dead body before cremation?. 5. Whether the plaintiff was entrusted the D-schedule properties as the heirs of late Annapurnamma. Whether late annapurnamma became entitled a 3/20th share in the A, B, G schedules properties on the death of late Somayajulu? -6. Whether the plaintiff will be entitled to succeed to any of the movable or immovable properties inherited by her from her father as a heir under Hindu Law when annapurnamma died issueless? 7. Whether the plaint schedules are correct? 8. Whether late Somayajulu had no ancestral property and all the properties are self-acquired? 9. Whether 1st defendant and his father are joint or divided ? 10. Whether the plaintiff who has withdrawn Rs. 5814. 52 as his wife s share from the Cooperative Central Bank, chodavaram has entrusted the same to the 1st defendant? 11. Whether the plaintiff is entitled to any share of any of the properties described in any of the plaint schedules as an heir of his wife or otherwise? 12. Whether defendants are entitled to exemplary costs in the suit ? 13. To what relief ?

Ratio Decidendi: The court held that the plaintiff failed to establish the existence of a custom of illatom affiliation among the Brahmin community or the family of the deceased's father. The court also found that there was no evidence of an agreement between the plaintiff and the deceased's father to give the plaintiff a share in the family properties.

Final Decision: The High Court dismissed the appeal, upholding the trial court's findings.

B. K. SOMASEKHARA, J.

( 1 ) THE common judgment and decree rendered in O. S. No. 86/77 (O. S. 57/77) and O. S. No. 5/78 (O. S. 101/77) dated 31-12-1980 by the learned Sub Judge (Sri B. Venkateswara Rao), Chodavaram, visakhapatnam district have lead to these two appeals. The two suits and appeals are between the same parties inter vivos involving common questions of fact and law. The arrayal of them in the capacity of plaintiff and defendants in the suit correspondingly make them parties in the appeal as appellant and respondents and vice versa. The plaintiff in O. S. No. 86 of 1977 is the appellant and the defendants therein are the respondents in a. S. No. 1013 of 1982. The plaintiffs in o. S. No. 5 of 1978 are the appellants and the defendant therein is the respondent in a. S. No. 3194 of 1982. So the style of parties as they occupied in the suits as plaintiff and defendants shall be repeated for reference in these appeals.

( 2 ) THE parties litigated over the subject matter of the suits described in plaint schedules A to E comprising movable immovable properties and cash. The suit o. S. No. 86 of 1977 is for partition and separate possession of 8 shares out of 20 equal shares in plaint A, B, C and Item No. 2 in e-schedule properties, for recovery of possession of D-schedule properties from the defendants 1 and 2, for mesne profits and such other reliefs as the Court may deem fit to grant in the circumstances of the case. In O. S. No. 5 of 1978 the plaintiffs want to recover Rs. 7,907-60 from the defendant (plaintiff in the other suit) which is said to have been wrongly paid to him by the cooperative Central Bank, Chodavaram on 6-6-1974, for costs and such other reliefs. Both the suits were resisted by the respective defendants.

( 3 ) THE learned Sub Judge has succinctly and neatly recorded the admitted bacts and the controversies between the parties: One late Kota Somayajulu of arjunagiri has been the pivotal figure of the litigation. Defendant No. 2 is the widow, defendant No. 1 is the son and late annapumamma and defendants 3 and 4 are the daughters of Somayajulu. The plaintiff is the sister s son of Somayajulu and also the husband of Annapurnamma the daughter of somayajulu. The plaintiff married her in the year 1944. Annapurnamma died on 22-9-72 at KG. hospital, Visakhapatnam and her dead body was cremated at Arjunagiri. Somayajulu died on 6-6-1972. The family of somayajulu is mainly an agricultural family with money-lending business and other businesses. At the time of marriage of annapumamma with the plaintiff, some of the gold ornaments as mentioned in plaint D- schedule were given to her. She used them till she died, Annapumamma died intestate and issueless. Somayajulu had deposited Rs. 29,000-00, his money, In Cooperative Central bank, Chodavaram. After his death, the plaintiff and his wife had laid Claim for the money. The Bank after enquiry, felt that the plaintiff and his wife were each entitled to 1/5th share and accordingly each of them including the surviving daughters of somayajulu got Rs. 5,814. These are the uncontroverted facts for both the sides. The plaintiff pleaded that he, his brothers, somayajulu and his brothers were living together as a composite family and acquired by their joint efforts a house and some lands at Arjunagiri. Somayajulu had acquired some properties 20 years back in a partition. The plaintiff specifically pleaded that in these parts (where the parties reside), illatom affiliation is prevailing in all agricultural families irrespective of the caste from ancient times. At the time of the marriage of the plaintiff with Annapoomamma, he was taken as an illatom son-in-law by Somayajulu with an understanding and promise to give him 1/4th share in all the properties then existing and other properties that may be acquired by the family in future. At the time of the marriage,the defendant No. 1 was an young boy of six years and Somayajulu had no assistance to carry on agricultural operations.




























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