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2022 Supreme(AP) 1252

ANDHRA PRADESH HIGH COURT AT AMARAVATI
B.S. Bhanumathi, J.
M. R. Pradeep Kumar – Appellant
Versus
S. Nanda Kishore – Respondent
Civil Revision Petition No. 1327 of 2021
Decided On : 15-12-2022

A court can re-entrust a warrant to a commissioner for further investigation and report on important aspects required.

Headnote:

CIVIL PROCEDURE CODE - ORDER XXVI RULE 9 - RE-ENTRUSTMENT OF WARRANT TO COMMISSIONER - LEGAL PRINCIPLES - RE-ENTRUSTMENT OF WARRANT TO COMMISSIONER FOR FURTHER INVESTIGATION AND REPORT ON IMPORTANT ASPECTS REQUIRED - PERMISSIBLE.

Fact of the Case:

Plaintiff filed a suit for declaration of title and possession over the suit schedule property and for consequential relief of perpetual injunction against the defendant. The defendant claimed title and possession over the same property. The plaintiff filed an application under Order XXVI Rule 9 CPC for appointment of a commissioner to note down the physical features of the plaint schedule property. The commissioner visited the property and filed a report. The plaintiff filed objections to the report, stating that the commissioner did not note down all the physical features of the property. The plaintiff then filed a petition seeking re-entrustment of the warrant to the commissioner to revisit the property and note down the remaining physical features. The trial court dismissed the petition. The plaintiff filed a revision petition against the order of the trial court.

Finding of the Court:

The High Court held that the trial court erred in dismissing the petition. The court observed that the commissioner's report was deficient and that the plaintiff was entitled to have the commissioner revisit the property and note down the remaining physical features. The court further held that re-entrustment of the warrant to the commissioner was permissible in the interest of justice.

Issues: Whether the trial court erred in dismissing the petition for re-entrustment of the warrant to the commissioner.

Ratio Decidendi: The High Court relied on the following legal principles: * A court can re-entrust a warrant to a commissioner for further investigation and report on important aspects required. * Re-entrustment of a warrant to a commissioner is not a case of appointing a fresh commissioner or a second commissioner for the same purpose, but it is only a case of re-entrustment which is legal. * Any clarification can be obtained by re-entrusting the warrant to the same commissioner and there is no need to set aside the report earlier filed. * When the court feels seeking opinion from the second commissioner would be useful for better appreciation of evidence and for reaching just conclusions, it is always permissible under law to do so.

Final Decision: The High Court allowed the revision petition and set aside the order of the trial court. The court directed the trial court to issue a warrant re-entrusting the matter to the same commissioner fixing additional fee and time within which the report to be submitted and also to answer the work memos of both sides, if any, given and to execute the warrant after serving notice to both parties.

JUDGMENT

1. This revision petition, under Article 227 of the Constitution of India, is preferred against the order, dtd. 25/11/2021, dismissing the petition in I.A.No.231 of 2020 in I.A.No.586 of 2018 in O.S.No.49 of 2015 on the file of the Court of II Additional District Judge, Hindupur, filed under Order XXVI Rule 9 CPC to direct the advocate commissioner who was already appointed in I.A.No.586 of 2018 to revisit the petition schedule property to note down whether the properties in Sy.Nos.74-2, 75-3, 75-5 and 75-2 forms a single plot or not, with the assistance of the Mandal Surveyor, Lepakshi, with reference to FMB sketch and to file report.

2. Heard Sri P. Narahari Babu, learned counsel for the revision petitionerplaintiff and Sri Marri Venkata Ramana, learned counsel for the respondentdefendant. The revision petitioner is the petitionerplaintiff and the respondent herein is the respondent defendant.

3. The petitioner filed the suit for declaration of the right, title and possession over the suit schedule property and for consequential relief of perpetual injunction against the defendant, his men etc., from interfering with the possession and enjoyment of the plaintiff over the following plaint schedule property.

"Property situated in RD and SRO of Hindupur within Pulimithi villge polam and panchayat area Lepakshi Mandal Govt. Dry Sy.No.75-5 Extent Ac.1.84 cents bounded by East Land in Sy.No.78 West land in Sy.No.75-3 and 75-2 North Land in sy.No.74 South Hindupur-Pulimithi Road and Sy.No.75-4 in which a bore-well and accessories thereon and 50 coconut trees, 40 mango trees, 10 tamarind trees, 100 teak trees and 100 silver Oke trees are in existence in the suit schedule property."

4. It is the case of the plaintiff that originally late D.Kotipanna and S. Kariyappa are owners of Ac.0.94 cents each, a total of Ac.1.88 cents in Sy.No.75-5 and Kotipanna died prior to 1994 leaving behind his wife, Smt. Nanjamma. On 17/1/1994, Smt. Nanjamma sold Ac.0.94 cents in SY.No.75-5 to A.V.Krupashankara Rao under a registered sale deed and delivered possession. A.V.Krupashankara Rao, along with his other family members sold this property to the plaintiff under a registered sale deed, dtd. 30/4/1996 and put the plaintiff in its possession. Thus, the total plaint schedule property of Ac.1.88 cents was purchased. Later, Kariyappa and his family members also sold the remaining Ac.0.94 cents in Sy.No.75-5 to the plaintiff under a registered sale deed, dtd. 29/4/1998, and put him in its possession. The plaintiff purchased land in Sy.Nos.74-2, 75-3 and 75-2 located on the west and north of the plaint schedule property (a total extent of Ac.4.40 cents in all four (4) survey numbers) form a single plot with common boundaries. The plaintiff planted stones all around his property of Ac.4.40 cents with an entrance gate on its southern side. In the plaint schedule property, there is a bore-well dug by A.V.Krupashankara Rao with electricity connection No.258 which was obtained in the name of A.V.Krupashankara Rao. After purchase of property, the plaintiff planted 50 coconut trees, 40 mango trees, 10 tamarind trees, 100 teak trees and 100 silver oak trees on boundaries on four sides and is raising crops and commercial flower bushes in the land within the boundary line four sides. The plaintiff got constructed one watchman shed and a strong room for storage of agricultural implements in the plaint schedule property. The plaintiff is paying land revenue and pattadar passbook and title deed were issued and his name was mutated in the ROR. The defendant or his predecessor never interfered with possession of the plaintiff or his vendor nor raised objection for issuance of pattadar passbook or title deed. However, recently before, i.e., on 7/4/2015, the defendant filed appeal before the RDO, Penukonda, for cancellation of pattadar passbook and title deed issued in favour of the plaintiff. The defendant is trying to trespass into the plaint schedule property by r

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