Karnataka High Court
RAMAKRTSHNA GANAPAYYA - Appellant
Versus
LAKSHMINARAYANA TIMMAYYA - Respondent
Decided On : 03-31-83
R.S.A. : 821 of 1982
Tahsildar - Land Possession Dispute - Karnataka Land Revenue Act - S. 94, S. 39 - The court held that the procedure followed by the Tahsildar in delivering possession to the defendant was legal and valid. The suit challenging the act of the Tahsildar was dismissed.
Fact of the Case:
Plaintiff sued defendant for a declaration that the documents prepared by the defendant through Revenue authorities were illegal and void, and for a perpetual injunction restraining defendant from interfering with his possession over the land. Defendant resisted, claiming legal possession. The trial court decreed the suit in favor of the plaintiff. Defendant appealed, arguing that the suit should have been instituted against the Tahsildar and that the procedure followed by the Tahsildar was legal. The court found in favor of the defendant, dismissing the suit.
Finding of the Court:
The court found that the procedure followed by the Tahsildar in delivering possession to the defendant was legal and valid, and dismissed the suit.
Issues: 1. Whether the suit should have been instituted against the Tahsildar as the act challenged was done in his official capacity. 2. Whether notice under S. 80 CPC was necessary before instituting the suit. 3. Whether the procedure followed by the Tahsildar was vitiated and void. 4. Whether the defendant's contention regarding non-joinder of necessary parties can be raised at this stage.
Ratio Decidendi: The court held that the procedure followed by the Tahsildar in delivering possession to the defendant was legal and valid. The court also found that the defendant's contention regarding non-joinder of necessary parties can be raised at any stage since the suit itself will be inherently defective and no adjudication can be made in the absence of necessary party.
Final Decision: The appeal was allowed, the judgments and decrees of the lower courts were set aside, and the suit of the plaintiff was dismissed. The parties were directed to bear their respective costs throughout.
( 1 ) ). This appeal by the defendant is directed against the judgment and decree dt. 25. 11. 1982 passed by the Civil Judge sirsi, in R. A. No. 22 of 1982, on his file, dismissing the appeal, on confirming the judgment and decree dt. 20. 4. 1982 passed by the Prl. Munsiff, Sirsi, in os. No. 58 of 1978, on his file, decreeing the suit of the plaintiff as prayed for.
( 2 ) PLAINTIFF instituted a suit against defendant for a declaration that the documents dt. 20. 3. 1978 got prepared by the defendant through the Revenue authorities are illegal and void and, as such, they are not binding on him, with consequential relief of perpetual injunction restraining defendant from interfering with his possession over the suit property. According to plaintiff he was granted 1 acre and 20 guntas of land on 14. 8. 1968 by the tahsildar of Sirsi and he was in possession of the same ever since that date. Defendant had also prayed for the gran; of that land. Defendant, being aggrieved by the said grant of land in favour of plaintiff, went up in appeal before the Asst. Commissioner, Sirsi and the Asst. Commissioner, by his order dt. 31. 12. 1968, set aside the grant in favour of the plaintiff. He granted the land in favour of the defendant. Plaintiff went up in appeal against the said order of the Asst. Commissioner to the Deputy Commissioner and the deputy Commssioner distrusted the appeal, confirming the order of the asst. Commissioner, on 29. 7. 19/0. Second appeal by the present plaintiff to the Divisional Commissioner was also dismissed on 29. 2. 1972. Thereafter, the tahsildar issued notice to the present plaintiff to hand over possession of the land sanctioned to the success ful grantee, viz. , the defendant, on 2. 8. 1977, giving him seven days time to hand over possession. That notice issued to the present plaintiff was challenged by him before this Court in WP no. 6835 of 1977, contending that the notice was not in accordance with law and the same should be quashed. This court, however, dismissed the writ petition on 24. 1. 1978. Again, the taly sildar issued a fresh notice dt. 8. 3. 1978 to the plaintiff. It was served on him on 10. 3. 1978. He, however, gave an application for extending time and granting stay on 17. 3. 1978 to the tahsildar, which rame to be rejected on 20. 3. 1978. Thereupon, the tahsildar, according to him, went to the spot, took delivery of possession of the suit land from plaintiff and handed over possession to defendant who had succeeded in the appeal in the land grant case, as per Ex. P-1 and the 'kabja' receipt which is dt. 20. 3. 1978. It is this proceeding conducted by the tahsildar which is challenged by the plaintiff in the suit as illegal and void and he has prayed in the suit that the Court should declare all the proceedings in respect of delivery of actual possession of the suit land io the defendant as illegal and void and he has further prayed that permanent injunction be issued against defendant restraining him from interfering with plaintiff's peaceful possession of the suit land.
( 3 ) THE suit was resisted by the defendant by filing his written statement. He asserted that the Tahsildar delivered possession of the suit property in his favour legally and validly as per 'kabja' receipt (Ex-P-1) on 20. 3. 1978. There was nothing illegal or vitiating about it. He further contended that possession was handed over to him after recovering the cultivating charges of rs. 122 in cash. He denied that plaintiif continued to be in possession of the suit land. He denied that he acted in collusion with the tahsildar. Plaintiff had instituted earlier OS. No. 33 of 1973 on the averment that the grant of the suit land in favour of defendant was illegal. That suit was decided against him. The present suit was another attempt to put spokes in the path of defendant from enjoying the suit land which he got under legal and valid grant. For there reasons, he urged that the suit be dismissed with costs.
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