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2025 Supreme(Kar) 45

IN THE HIGH COURT OF KARNATAKA AT BENGALURU 
RAMACHANDRA D. HUDDAR, J.
Smt. M.D. Devamma, W/o. Late K. Vishwanatha, Since Dead By Her Lr's Sri. Harish K.V. (S/o. Late K.V. Vishwanath) – Appellant
Versus
Smt. K.V. Kalavathi, D/o. Late K. Vishwanatha, W/o. Thippeswamy and Ors. – Respondents
Miscellaneous First Appeal No. 3988 of 2025 (CPC) C/W Miscellaneous First Appeal No. 4004 of 2025, Miscellaneous First Appeal No. 4118 of 2025
Decided On : 07-07-2025

Advocates Appeared:
For the Appellant : Sri. M.R. Rajagopal, Senior Counsel for Sri. Thilakraj S.V, Adv.
For the Respondents: Sri. Keshav R. Agnihotri, Advs.

Posthumous registration of a Will is valid under the Registration Act, and does not invalidate the document's evidentiary value. The trial court misinterpreted the law, improperly impacting the interim relief decisions.

Headnote:(A) Code of Civil Procedure - Order XXXIX Rule 1 and 2 - Indian Registration Act, 1908 - Sections 23 and 27 - Dispute regarding inheritance and possession of ancestral property; validity of a Will executed posthumously. Claims examined include familial relationships and legitimacy concerning property entitlements. The Trial Court improperly rejected the appellant's injunction application based on a misinterpretation of statutory provisions regarding Will registration. (Paras 14, 24, 30)

(B) Legal principles discussed include the evidentiary weight of Wills, the admissibility of registered documents, and the jurisdictional limits of interlocutory reliefs. The conclusion emphasized the protection of property from encroachment pending trial. (Paras 27, 28)

Facts of the case:
A dispute arises from conflicting claims over ancestral properties between the plaintiff and the defendants. The Trial Court granted the plaintiff an injunction while denying relief to the defendants in a suit concerning alleged encroachment and rightful possession. (Paras 1-4, 10)

Findings of Court:
The Trial Court's findings were affected by misinterpretation of the Registration Act, denying the appellant's claim to prevent encroachment. The evidential weight of the posthumously registered Will was not adequately considered. (Paras 24, 30)

Issues: The principal issue involves determining the validity of the registered Will, the parties' claims to property, and the appropriateness of the injunctions granted. (Paras 15-16, 18)

Ratio Decidendi: The Court ruled that the posthumous registration of a Will is permissible and does not inherently undermine its authenticity. The Trial Court erred in failing to recognize this principle and in granting exclusive rights to the plaintiff without substantive justification. (Paras 24, 30)

Result: Appeals allowed; the common order of the Trial Court set aside.

Table of Content
1. interlocutory appeals regarding property disputes. (Para 1 , 2)
2. dispute over joint family property ownership. (Para 3 , 4 , 5 , 6)
3. evidence supporting relationship claims. (Para 7 , 8)
4. arguments challenging the trial court's conclusions. (Para 10 , 12 , 13)
5. legal validity and evidentiary weight of wills. (Para 14 , 15 , 16)
6. legal provisions regarding registration of wills. (Para 17 , 18 , 19)
7. understanding the procedural aspects of wills. (Para 20 , 21 , 22)
8. evaluation of the trial court’s legal reasoning. (Para 23 , 24 , 25)
9. the interplay of possession rights and conflicting claims. (Para 26 , 27 , 28)
10. final adjudication and directions for lower court. (Para 29 , 30 , 31)

JUDGMENT :

(RAMACHANDRA D. HUDDAR, J.)

These three Miscellaneous First Appeals are filed by defendant Nos. 1 and 2 in O.S.No. 135/2021 on the file of Senior Civil Judge and J.M.F.C, at Sira under Order XXXIX Rule 1 (A) of Code of Civil Procedure (for short, "CPC), being aggrieved by the common order dated 08.04.2025 passed by the said Court. These appeals concern three interlocutory applications - I.A.No.3 filed by the defendants, seeking to restrain the plaintiff from interfering with his fencing activity on the suit schedule property and I.A.Nos.4 and 5 are filed by the respondent/plaintiff seeking injuctive relief's against the appellants. By the impugned common order, the Trial Court dismissed the appellant's application and allowed those applications filed by the plaintiff, directing the parties to maintain status quo, while also granting liberty to the plaintiff to erect fencing.

2. The parties to this appeal are referred to as per their rank before the Trial Court for convenience.

3. The facts so narrated by the appellant in brief are as under:

The plaintiff claims to be the daughter of one late Sri.K.Vishwanatha, allegedly born through his first wife Smt.Lakshmidevamma. It is further claimed that, defendant Nos. 3 to 7 in the suit are her siblings, all are children of the said Vishwanatha and Lakshmidevamma. According to the plaintiff, the suit schedule properties are the joint family ancestral properties and she is entitled to a share by birth therein. She asserts that, the properties remain undivided and are jointly possessed by the members of the family. Thus, she filed a suit against the defendants seeking the relief of properties and separate possession of the suit schedule properties by metes and bounds.

4. Before the Learned Trial Court, the appellant/defendant appeared and it is defendant No. 2 disputes the very relationship of the plaintiff with late Sri.K.Vishwanatha. According to the defendant, Smt.Lakshmidevamma was never the legally wedded wife of Vishwanatha, but merely a caretaker. He contends that he is the only son and legal heir of Sri.Vishwanatha, born to his lawful wife, i.e., Smt.Devamma (now deceased). It is a specific case of the appellants that, the suit schedule properties are not ancestral in nature, but were originally self-acquired by one Sri.Kadurappa (father of K.Vishwanatha), who executed a registered Will dated 15.11.1982 in favour of his son. Later, on 02.05.2018 the said Vishwanatha is said to have executed a registered Will bequeathing all his properties in favour of the defendant. The said Will was presented for registration and it was registered posthumously on 15.02.2019, following the death of Vishwanatha on 16.07.2018.

5. The records of this case do reveal that, a dispute arose regarding possession and enjoyment of the properties. During the pendency of the suit, as stated above, the defendant filed I.A.No.3 under Order XXXIX Rule 1(A) read with Section 151 of CPC, seeking temporary injunction against the plaintiff, praying that, she be restrained from obstructing the fencing of the schedule properties. The defendant contended that, when the fencing was necessary to prevent encroachment by third parties and was not intended to disturb possession or alter the character of the land

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