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2025 Supreme(Kar) 1689

IN THE HIGH COURT OF KARNATAKA AT BENGALURU
V. SRISHANANDA, J.
Mr. S.R. Narasimhamurthy, S/o Ramarao – Appellant 
Versus 
The Sreematha Trust -  Respondent 
Regular Second Appeal No. 1691 of 2024 (INJ)
Decided on : 04-08-2025

Advocates Appeared:
For the Appellant :SRI. KESHAVA MURTHY B, ADVOCATE
For the Respondent:SMT. ARUNA SHYAM, SR. ADVOCATE, SRI. SUYOG HERELE E, ADVOCATE, DEVAMSHA, Adv

A party cannot contest a previously valid sale without independent evidence of collusion or rights over the property sold.

Headnote:(A) Registered Sale Deed - Asserting the right, title, and interest over suit property - Prior sale of property contested in collusive manner by the first defendant and his daughters - No evidence presented to support claim of joint family property - Courts below justified in dismissing suit based on absence of merits - When a party sells property, it cannot later attempt to void the sale without independent grounds. (Paras 2, 16, 20)

(B) Civil Procedure Code, 1908 - Order 41 Rule 31 - Requirement of Appellate Court to frame points for determination - Non-raising of necessary points does not automatically void judgment if substantial compliance is observed. (Paras 10, 24)

Facts of the case:
The appellant, having sold the suit property via a registered sale deed in 2000, did not contest a subsequent suit filed in 2015 by his daughters, which aimed to invalidate the sale. The trial court dismissed the suit for lack of evidence showing the property was joint family property.

Findings of Court:
The appellate court concluded that not contesting the original suit highlighted a collusive attempt to reclaim the property without valid grounds, affirming the trial court's dismissal.

Issues: The principal issues included the maintainability of the cross-objection filed by the appellant and whether both trial and appellate courts afforded sufficient opportunity for the appellant to present his case.

Ratio Decidendi: The court reasoned that the first defendant's failure to assert his rights during the initial suit and the absence of evidence warranted the dismissal of the appeal, underscoring the principles governing property rights and the expectations of evidence in civil litigation.

Result: Appeal dismissed.

Table of Content
1. suit filed by daughters against father on ownership (Para 2 , 3 , 4)
2. cross objection and first appellate court's consideration (Para 5 , 6 , 21)
3. grounds for appeal raised by the appellant (Para 8)
4. substantial questions of law raised in the appeal (Para 9 , 10 , 18)
5. court's analysis on ownership and collusion (Para 14 , 16 , 17 , 23)
6. appeal dismissed for lack of merit (Para 27 , 28)
JUD

JUDGMENT :

V. SRISHANANDA, J.

Heard on merits regarding admission, learned counsel for appellant Sri. Keshavamurthy B. and Sri. Arun Shyam, learned senior counsel for Sri. Suyog Herele for respondent No.1.

2. Facts in brief which are utmost necessary for disposal of the present appeal are as under:

Suit property was sold by the appellant herein by a registered sale deed dated 26.02.2000. Appellant is the first defendant in the suit in O.S. No.12/2015 filed by his daughters questioning the alienation. As expected, the appellant being the father of plaintiff did not contest the suit which shows that it is a collusive suit between the plaintiffs and the first defendant only with an intention to somehow grab the suit property which was sold by the first defendant in favour of the contesting respondent under a registered sale deed dated 26.02.2000.

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3. Pertinent to that there was a total lull between the period of 26.02.2000 till the date of filing of suit in the year 2015.

4. It is also pertinent to note that in the sale deed, first defendant has categorically stated that suit property is his self acquired property. Even though the relief claimed in the suit for cancellation of the sale deed and permanent injunction, the basis for filing the suit by the daughters of the first defendant as plaintiffs is that the property is a joint family properties and plaintiffs did have independent interest in the suit property. To establish that suit property is joint family property, there is no material on record. Therefore the Trial Judge was justified in dismissing the suit of the plaintiffs.

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5. In view of dismissal of the suit, the plaintiffs filed an appeal before the First Appellate Court in RA No.25/2023 where again first defendant was shown as the first respondent. It is at that juncture, as an after thought, first defendant who is the appellant before this Court filed a cross objection. Cross objection is in the nature of supporting the case of plaintiffs and therefore it could not have been considered as cross objection strictly in accordance with law.

6. No doubt, the learned Judge in the First Appellate Court after securing the records, dismissed the appeal, but did not chose to write in so many words that the cross objection is not maintainable in view of the fact that the first defendant did not contest the suit before the Trial Court.

7. Being aggrieved by the same, it is the first defendant who has filed the present appeal. In other words, plaintiffs are satisfied with the dismissal of the suit which was confirmed by the First Appellate Court.

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8. Being aggrieved by the non consideration of the Cross Objection filed by the first defendant, the appellant has filed the present appeal on the following grounds:

That the impugned Judgments and Decrees are contrary to the material on record and opposed to the well established principles of law and therefore the same are liable to be set aside.

That the impugned Judgments and Decree are not speaking orders as both the courts below have not assigned any cogent or justifiable reasons and therefore the same are liable to be set aside.

That while passing the Judgment and Decree in the Regular Appeal, the First Appellate Court has never uttered one single word about the filing of Cross- Objections by the Appellant nor made any observation about the same, and has never passed arty order on the Cross-Objections. As such, the First Appellant has committed a grave error in passing the impugned Judgment and Decree which is apparent on the face of the record, and therefore the same is liable to be s

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