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1994 Supreme(Bom) 188

IN THE HIGH COURT OF BOMBAY
A.P. Shah, J.
Faredoon Maneckji Dalal.... Plaintiff
Versus
Phiroze Bomanji Javeri.... Defendant.
Short Cause Suit No. 768 of 1977, decided on 24-4-1994.
Advocates appeared :
G.J. Desai, for the plaintiff.
Ms. Geeta Shastri, for the State.

Headnote:Section 9 -Possession-Basing on if trespass, Civil Court empowered for entertaining it - Adoption-Person can be treated as member of family even if it was illegal.

       The premises were in possession of Cooverbai last as a statutory tenant and between the tenancy of Bomanji and Cooverbai two other tenants had also intervened. Therefore, if the defendant is not even a family member within the meaning of the provisions of the Bombay Rent Act, on the face of it, it must be held that the defendant has no semblance of right as a tenant. The plaintiff has come with the case that the defendant is a trespasser. If the defendant is not a family member last residing with Cooverbai, the last statutory tenant, then the defendant must be considered to be not even having a semblance of right of tenancy, and therefore, the defenandant must be held to have failed to establish that he has some right of tenancy in him and that as a member of the family he was residing with Cooverbai. In that event, the plaintiff must be held to have established that the defendant is a trespasser and therefore has rightly brought the suit in the High Court for eviction him and for seeking possession. The defendants contention that as he has claimed tenancy, the Civil Court must stay its hand completely on such a defence being taken, cannot be accepted. After considering the material on record to arrive at a contention as to whether the defendants contention that he is a tenant residing in the suit premises being the family member of the last deceased statutory tenant would necessarily be required to be considered and evaluated, at least prima facie, by the normal Civil Court where the suit is brought, and if it is found that there is no semblance of even relationship alleged by the defendant, his contention that the suit must be tried only by the Small Causes Court under the provision of the Bombay Rent Act must fail.

       Even if a person is not legally adopted and was living with the statutory tenant as the family member, he could be considered as a person entitled to the rights of tenancy under the Rent Act, and that it would depend on the facts of each case.

       Therefore, there is no relationship of the defendant with the last tenant in the suit premises, and hence, the plaintiff is right in contending that the defendant is a trespasser. Even taking into consideration the decisions of the English Courts relied upon by the defendant, in the absence of any evidence of last tenant treating the defendant as her son or family member, the case of the plaintiff will have to be accepted.

       Sections 3, 60 and 61.

       See Bombay Rents Hotel and Lodging House Rates Control Act, 1947 -Sections 5 (11) (c).

JUDGMENT - A.P. SHAH, J. :---This matter has been placed before me on a reference made by the Taxing Master. Briefly, the facts leading to the reference are as follows :

The plaintiff had filed a suit against the defendant claiming following reliefs :

(a) That it may be declared that the defendant has no right title or interest in the said premises situate at Silla Villa, 21 Meghraj Sethi Marg, Bombay Central, Bombay-8 and that he is trespasser in respect of the said premises;

(b) That the defendant be ordered and decreed to vacate and deliver to the plaintiff quiet vacant and peaceful possession of the said premises situate at Silla Villa, 21, Meghraj Sethi Marg, Bombay Central, Bombay-400 008;

(c) that the defendant be ordered and decreed to pay to the plaintiff:

(i) a sum of Rs. 500/- per month as mesne profits and/or damages for the defendants wrongful use and occupation of the said premises till the date of the suit aggregating to Rs. 4,500/- together with interest thereon at the rate of 6% per annum from the date of the suit till payment; and

(ii) mesne profits and/or damages at the rate of Rs. 500/- per month or at such other rate as this Honble Court deems fit and proper from the date of the suit till the defendant hands over quiet, vacant and peaceful possession of the said ground floor premises to the plaintiff, together with interest at the rate of 6% per annum on the amount of mesne profits and/or damages from the time the said becomes due till payment."

2. In para 12 of the plaint, the plaintiff had valued the said suit for the purpose of payment of Court fees as follows :

The plaintiff values the suit for the purpose of Court fees and jurisdiction at Rs. 54,500/- which is made upon as under :

(i) Rs. 50,000/- being the value of the said ground floor premises based upon the capitalised value of the compensation of 100 months;

(ii) Rs. 4,500/- being the pecunary claim of the plaintiff upto the date of the suit as per the particulars of claim hereto annexed and marked Ex. "D".

The plaintiff has accordingly paid the Court fees of Rs. 2,580/- on the said plaint.

3. By a judgment and decree dated August 12, 1994, I.G. Shah, J., decreed the suit in terms of prayer Clauses (a), (b) and (c). Thereafter, the plaintiff filed a draft of drawn-up decree in the office for settling the same. In a meeting, which was held before the Taxing Master, it was pointed out to the plaintiff that he is required to pay additional fees on the aggregate amount of mesne profit till the date of the judgment. The plaintiff, however, disputed his liability and, therefore, the Taxing Master has made this reference before this Court.

4. The relevant section of the Bombay Court Fees Act, 1959 with which I am concerned in the present case, is section 13 and it reads as follows ;

13. (1) In a suit for the recovery of possession of immovable property and mesne profits or for mesne profits or for an account, the difference, if any, between the fee actually paid and the fee which would have been payable had the suit comprised the whole of the profits or amount found due shall, on delivery of judgment, be taxed by the Court and shall be leviable from the plaintiff and if not paid by him within thirty days from the date of the judgment be recoverable according to the law and under the rules for the time being in force for the recovery of arrears of land revenue.

(2) The Court shall send a copy of the decree passed in such suit to the Collector.

(3) No decree for mesne profits passed in any such suit by the Court shall be executed, until a certificate to the effect that such difference is paid or recovered signed by the Court which passed the decree or by the Collector who recovered the amount, is produced along with the application for such execution.

Explanation---For the purpose of this section, "plaintiff" includes any party to a suit to whom any profits or amount are or is found to be due.

5. On a plain reading of the section, it is clear that where a claim is for pos











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