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2007 Supreme(Bom) 1749

BOMBAY HIGH COURT
(Nagpur Bench)
Before : K.J.ROHEE AND R.C.CHAVAN, JJ.
Sarda Education Trust .. Appellant
Versus
Mukund Rambhau Pinjarkar and others .. Respondents
Letters Patent Appeal No. 89 of 1996, decided on 20th December, 2007

Advocates Appeared:
Shri B.N.Mohta, Advocate for appellant.
Shri R.R.Joharapurkar, Advocate for Respondent No.1.
Shri S.R. Deshpande, Advocate for Respondent No.2.

Headnote:Bombay Tenancy and Agricultural Lands (Vidarbha Region) Act, 1958 - Sections 19 (1) (d) and 39-Trusts Act, 1882, Sections 39 and 47-Tenant relinquished 8.20 acres of suit land in favour of appellant and retained 4 acres with him-Original tenant died-Application filed for recovery of possession of four acres of land from respondent No. 1-Granted-Challenged-Held, that invocation of principles embodied in Sections 47 and 48 are not sustainable.-At the cost of repetition let it be pointed out that the objection of the respondent to tenability of proceedings could have been entertained had any of the trustees desired to suffer the respondent as a tenant on the trust property. No such plea has been taken by the respondents. Therefore, it has to be held that all the trustees had agreed in initiation of action to recover the land in possession of the respondents and had ratified such action by a subsequent resolution when the matter was pending. At the cost of repetition we may say that allowing a tenant to raise such a plea which would only set the clock back for re-initiation of the same action after a resolution by the trust, or, should the law so require, after all the trustees join in action. This would amount to allowing a tenant to enjoy possession of the property for the sake of a principle which was not meant for protection of the tenant’s interest, but for the protection of interest of the trust. We find that invocation of principles embodied in Sections 47 and 48 of the Indian Trusts Act in the present situation has achieved exactly opposite result of frustrating the interest of the trust and is, therefore, not sustainable.

ORAL JUDGMENT : ( Per Chavan, J .)

1. This appeal by landlords is directed against judgment of the learned Single Judge of this Court allowing Writ Petition No.2090 of 1989 and remanding the proceedings under Section 19(1)(d) of the Bombay Tenancy and Agricultural Lands (Vidarbha Region) Act, 1958 (hereinafter referred to as .Tenancy Act.) for fresh adjudication at the lowest level of Tahsildar, Anjangaon.

2. The appellant Sarda Education Trust owns field Survey No.19 of village Wadali, Tahsil : Daryapur, District : Amravati. Out of 12.20 acres of land in this survey number which was in possession of tenant Sitaram he surrendered 8.20 acres in favour of the appellant/ trust by deed of relinquishment on 17.07.1970 and retained for himself as a tenant the remaining 4 acres of the land. According to the appellant, in the year 1977-78 he inducted respondent No.1 Mukund as a sub-tenant. Sitaram expired and respondent No.2 Prakash is his legal representative.

3. The appellant trust which has been granted exemption under Section 129 of the Tenancy Act filed application under Section 19(1)(d) of the Tenancy Act for recovery of possession of four acres of land with respondent No.1 Mukund on the ground that the original tenant Sitaram sublet the land and did not cultivate it personally.

This application was filed on 01.10.1983. The Tahsildar held in favour of the appellant by his order dated 31.01.1986. The tenant's appeal to the Sub-Divisional Officer was rejected by an order dated 20th February, 1986. Revision to the Maharashtra Revenue Tribunal was rejected by order dated 30th September, 1988. Sub-tenant's attempt to seek review of the said order also failed, since the tribunal rejected the review application by order dated 20th July, 1989.

4. Aggrieved by orders passed against him by the tenancy authorities the sub-tenant filed aforementioned writ petition. He contended that authorities below were not justified in holding that he has become sub-tenant, because, according to him, after the relinquishment of 8.20 acres of land in favour of the appellant society the remaining land was owned by Sitaram and therefore, respondent No.1 Mukund could not have become sub-tenant of the land owned by Sitaram. It was further contended that the application under Section 19(1)(d) of the Tenancy Act was itself untenable since it has not been filed by all the trustees in view of the provisions of Section 39 of the Tenancy Act and Section 47 of the Indian Trusts Act. Respondent No.1, therefore, sought quashing and setting aside of the order passed by the tenancy authorities in proceedings under Section 19(1)(d) of the Tenancy Act.

February, 1996 the learned single Judge overruled the objections of the landlord trust that respondent Mukund, who was only a sub-tenant, could not have filed revision or review before the Maharashtra Revenue Tribunal. He then held that the resolution dated 25.12.1984 authorising one Shri J.M. Laddha to take out proceedings against the tenants could not validate the proceedings in the absence of other trustees being made parties to the proceedings. The learned single Judge relied on decision of Gujrat High Court in Nanalal Girdharlal & anr. V. Gulamnabi Jamalgbhai Motorwala & ors, reported at AIR 1973 Gujarat 131 and concluded that the provisions of Sections 47 and 48 of the Indian Trusts Act .and in any case the principle embodied in Section 47 and 48 must apply to public, religious and charitable trusts under the Bombay Public Trusts Act. and, therefore, held that it was necessary to go into the question whether the delegation to the Secretary of the trust to initiate proceedings was legal, proper and covered by Section 47 of the Indian Trusts Act or not. He, therefore, set aside the orders impugned before him in the petition and remanded the matter back to the Tahsil






















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