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2012 Supreme(Bom) 1204

High Court of Judicature at Bombay
R.M. SAVANT, J.
Shri Popat Jaysingh Rajpure
Versus
State of Maharashtra & Others
WRIT PETITION NO.672 OF 2012
Decided on : 05-07-2012

Advocates appeared:
For the Petitioner:Naushad Engineer with Prashant P. More, Advocates.
For the Respondents:R1 to R8, S.D. Rayrikar, AGP, R9 & R10, Sanjeev P. Kadam with P.N Gaikwad, Advocates.

Judgement Key Points

Key Points: - The trial Court held that it had no jurisdiction to entertain the suit against defendants 1–8 and that the suit would proceed against defendants 9–10; the order was based on Section 138(4) of the Maharashtra Land Revenue Code. (!) - The issue of jurisdiction under Section 9A of the CPC must be decided at the threshold and includes territorial, pecuniary, and subject-matter jurisdiction; the Court must consider the frame of the suit as it is, not after deleting defendants. (!) (!) - The Court held that deleting defendants to avoid jurisdictional concerns is improper and remanded for denovo consideration of the Section 9A application, to be decided expeditiously with a specified deadline. (!) (!)

How to determine the jurisdiction under Section 9A of the Code of Civil Procedure in a suit challenging land measurement and demarcation?

What is the effect of deleting certain defendants on the maintainability and jurisdiction of a suit for title under the Maharashtra Land Revenue Code?

What is the proper approach to frame and decide a Section 9A application when the defendants’ joinder is contentious and jurisdiction is at issue?


Judgment :

1 Rule, with the consent of the parties made returnable forthwith and heard.

2 The subject matter of the above Petition filed under Article 227 of the Constitution of India is the order dated 11/11/2011 passed by the learned Joint Civil Judge, Senior Division, Baramati by which order Application (Exhibit-1) invoking Section 9A of the Code of Civil Procedure came to be disposed of and the operative of the order reads thus:-

“[1] The Civil Court have no jurisdiction to entertained the suit against defendant Nos.1 to 8 hence the suit is against disposed of them

[2] The suit shall proceed against defendant No.9 and 10

[3] The injunction order against defendant No.4 is vacated

[4] The suit be fixed for hearing of Exh.5 a fresh.”

A short question therefore arises for a consideration is, whether the court could have passed the order of the nature passed whilst dealing with an application under Section 9A of the Code of Civil Procedure.

3 The genesis of the suit filed by the Petitioner herein is in the measurement and demarcation of the boundaries carried out in so far as Gat No.414/2 of village Shetphalgadhe, Tal. Indapur, District Pune. The Petitioner claims to have purchased the land admeasuring 13 Hectares from and out of the Gat No.414/2 total admeasuring 21.74 Hectares situated at village Shetphalgadhe, Tal. Indapur, Dist. Pune. The Respondent Nos. 9 and 10 herein claim to have purchased an area of 6.01 Hectares from and out of said Gat No.414/2 from the original owners one Ushatai sharadkumar Gandhi and Bebi Bharti Rajnikant Patni. On 31/3/2008 the Respondent Nos. 9 and 10 herein applied to the Inspector of Land Records, Indapur for regularizing their field boundaries. After the said demarcation and regularization of the boundaries was completed, the challenge to the same had reached the State Government by way of a Revision Application which was filed against the order passed by the Additional Divisional Commissioner in Application BND RTS Appeal/99/2009. The Petitioner herein had filed an application before the Deputy Inspector of Lands Record in order to challenge the correctness of the map and measurement procedure being carried out in pursuance of the said application for measurement and demarcation No.606/2008. In so far as the said application is concerned, it ultimately resulted in the Superintendent of the Lands Record directing the District Inspector of Lands Record that the disputed property be revisited, factual position be verified and the action be taken by exercising the powers of review as provided in the Maharashtra Land Revenue Code. The Superintendent of Lands Record ordered that since the measurement process and the measurement carried out on 7th and 8th August 2008 was flawed, the Superintendent of Land Records directed re-measurement and re-fixing of the boundary marks. It was observed in the order dated 27/7/2009 of the Superintendent of Land Records that in case of any dispute about internal boundaries the parties are at liberty to file appropriate proceedings in the Civil Court of competent jurisdiction. After the order was passed by the Superintendent of Land Records, certain events have taken place which are not necessary to be cited, but suffice it to say that pursuant to an order passed in a Writ Petition filed by the Petitioner, he was given liberty to file a suit. This is how the suit in question i.e. Special Civil Suit No.136 of 2011 came to be filed seeking a declaration of his title as regards the lands admeasuring 13 Hectares and challenging the orders by which the measurement and demarcation was confirmed and the maps were drawn.

4 In the said suit the Petitioner has challenged the manner in which the demarcation and regularization of the boundaries was carried out. It is the case of the Petitioner that the said exercise was not done bonafide, the Petitioner has levelled certain allegations against the Government Officers who have been arrayed as Defendant Nos.1 to 8 in the s







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