IN THE HIGH COURT OF JUDICATURE AT BOMBAY BENCH AT AURANGABAD
MANGESH S. PATIL, J.
Digambar S/o. Vitthal Kale – Appellant
Versus
Vasant S/o Kacharu Kale – Respondent
Second Appeal No. 111 of 2017
Decided on : 11-01-2022
Mamlatdar’s Courts Act, 1906 - Section 5(2), 23(2), 22, 21(1) - Property - Order Passed Is Null And Void - Granting Perpetual Injunction - Defendants, who are aggrieved by concurrent findings of Courts, whereby suit filed by respondent no. 1 declaring that order passed by the no.3. Tahsildar in a proceeding under section 5(2) of Mamlatdar’s Courts Act, 1906 is null and void and granting perpetual injunction restraining them from creating any way or cart track through his property being a portion admeasuring 4 Acres situated in north-east corner of land Gat no. 51, has been decreed – Held, Appellant no. 1 specifically admitted that to east of share of respondent no. 1, land owned by his father situates - He also admitted that along the eastern boundary, there is a bund intervening land Gat no. 51 and the land to its east belonging to his father. He then admitted about existence of trees along that bund, meaning thereby that circumstance is clearly indicative of fact that there are not even signs of existence of any cart way along eastern boundary of land Gat - All these facts and circumstances and evidence clearly demonstrate that there is dearth of evidence to subscribe to stand of appellants regarding existence of a cart way as is being claimed by them - Even if such a judgment was not binding on appellants, once it was produced before respondent no. 3 during an enquiry under section 5(2) of Act, he ought to have given some weightage to it and to have persuaded himself to investigate matter in further detail - Instead, he has simply brushed aside decree of civil court on ex facie erroneous grounds by observing that suit was not in respect of any right of way and injunction was not being claimed in respect of any dispute pertaining to it, when, as is mentioned herein -Above a specific issue regarding existence of way was framed and answered in negative against father of appellant no. 2 - A bare perusal of provision would clearly indicate that irrespective of the decision of the Mamlatdar under section 5(2), a party may approach a civil court and obtain any relief even contrary to decision of the Mamlatdar setting it at naught - To conclude, no substantial question of law arises in this appeal - Scope for causing interference by invoking powers under section 100 of Code of Civil Procedure being limited and concurrent observations and conclusions of courts below being based on plausible appreciation of evidence on record, this court cannot cause any interference – Appeal dismissed.
JUDGMENT :
Heard both sides at the admission stage.
2. Some of the defendants, who are aggrieved by the concurrent findings of the Courts below, whereby the suit filed by the respondent no. 1 declaring that the order passed by the respondent no.3. Tahsildar in a proceeding under section 5(2) of the Mamlatdar’s Courts Act, 1906 (for short “the Act”) is null and void and granting perpetual injunction restraining them from creating any way or cart track through his property being a portion admeasuring 4 Acres situated in the north-east corner of the land Gat no. 51, has been decreed.
3. The learned Advocate for the appellants would vehemently submit that since the respondent no. 1 had appeared in the proceedings under section 5(2) of the Act, he is not entitled to assail the judgment and order passed therein by a separate suit when a separate remedy is provided to challenge that order by way of revision under section 23(2) of the Act. The learned advocate would further submit that both the Courts below have grossly erred in appreciating the facts, circumstances and evidence on the record. He would advert to the topography demonstrated by a rough sketch in the memo of the second appeal at page number 10, to precisely point out the matter in controversy. He would submit that the fact regarding existence of the two roads and a streamlet which divide and run east-west across the entire land Gat no. 51 was specifically admitted by the respondent during his testimony. Right in the teeth of such admission, both the Courts below ought to have held that the way, as was being claimed by the appellants before the Tahsildar was, in fact, in existence. Being a public road, no such declaration or injunction could have been granted by the Courts below. Though the respondent no. 1 is banking upon the judgment and decree passed in an earlier suit being R.C.S. 1349 of 2001 dated 27-3-2006, the appellants were not party to that suit. Noting this fact, the Tahsildar had refused to give any importance to the judgment even though it was in respect of the very same cart way that is being claimed by the appellants in the present dispute. That was not a judgment in rem and would not bind the appellants. The learned Advocate, therefore, submits that substantial questions of law, as mentioned in the appeal memo arise and even otherwise both the Courts below having reached the conclusions perversely, the second appeal be admitted.
4. The learned Advocate for the respondent no. 1 would support both the judgments of the Courts below. He would submit that the powers of the Mamlatdar to cause obstruction to the cart way to be removed in exercise of the powers under section 5(2) of the Act are not plenary powers and does not supersede the powers of a civil Court to decide the dispute between the parties touching the selfsame dispute regarding obstruction to the way.
5. The learned Advocate would further point out that the revenue record demonstrates existence of the other two ways and even a streamlet across the entire land Get no. 51 running east to west. The village map does not demonstrate existence of any way, as is being claimed along the northern side of land Gat no. 51 or along its eastern boundary.
6. The learned Advocate would then submit that The appellants were not parties to the earlier suit between the respondent no. 1 and one Namdev Kishan Markad. However, certified copy of judgment was placed on Record of the trial court at Exhibit – 46. That defendant - Namdev Kishan Markad was none other than the father of present appellant no. 2. Even in that suit, it was the stand of the father of the appellant no. 2 regarding the selfsame cart way, which the appellants are now asserting along the northern and eastern boundaries of Gat no. 51. The civil court had specifically refuted such a claim while answering Issue no. 5 in that suit. Though, none of the appellants were parties to the suit, since the matter in controversy was touching the existence of the cart wa
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