PATNA HIGH COURT
Lakshmikanta Jha and Reuben JJ.
Manir Momin
Versus
Kameshwar Singh
Letter Patent Appeal No. 13 of 1950 ;
Decided On : JANUARY 08, 1952
LIMITATION ACT - ARTICLE 11 - ORDER XXI RULE 58 OF THE CODE OF CIVIL PROCEDURE - ORDER REJECTING OBJECTION UNDER - NOT AN ORDER AGAINST THE CLAIMANT - SUIT FOR DECLARATION OF TITLE AND RECOVERY OF POSSESSION - NOT BARRED.
Fact of the Case:
Plaintiffs purchased a holding from the original tenants in 1921. In 1941, the landlord proprietor sued the original tenants for arrears of rent and obtained a decree. The landlord purchased the holding at an auction sale held in execution of the decree and settled it with the defendants. Plaintiffs filed a suit for declaration of title and recovery of possession of the holding or, in the alternative, for recovery of possession thereof. The Munsif decreed the suit to the extent of plaintiff No. 2's eight annas share of the holding. The appellate court dismissed the suit holding that it was barred by Article 11 of the Limitation Act, 1908.
Finding of the Court:
The objection under Order XXI Rule 58 was rightly rejected by the executing Court as it had no jurisdiction to entertain it. The order passed by the Munsiff was not an order on an objection preferred under Order XXI Rule 58 and, therefore, Article 11 of the Limitation Act had no application to the suit.
Issues: Whether the order rejecting the objection under Order XXI Rule 58 was an order against the claimant within the meaning of Article 11 of the Limitation Act?
Ratio Decidendi: An order passed by an executing Court rejecting an objection under Order XXI Rule 58 of the Code of Civil Procedure, 1908, on the ground that it is not maintainable under Section 170 of the Bihar Tenancy Act, is not an order against the claimant within the meaning of Order XXI Rule 63 and Article 11 of the Limitation Act, 1908. Such an order does not attract the operation of Article 11 and a suit for declaration of title and recovery of possession of immovable property is not barred by limitation.
Final Decision: Appeal allowed, appellate decree set aside, and Munsif's decree restored.
Reuben, J.
1. This appeal by the plaintiffs raises a point of limitation. It arises out of a suit for declaration of title to and confirmation of possession of a holding of 2 bighas 5 katnas 8 dhurs in village Bharathi in tauzi No. 6424, of which the proprietor is the defendant second party, and, in the alternative, for recovery of possession thereof. The plaintiffs-appellants are two brothers who, in 1921, purchased the holding from the original tenants, the defendants third party, by a registered sale deed, so that under Sec.26B of the Bihar Tenancy Act the sale is binding on the landlord proprietor. The landlord proprietor, nevertheless, in the year 1941, sued the original tenants, defendants third party, for arrears of rent in respect of the holding and got a decree. In that suit, plaintiff No. 1 was impleaded as a defendant. The landlord decree-holder then put the decree into execution and purchased the holding at an auction sale held on the 14th of June 1944. He took delivery of possession over the holding on the 7th of May 1945 and settled it with the defendants first party. The Munsif, holding that plaintiff No. 2 not being a party to the rent decree is not bound by it, decreed the suit to the extent of his eight annas share of the holding. His decision has been reversed and the suit dismissed in appeal by the Subordinate Judge, Darbhanga, on the ground that the suit was barred, under Article 11 of the Schedule to the Indian Limitation Act, inasmuch as it was brought more than one year after an order passed in the rent execution case rejecting an objection under Order XXI Rule 58 of the Code of Civil Procedure filed by the two plaintiffs. This decision has been upheld by Shearer, J., who considered himself bound by the decision of a Division Bench of this Court reported in SUBEDAR SINGH V/s. RAMPRIT PANDE, 11 Pat L T 28, although he felt doubtful of its correctness.
2. The objection under Order XXI Rule 58 was rejected by the executing Court on the ground that under Sec.170 of the Bihar Tenancy Act it was not maintainable. Sub-section (1) of Sec.170 of the Bihar Tenancy Act provides that: "rules 58, 63 (both inclusive) and 89 of Order XXI of the Code of Civil Procedure, 1908, shall not apply to a tenure or holding or portion of a holding attached in execution of a decree for arrears due in respect of the tenure or holding." Here, it is not denied that the defendant second party is the landlord of the holding in suit, nor that the rent of the holding was in arrears. Nor is it denied that the decree obtained by him was a decree for arrears of the rent of the holding. In these circumstances, it is well-settled that an application under Order XXI, rule 58 will not lie AMRITA LAL V/s. NEMAI CHAND, 28 Cal 382 (FB); RAMESHWAR SINGH V/s. RAJO CHOWDH-RAIN, 7 Pat L T 625; RAMESHWAR SINGH V/s. PURAN GRANDER, 7 Pat L T 717; DWARKA SINGH V/s. NEMA SINGH, 10 Pat L T 118; DEO-NANDAN PRASAD V. PIRTHI NARAYAN, 11 Pat 790; SURPAT SINGH V/s. SHITAL SINGH, 15 Pat 614; and HARIHAR PRASAD V/s. PRASAD MAH-TON, AIR 1950 Pat 565. The leading case on the subject is the Full Bench decision in AMRITA LAL BOSES CASE" where the question referred to the Full Bench was:
"Whether Sec.170 of the Bengal Tenancy Act bars a claim under Sec.278 of the Code of Civil Procedure to a tenure or holding attached in execution of a decree for arrears due thereon, in all cases, or whether the operation is confined to claims to the tenure or holding and does not extend to claims based on the ground that the property claimed does not form part of the tenure or holding attached."
The majority of the Full Bench, decided that it bars such a claim in all cases. The dissenting Judge, Banerjee, J., drew a distinction between the class of cases in which the bar operates and the class in , which it does not in words which have often been cited and will bear a fresh repetition: "Upon, a claim under Sec.278 of the Code of Civil Procedure being preferred, it, therefore,
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