IN THE HIGH COURT OF JUDICATURE AT PATNA
RAJIV ROY, J.
First Appeal No. 119 of 2006
(5.12.2022)
Smt. Pawan Devi & Anr. ... Appellants
vs.
Smt. Sita Devi & Ors. ... Respondents
Hindu Law – Partition – Plaintiff-respondent had proved herself to be daughter of owner of property which was gifted to her by a registered deed – Defendants-appellants failed to counter – Trial Court rightly held that Plaintiff-respondent is entitled to 1/3rd share – Findings arrived at by Trial Court affirmed – Appeal dismissed. (Paras 31, 32 and 33)
Rajiv Roy, J.—The present First Appeal has been preferred against the order and judgment dated 25.5.2006 and the decree dated 30.5.2006 in Partition Suit No. 246 of 2000 (Sita Devi v/s Most. Luhia Devi and Ors) by which the learned Civil Judge, Senior Division-VI, Samastipur, held that the plaintiffrespondent, Sita Devi is entitled to 1/3rd share of the land as also 4 katha 1 dhur from the 1/3rd share of her mother, Luhia Devi which was gifted to her by a registered deed dated 25.8.2000.
2. The matrix of facts giving rise to present appeal is/are as follows:
3. Sita Devi, plaintiff-respondent preferred Partition Suit No. 246 of 2000 for the partition of the suit land to the tune of 1/3rd share each between her, sister and mother. The details of the suit land are as follows:—
| [kkrk iq0 | [kkrk ua0 | [ksljk iq0 | [ksljk ua0 | jdck | pkSgnh |
| 1 | 203 | 1051 | 1388 | 0-4-12 | m0&gseu jk; oks nksfjd jk; n0&Hkksyk Bkdqj iq0&tokgj Hkxr i0&f=os.kh Bkdqj oks Hkksyk Bkdqj |
|
|
| 1057 1058 1060 | 1401 1402 1403 | 6-5-00 | m0&'kaHkw Bkdqj n0&lM+d iq0&gseu jk; i0&'kSy nsoh oks jkeldy jk; |
|
|
| 1064 | 1395 | 0-3-09 | m0&Hkksyk Bkdqj n0&'kEHkw Bkdqj oxS0 iq0&cæh jk; oxS0 i0&v'kQhZ jk; oxSj |
|
|
| 1099 | 1275 | 0-4-12 | m0&f=os.kh Bkdqj n0&jke cgknqj flag iq0&ekyk nsoh i0&jke cgknqj flag |
|
|
| 1175 | 1403 1414 | 0-4-16 | m0&bUnq Bkdqj n0&pUæHkw"k.k Bkdqj iq0&jke lsod Bkdqj i0&VquVqu Bkdqj |
|
|
| 1279 1280 1288 | 1767 1775 | 0-5-19 | m0&v'kQhZ jk; n0&Hkksyk Bkdqj iq0&y{e.k jk; i0&jke uUnu Bkdqj |
|
|
|
|
| 1-8-8 |
|
4. The further case of the plaintiff-respondent, Sita Devi is/was that by virtue of registered gift deed dated 25.8.2000 by her mother Luhia Devi, she is also entitled to 4 kathas 1 dhur from the 1/3rd share of the said Luhia Devi.
5. It is apt to bring on record the genealogy of the family for the proper appreciation of the case:—
| Brihaspati Rai | ||
| Nirsan Rawat | Bhola Rawat (died in a state of jointness) | |
| Muni Lal Rai (died-1985) | Lakhi Devi (daughter, not granted any share) | |
| Luhia Devi (wife) |
| |
| Sita Devi | Pawan Devi | |
6. The case of the plaintiff-respondent in the said suit was/were that:—
(i) she was married and despite her marriage, she used to take care of her mother;
(ii) happy with the said service, her mother Luhia Devi executed deed of gift on 25.8.2000 with regard to 4 kathas 1 dhur out of her 1/3rd share;
(iii) accordingly, she got possession of the said land;
(iv) during 'Durga Puja', same year, she went to her in-laws house;
(v) her another sister, Pawan Devi took advantage of the said absence of the plaintiff and accordingly got executed another deed of gift from Luhia Devi on 16.10.2000 with regard to14 kathas much above the 1/3rd share of the mother;
(vi) Muni Lal Rai had left behind only 28 kathas 8 dhurs;
(vii) accordingly, Luhia Devi was entitled to only 1/3rd of the share i.e. 8 kathas 2 and half dhurs;
(viii) as such, she was not entitled to execute any deed of gift for 14 kathas i.e. half of the land in the backdrop of the fact that she had already executed 4 kathas 1 dhur in favour of the plaintiff vide registered deed dated 25.8.2000;
(ix) accordingly, after the knowledge of the fraudulent act of her sister, she demanded partition;
(x) the same having been refused, the Partition Suit No. 246 of 2000 was filed.
7. Pawan Devi, the other sister of plaintiff-appellant (Sita Devi) herein appeared and filed her reply with the following submissions:—
(i) she had already filed Partition Suit No. 240 of 2000 which is pending;
(ii) the gift deed dated 25.8.2000 is in fact a forged and fabricated document;
(iii) the genealogy that the plaintiff has provided is wrong and baseless;
(iv) Luhia Devi was married to Babuji Rai and the cou
Partition suit – Widow (Female member) in whose name property stands, has no independent source of income and she did not get any Streedhan from her Naihar – Courts below have rightly treated propert....
A party seeking partition must challenge the validity of prior transactions affecting the property and cannot seek partition of property that has been sold and is in the possession of third parties w....
Daughters of a deceased property owner have an equal right to inheritance, and prior exclusions are void under current inheritance laws.
The main legal point established in the judgment is the requirement to prove every link in a genealogy when a case is based on it, and the court's reliance on documentary evidence and oral witnesses ....
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