IN THE HIGH COURT OF JUDICATURE AT PATNA
ANIL KUMAR SINHA, J.
CWJC No.24883 of 2018
(17.1.2023)
Kartik Choudhary & Anr. ... Petitioners
vs.
State of Bihar & Ors. ... Respondents
Jamabandi – Invalidation of Hukumnama and cancellation of Jamabandi – Question of Jamabandi, rent receipts and Hukumnama being forged and fabricated, can only be decided after full fledged trial by Civil Court – Jamabandi was created in favour of petitioners' ancestors in year 1956 and since then they have been paying rent receipts – Finding arrived at by Divisional Commissioner and Bihar Land Tribunal regarding documents produced by petitioners being forged and fabricated, is not supported by any clinching and cogent evidence – In view of fact that question of title is involved between parties, aggrieved parties directed to approach competent Civil Court. (Paras 10 and 11)
Anil Kumar Sinha, J. – Heard Mr. Ranjan Kumar Dubey, learned counsel for the petitioners and Mr. Rakesh Kumar Ranjan, learned counsel for the private respondents.
2. Petitioners have filed the present writ application challenging the order dated 27.3.2018 passed by the Member Administrative Bihar Land Tribunal, Patna, in BLT Case No. 970 of 2013, by which, a petition/appeal filed by the petitioner against the order passed by the Divisional Commissioner, Bhagalpur, has been affirmed with the finding that all the documents produced by the petitioners regarding creation of Jamabandi, rent receipts and Hukumnama are forged and fabricated.
3. Mr. Ranjan Kumar Dubey, learned counsel for the petitioners submits that the ancestors of the petitioners acquired the disputed land, details of which, is mentioned in paragraph-4 of writ petition through Hukumnama dated 15.3.1945 from the ex-landlord and since then the petitioners are in possession over the same. The ancestors of the petitioners used to pay rent to the ex-landlord and receipt was being issued in their favour. At the time of vesting of the estate, the ex-landord submitted the return in which the name of the petitioners’ ancestors is mentioned and, accordingly, Jamabandi No. 22 was created in the name of the petitioners’ ancestors in the year 1956. The rent revenue was being paid to the State of Bihar after creation of Jamabandi. The rent receipts have been annexed as Annexure-4 series to the writ application.
4. Learned counsel further submits that in 1984, for the first time, Toofani Pujhar, father of the private respondents, has filed an application before the Circle Officer, Katoria, for cancellation/correction of Jamabandi No. 22 which is running in the name of petitioners’ ancestors and the same gave rise to Misc. Case No. 12/1984-85. The said Misc. Case was dismissed by the learned Circle Officer vide order dated 1.12.1984 with the finding that ex-landlord has submitted return and Jamabandi is running in the name of the petitioners’ ancestors. The order reflects the report of the Karamchari stating that the petitioners were in possession over the disputed land except 2 decimal of the disputed land in which the ancestors of the private respondents were in possession on the basis of Purchas issued in their favour under the Bihar Privileged Persons Homestead Tenancy Act, 1947. The private respondents have not challenged the order passed in Misc. Case No. 12/1984-85 or the order passed in Demarcation Case which was filed by the petitioners for measurement of the disputed land.
5. The private respondents have tried to disturb the possession of the petitioners. Accordingly, the petitioners filed a case under the BLDR Act before the DCLR, Banka, bearing BLT Case No. 970/2013 dated 27.03.2018 with a prayer to restrain the private respondents from disturbing the possession of the petitioners. The case was dismissed by the DCLR holding that complex question of title is involved in this case between the parties. Aggrieved by the same, the petitioners filed an appeal before the Divisional Commissioner, bearing BLDR Appeal No. 104/2012-13 which was also dismissed by an order dated 27.3.2018 by the Commissioner holding that the Jamabandi created in the name of the petitioners is forged and fabricated and directed the Circle Officer to lodge an F.I.R. against the petitioners. Thereafter, the petitioners preferred a case before the Bihar Land Tribunal, Patna, bearing BLT Case No. 970 of 2013, but the same has also been dismissed and the order passed by the Divisional Commissioner has been affirmed after arriving at the same conclusion that the Hukumnama is ab initio void and the Jamabandi created on the basis of forged Hukumnama is illegal and, therefore, the same shall be cancelled.
6. Assailing the order passed by the learned Divisional Commissioner as well as the Bihar Land Tribunal, learned counsel submits that the Divisional Commissioner and the Bihar Land Tribunal exceeded their jurisd
Long-standing Jamabandi cannot be cancelled in a summary proceeding and the DCLR has no jurisdiction to cancel the Jamabandi.
Long-standing post-vesting Jamabandi cannot be cancelled by revenue authorities without statutory authority; title and possession disputes must be resolved exclusively by civil courts.
Long-standing Jamabandi cannot be cancelled in summary proceedings as it undermines previously established property rights without due process.
Revenue authorities lack jurisdiction to annul long-standing Jamabandi under Section 4(h) of the Bihar Land Reforms Act, 1950, and actions must be initiated within a reasonable timeframe.
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