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1971 Supreme(Cal) 93

HIGH COURT OF CALCUTTA
Salil Kumar Datta
NRIMAL KUMAR MOULIK - Appellant
Versus
CHAMPABALA ROY - Respondent
A. F. A. D.  439  Of  1965
Decided On : MARCH 25, 1971

Advocates Appeared:
BHUPENDRA KUMAR PANDA, Hariprasanna Mukherji, JAMINI KUMAR BANERJEE, Jayindra Nath Nanda, MAHINDRA NATH GHOSH

A landowner who represents that land will be used as a park and sells plots based on that representation is estopped from claiming the land as private.

Headnote:

ESTOPPEL - REPRESENTATION - PARK - IMPLIED GRANT - USER - COLONY PLAN - SALE OF PLOTS - REPRESENTATION OF PARK IN PLAN - USER OF PARK BY PURCHASERS - ESTOPPEL AGAINST OWNER TO CLAIM PRIVATE LAND.

Fact of the Case:

Plaintiff planned a residential colony with a park. She sold plots to defendants based on a plan showing the park. Defendants claimed a right of user in the park by estoppel and implied grant. The trial court and lower appellate court rejected their claim.

Finding of the Court:

The High Court held that the plaintiff was estopped from claiming the park as her private land. The representation of the park in the plan induced the defendants to purchase the plots. There was an implied grant of user of the park to the defendants and the people of the locality.

Issues: Whether the plaintiff was estopped from claiming the park as her private land.

Ratio Decidendi: Estoppel arises when a party makes a representation which induces another party to act to their detriment. In this case, the plaintiff's representation of the park in the plan induced the defendants to purchase the plots. The plaintiff is therefore estopped from claiming the park as her private land.

Final Decision: The appeal was allowed, the judgments and decrees of the courts below were set aside, and the plaintiff's suit was dismissed.

SALIL KUMAR DATTA, J.

( 1 ) THIS is an appeal by defendants Nos. 1 to 11 against a judgment of concurrence decreeing the plaintiff's suit. The suit property is comprised in C. S. Plot No. 1158, khatian No. 152 Mouza Noapara. P. S. Barasat. The case of the plaintiff is that she is the owner of the lands mentioned above along with other adjacent lands. Her house is on the contiguous north of the suit land which was an adjunct of her residence. Plot No. 1159 is situated on the west of the suit land, also belonging to the plaintiff. She planned a residential colony known as 'lakshminarayan colony' on her lands mentioned above and in the plan prepared by her for the purpose she loosely described the suit land as a Park, though it was never intended to be a Park in the true sense. The plaintiff had the desire to keep this land vacant for the purpose of sufficient air and light for her own residence and also for accommodation for ceremonial occasions usually held in the presence of Sri Sri Lakshminarayan Bigraha till then in her house and for other religious occasions. The plaintiff constructed pucca pathways running the four sides of the suit land. Defendants Nos. 1 to 17 were residents of the locality and they were putting forward false claim of easement, right of user of the suit land for themselves and on behalf of the local public. They also gave out that they would change the character of the land and convert it into a playground, place of exercise and to do other things calculated to thwart the exercise of the plaintiff's right of possession thereon. Actuated by that motive, they have been wrongfully attempting to dig earth, put goal-posts and such acts were resisted by the plaintiff. There were criminal proceedings in respect of the entire C. S. Plot No. 1158 of which the suit land was a part. There was an attachment order in the said proceedings, but that could not be enforced as it was against some of the defendants only and accordingly it became infructuous and proved abortive. The plaintiff denied that the defendants had any right of user in the suit land, and also denied that she made at any time any grant or dedication conferring such right of user or easement in favour of the defendants. In fact, some of the defendants had given an undertaking that if they required the land, they would obtain a permission from the plaintiff beforehand. The defendants, however, attempted to disturb the peaceful possession of the suit land of the plaintiff and accordingly, the plaintiff was constrained to file the instant suit praying for a declaration that the suit land was a private land of the plaintiff and also for a permanent injunction restraining the defendants from claiming any easement right, right of user or any right whatsoever in and over the suit land. The suit was instituted against the defendants in a representative capacity as selves and for and on behalf of the local public. Along with the plaint a plan of the suit land was attached which only showed the suit land and the plaintiff's house on the north.

( 2 ) THE suit was contested by the defendants who filed a joint written statement. Their case was that the suit land was not within the compound of or adjunct to the plaintiff's house as claimed. They denied that the word 'park' was written loosely and averred that it was written with full knowledge of its import and meaning. It was also pointed out that the suit land along with other adjoining lands were planned as a colony known as 'lakshminarayan Colony' by the plaintiff and the lands on the west of the suit land were divided into small residential plots interspersed with roads and the suit land was shown in the plan which was prepared by the plaintiff as a Park. It was further stated that there were other lands in the colony which were shown in the plan as personal. The defendants' case was that in the plan the suit land was shown as a Park which was in effect a grant by the plaintiff for user by the people of the









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