HIGH COURT OF CALCUTTA
S. C. LAHIRI, R. S. BACHAWAT, P. N. MUKHERJEE
MINOR SMT. SHANTI DEVI - Appellant
Versus
KHANDUBALA DASI - Respondent
A. F. A. D. 317 Of 1947
Decided On : SEPTEMBER 15, 1960
COURT SALE - VALIDITY - DEATH OF JUDGMENT-DEBTOR - EFFECT - SALE HELD AFTER DEATH WITHOUT IMPLEADING HEIRS - VALIDITY - SECTION 50, C. P. C. - APPLICABILITY - ORDER 21, RULE 22, C. P. C. - APPLICABILITY - GENERAL PRINCIPLES OF LAW - RELEVANCE.
Fact of the Case:
A mortgaged property was sold in execution of a final decree for sale after the death of the judgment-debtor without impleading his heirs. The heirs of the judgment-debtor filed a suit for a declaration of their title to the ownership of the disputed plot of land and for recovery of khas possession thereof.
Finding of the Court:
1. A court sale of a mortgaged property in execution of a final decree for sale thereof held after the death of the judgment-debtor without impleading his heirs is not binding upon the heirs where the sale proclamation was issued and published before the death of the judgment-debtor. 2. Section 50 of the Code of Civil Procedure, 1908 applies to all decrees capable of execution and to all property of the deceased which has come to the hands of the representative. 3. Order 21, Rule 22 of the Code of Civil Procedure, 1908 applies to all proceedings in execution pending at the time of the death of the judgment-debtor and also to proceedings for execution of a decree against the estate of the deceased judgment-debtor.
Issues: 1. Whether a court sale of a mortgaged property in execution of a final decree for sale thereof held after the death of the judgment-debtor without impleading his heirs is binding upon the heirs where the sale proclamation was issued and published before the death of the judgment-debtor? 2. Whether Section 50 of the Code of Civil Procedure, 1908 applies to all decrees capable of execution and to all property of the deceased which has come to the hands of the representative? 3. Whether Order 21, Rule 22 of the Code of Civil Procedure, 1908 applies to all proceedings in execution pending at the time of the death of the judgment-debtor and also to proceedings for execution of a decree against the estate of the deceased judgment-debtor?
Ratio Decidendi: 1. On the death of a judgment-debtor, the decree can no longer be executed against the dead man. 2. The decree-holder who seeks to execute the decree after the death of the judgment-debtor must execute it against some existing person. 3. Section 50 of the Code of Civil Procedure, 1908 enables the decree-holder to enforce the decree against the legal representative of the deceased to the extent of the property of the deceased which has come to his hands. 4. Order 21, Rule 22 of the Code of Civil Procedure, 1908 provides for the procedure to be followed for impleading the legal representative of the deceased judgment-debtor and for obtaining an order allowing the execution to proceed against him.
Final Decision: The appeal was dismissed.
( 1 ) ONE Bholanath Dutta and his wife, Chintamani Dassi, jointly executed a mortgage of the disputed plot of land, known as Nimasol Nishkar, as also of other plots of land in favour of one Chand Keyot. On the death of Chand Keyot, his three sons, Gangadhar, Jamuna and Padma instituted a suit against both Bholanath and Chintamani and obtained a final decree for sale of all the mortgaged properties. On July 19, 1933, the decree-holders put the final decree into execution and commenced Title Execution Case No. 1526 of 1933 against both Bholanath and Chintamani. The sale proclamation was issued on October 25, 1933 and published on November 13, 1933. Chintamani died on November 27, 1933. All the mortgaged properties were sold at the Court sale on December 22, 1933 and purchased by the three decree-holders. The sale was confirmed on May 1, 1937. Chintamani was the sole owner of the disputed plot of land. She left behind her three sons as heirs and legal representatives. In spite of her death, her representatives were not brought on the record of the execution case. The decree-holders did not apply under Section 50, C. P. C. , to execute the decree against her representatives. No notice was issued to her legal representatives under Order 21, Rule 22 (1) (b), C. P. C. , nor was any order made by the Court for executing the decree against them. The Court which passed the decree was also the executing Court. Bholanath was alive during the pendency of the execution proceedings. He was not the owner of the disputed plot of land nor was he a legal representative of Chintamani. Bholanath was the owner of the other mortgaged properties. The sons of Chintamani sold and conveyed the disputed plot of land to the defendant No. 1 by a registered kobala dated July 28, 1939. In spite of the Court sale, the sons of Chintamani and subsequently the defendant No. 1 continued to be in possession of the disputed plot of land. The plaintiff purchased the alleged two-thirds share of the auction purchasers, Jamuna and Padma, in the disputed plot of Land by a kobala dated November 10, 1937 and the remaining one-third share of Gangadhar therein in a court sale on June 11, 1938. The Courts below have found that the plaintiff is a mala fide purchaser. The plaintiff instituted the present suit in 1944 for a declaration of her title to the ownership of the disputed plot of land and for recovery of khas possession thereof. The defendant No. 1 and her lessee, the defendant No. 7 contested the suit. Their principal defence is that since Chintamani died before the court sale in Title Execution Case No. 1526 of 1833, the title of the heirs of Chintamani to the disputed plot of land did not pass at the court sale and consequently the auction purchasers and the plaintiff claiming through them did not acquire any title to the ownership of the disputed property. Both the Courts below accepted this defence contention and dismissed the suit. The plaintiff has preferred this second appeal to this Court. The principal question in the appeal is whether a court sale of a mortgaged property in execution of a final decree for sale thereof held after the death of the judgment-debtor without impleading her heirs is binding upon the heirs where the sale proclamation was issued and published before the death of the judgment-debtor. The Division Bench thought that there is a conflict of judicial opinion on the point and accordingly referred the following questions to the Full Bench for decision:"what is the effect of the death of a judgment-debtor after the issue of a sale proclamation on the validity of the sale held thereafter without impleading the heirs of the deceased judgment-debtors? "
( 2 ) "which of the two cases -- Tarangini Devi v. Raj Krishna Mandal, 32 Cal WN 418 or Faizaddi Taluqdar v. Rezia Begum, 46 Cal WN 631: (AIR 1942 Cal 436) --is correctly decided?"2. As the questions arose in an appeal from an appellate decree the whole case has been referred to th
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