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1956 Supreme(Cal) 189

HIGH COURT OF CALCUTTA
P. N. MUKHERJEE, RENUPADA MUKHERJEE
TARAPADA MISHRA - Appellant
Versus
HARE KRISHNA DAS - Respondent
A. F. A. O.  9  Of  1955
Decided On : DECEMBER 20, 1956

Advocates Appeared:
BANKIM CHANDRA BANERJI, BASANTA KUMAR PANDA, BHOLANATH ROY, Jitendra Kumar Sen Gupta

The scope of pre-emption orders is limited to the delivery of possession of the pre-empted property, and the execution of such orders is governed by the provisions of the Code of Civil Procedure. Disputed questions of title that are not directly related to the subject matter of the pre-emption orders cannot be determined in execution proceedings.

Headnote:

PRE-EMPTION - WEST BENGAL NON-AGRICULTURAL TENANCY ACT, 1949 - SECTION 24(8) - SCOPE OF PRE-EMPTION ORDERS - EXECUTION OF PRE-EMPTION ORDERS - CODE OF CIVIL PROCEDURE, 1908 - SECTION 36, ORDER XXI, RULE 97 - SECTION 47 - APPLICABILITY - DETERMINATION OF TITLE IN EXECUTION PROCEEDINGS - LIMITS OF PRE-EMPTION ORDERS.

Fact of the Case:

The appellant, Tarapada Mishra, purchased a one-third share of a non-agricultural holding in a pre-emption proceeding under Section 24 of the West Bengal Non-Agricultural Tenancy Act, 1949. The respondents, Hare Krishna Das and Saradindu, subsequently purchased the remaining two-thirds share of the holding. The appellant applied for pre-emption of these sales, which were allowed by the Subordinate Judge. The respondents filed objections under Section 47 of the Code of Civil Procedure, claiming exclusive possession of the disputed dwelling house on the basis of a title derived from Suresh, whose share was not subject to pre-emption. The appellant claimed exclusive title to the dwelling house through a partition.

Finding of the Court:

The court held that the pre-emption orders only entitled the appellant to delivery of possession of an undivided two-thirds share of the disputed property, as the pre-emption proceedings did not relate to Suresh's share. The court further held that the appellant could not enforce his title to Suresh's share in the present proceedings, which were solely concerned with the execution of the pre-emption orders.

Issues: 1. Whether the appellant was entitled to exclusive possession of the disputed dwelling house based on a subsequent partition. 2. Whether the appellant could enforce his title to Suresh's share in the execution proceedings.

Ratio Decidendi: 1. The scope of pre-emption orders is limited to the delivery of possession of the pre-empted property. 2. The execution of pre-emption orders is governed by the provisions of the Code of Civil Procedure. 3. In execution proceedings, the court cannot determine disputed questions of title that are not directly related to the subject matter of the pre-emption orders. 4. The appellant's title to Suresh's share, which was not subject to pre-emption, could not be enforced in the present proceedings.

Final Decision: The court allowed the appeals, set aside the orders of the lower courts, and directed the executing court to investigate the disputed question of allotment and decide the matter finally in accordance with the directions given in the judgment.

P. N. MOOKERJEE, J.

( 1 ) THESE two appeals arise out of two proceedings for enforcement of two pre-emption orders. The pre-emptor is the appellant before us and the facts relevant for our present enquiry are as follows:

( 2 ) A non-agricultural holding belonged to three persons, viz. , Suresh, Ramesh and Gopal, each having an undivided one-third share in the said property. On January 10, 1944, Suresh's one-third share passed to one Dwarka Nath Pal in execution of a decree. Possession was taken by this auction-purchaser on May 9, 1944. On July 15, 1944, the present appellant Tarapada Mishra purchased the said share from Dwarka's heirs' and legal representatives by a registered kobala. On September 20, 1950, the respondent Hare Krishna Das purchased Gopal's undivided one-third share by a kobala which was registered on September 21, 1950, and on the same date, namely, September 21, 1950, Hare Krishna's minor son Saradindu, who is the respondent in the other appeal (No. 9 of 1955), purchased Ramesh's undivided one-third share by a kobala, registered on the same date. Thereafter, Tarapada, the present appellant, made two applications for pre-emption under Section 24 of the West Bengal Non-Agricultural Tenancy Act of 1949 for pre-empting the above two sales in favour of the respondents Harekrishna and Saradindu. The pre-emption applications were allowed by the learned Subordinate Judge on November 2, 1951, and delivery of possession was given to the pre-emptor under Sub-section (8) of that section, except with regard to the disputed dwelling house which is the subject-matter of the present proceedings. After the said delivery of possession, the present respondents applied under Section 47 of the Code of Civil Procedure seeking to resist the appellant's claim for delivery of possession in respect of the disputed dwelling house by setting up a title thereto from Suresh whose share was not the subject-matter of the pre-emption proceedings. The respondents' claim was resisted by the appellant who set up exclusive title to the disputed dwelling house in favour of the persons whose shares were pre-empted by him in the pre-emption proceedings. These exclusive titles of the respective parties mutually conflicting, were set up under a partition but their cases of allotment with respect to the disputed dwelling house were different in that, according to the respondents, it was allotted to Suresh while, according to the appellant, it was allotted to the other two persons Ramesh and Gopal.

( 3 ) THE learned Subordinate Judge refused to go into this disputed question of title in the present proceedings which were really for enforcement of the pre-emption orders and, in that view, he dismissed the respondents' objections.

( 4 ) ON appeal, the learned District Judge has reversed that decision and directed the appellant to be put in possession of an undivided two-thirds share upon the view that when the respondents have claimed exclusive possession under an exclusive title, the appellant was not entitled to khas possession of 16 annas of the disputed property in these proceedings.

( 5 ) IN our opinion, neither of the two Courts below has taken a proper view of the rights of the parties in the present proceedings or of the scope of the same. The pre-emption orders were being executed for delivery of possession. Under Section 24 (8) of the Non-Agricultural Tenancy Act the pre-emptor is entitled to delivery of possession of the pre-empted property in execution of the preemption order. That execution will have to be levied in the Civil Court and according to the Code of Civil Procedure and, in view of Section 36 of the Code, it will be on the same lines as execution of Civil Court decrees. To such proceedings for delivery of possession, the corresponding provisions of the Code would be applicable. In the present case the appellant pre-emptor, according to his case, obtained partial delivery of possession of the preempted property but could not get





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