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1956 Supreme(Cal) 50

HIGH COURT OF CALCUTTA
Guha Ray
JATA BHUSAN CHATTERJEE - Appellant
Versus
KRISHNA BHAMINI DEBI - Respondent
A. F. A. O.  6  Of  1955
Decided On : MARCH 5, 1956

Advocates Appeared:
LALA HEMANTA KUMAR, NIRMAL CHANDRA CHOUDHURI, RABIN MITRA

A charge created by a decree is enforceable in execution.

Headnote:

CHARGE - ENFORCEABILITY IN EXECUTION - DECREE CREATING CHARGE - WHETHER ENFORCEABLE IN EXECUTION - TRANSFER OF PROPERTY ACT, S. 100 - WHETHER CHARGE CREATED BY DECREE IS ENFORCEABLE AGAINST SUBSEQUENT TRANSFEREE FOR CONSIDERATION AND WITHOUT NOTICE - WAIVER OR ESTOPPEL.

Fact of the Case:

Krishna Bhamini Debi obtained a decree against her step-son Amal Krishna Chatterji, which was modified on appeal. The decree created a charge on the property left by Bibhakar Chatterji for the maintenance of Krishna Bhamini. Krishna Bhamini filed an execution petition to recover arrears of maintenance by attachment and sale of a half share of the properties mentioned in the schedule to the application. The appellant, Jata Bhusan Chatterji, auction-purchased a half share of the property. Krishna Bhamini filed another execution petition to recover arrears of maintenance against Amal Krishna Chatterji and Jata Bhusan Chatterji. Jata Bhusan objected under Section 47 of the Code of Civil Procedure, denying the benami nature of his purchase and asserting that he was a bona fide purchaser for value. The executing court found that the charge was not legally enforceable in execution but was enforceable only by way of a suit and that the decree-holder had waived her right to enforce the charge. On appeal, the lower appellate court held that the charge was enforceable in execution and that Krishna Bhamini was not estopped from enforcing it. Jata Bhusan appealed.

Finding of the Court:

The Calcutta High Court held that the charge created by the decree was enforceable in execution. The court found that a charge created by a decree is enforceable in execution as it is a decree and is capable of execution according to the provisions of law. The court also held that the omission of Krishna Bhamini to disclose the charge in her application for execution did not amount to a waiver or estoppel as there was nothing to indicate that she intentionally caused or permitted Jata Bhusan to believe that the property was not subject to a charge and to act upon such belief.

Issues: 1. Whether the charge created by the decree was enforceable in execution. 2. Whether Krishna Bhamini waived or was estopped from enforcing the charge.

Ratio Decidendi: 1. A charge created by a decree is enforceable in execution as it is a decree and is capable of execution according to the provisions of law. 2. The omission of Krishna Bhamini to disclose the charge in her application for execution did not amount to a waiver or estoppel as there was nothing to indicate that she intentionally caused or permitted Jata Bhusan to believe that the property was not subject to a charge and to act upon such belief.

Final Decision: The appeal was dismissed with costs.

GUHA RAY, J.

( 1 ) THE facts out of which this appeal arises are not ill dispute. They are briefly as follows:

( 2 ) RESPONDENT No. 1 Krishna Bhamini Debi, widow of late Bibhakar Chatterji, obtained a decree against respondent No. 2 Amal Krishna Chatterji, her step-son, in Title Suit No. 268 of 1945. The decree was modified on appeal and this decree, so modified, is in the following terms:"the appellant, namely, Krishna Bhamini Debi will recover past maintenance for three years at the rate of Rs. 10/- per month or Rs. 630/- in all. She will also get maintenance at the same rate since Jaistha, 1351 B. S. The amount of court-fees payable by the appellant in the two courts should be recoverable by the Government from the respondent No. 1 alone and will farm a first charge on the property left by Bibhnkar Chatterji. There will also be a" second charge on the one-third share of the plaint lands for the maintenance of the appellant". It is this last sentence of the decree with which we are concerned in this appeal. Krishna Bhamini filed an execution petition which was registered as Title Execution Case No. 120 of 1948 for realisation of arrears of maintenance from Jaislha, 1351 B. S. to Aghrahayan, 1355 B. S. by attachment and sale of a half share of the properties mentioned in the schedule to the application which are identical with the property in suit. The fact that this property to the extent of one-third share was subject to a charge under the decree in execution of which the property was sold was not mentioned either in the application for execution or in the sale proclamation. A half share of the property was auction-purchased by the appellant for Rs. 1005/- (one thousand and five rupees) only on the 25-11-1950, and the sale was confirmed in due course. Then, Krishna Bhamini filed an application to execute the decree in respect of arrears of maintenance from Pous 1355 B. S. to Chaitra, 1359 B. S. against respondent No. 2 who is Amal Krishna Chatterji against whom Krishna Bhamini had obtained the decree and also the present appellant Jata Bhusan Chatterji who had auction-purchased a half share of the property in the previous execution sale. Her allegation in the application for execution was that Jata Bhusan was merely a benamdar of respondent No. 2 Amal Krishna. To this execution the appellant Jata Bhusan objected under Section 47 of the Code of Civil Procedure. In this objection he denies the benami nature of his purchase and asserts that he was a bona fide purchaser for value and his objection is two-fold, namely, first that Krishna Bhamini was not entitled to enforce the charge created by the decree in execution and secondly, that she was estopped from enforcing it after having put up the property to sale without disclosing the charge. The executing court found first that the appellant's purchase was not proved to have been benami and secondly that the charge was not legally enforceable in execution but was enforceable only by way of a suit and thirdly that the decree-holder had waived in the previous execution her right to enforce the charge. On these findings he allowed the appellant's objection under Section 47 ot the Code of Civil Procedure and dismissed the application lor execution. On appeal the lower appellate court confirmed the finding of the execution court that jata Biiusan was not a benamdar ol Amal Krishna but he found that the charge which had been created by a decree was enforceable in execution and that the mere fact that Krishna Bhamini did not mention the charge in her application tor execution did not amount to a waiver on her part nor did it estop her from enforcing the charge. On these findings he set aside the order of the executing court allowing the objection, allowed the appeal with the result that Jata Bhutan's objection under Section 47 of. the Code of Civil Procedure stood disallowed, and the execution case was directed to proceed. Jata Bhusan now appeals from this order.

( 3 ) THE first ques











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