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1955 Supreme(Cal) 181

HIGH COURT OF CALCUTTA
GUHA RAY, SEN GUPTA
GANGA DUTT MURARKA - Appellant
Versus
BIBHABATI DEBI - Respondent
A. F. O. O.  54  Of  1954
Decided On : SEPTEMBER 02, 1955

Advocates Appeared:
ATUL CHANDRA GUPTA, CHANDRA SEKHAR BHOWMIK, Charu Chandra Ganguly, NIHAR RANJAN MAJUMDAR, NIRMAL CHANDRA CHAKRAVARTY, PRAFULLA KUMAR CHATTERJEE

An order under Section 4, Partition Act which is deemed to be a decree within the meaning of Section 2, Civil P. C. seems to us to be on a par with orders under Sections 47 and 144, Civil P. C. and so appeals therefrom may be classified in the same way as Appeals from Orders under Sections 47 and 144, Civil P. C.

Headnote:

PARTITION ACT - SECTION 4 - ORDER FOR SALE - APPEAL - JURISDICTION - COURT-FEES - DWELLING HOUSE - WHAT IS - REMAND.

Fact of the Case:

Bibhabati, who acquired 1/6th share of the disputed property under the Will of her mother, instituted a suit for partition. There was a preliminary decree on 17-6-1952. Thereafter she made an application under Section 4, Partition Act. The application was opposed by defendant 1 on two grounds, namely, that the plaintiff was not a member of the undivided family to which the disputed property belonged, and, secondly that the application was not maintainable in law. The learned Court below overruled both the objections and allowed the application of Bibhabati under Section 4, Partition Act.

Finding of the Court:

The court held that an order under Section 4, Partition Act which is deemed to be a decree within the meaning of Section 2, Civil P. C. seems to us to be on a par with orders under Sections 47 and 144, Civil P. C. and so appeals therefrom may be classified in the same way as Appeals from Orders under Sections 47 and 144, Civil P. C. Equally reasonably appeals from Orders under Section 4, Partition Act may be classed as Appeals from Original Decrees, but as there is no classification at all of such appeals anywhere, it is impossible to say, that it is wrong to classify them as Appeals from Orders.

Issues: 1. Whether an appeal from an order under Section 4, Partition Act is an Appeal from an Original Decree or an Appeal from an Original Order? 2. Whether the entire disputed property forms part of one dwelling house or not?

Ratio Decidendi: 1. An order under Section 4, Partition Act which is deemed to be a decree within the meaning of Section 2, Civil P. C. seems to us to be on a par with orders under Sections 47 and 144, Civil P. C. and so appeals therefrom may be classified in the same way as Appeals from Orders under Sections 47 and 144, Civil P. C. 2. The term 'house' embraces not merely the structure or building, but includes also adjacent buildings, curtilage, garden, court-yard, orchard and all that is necessary for the convenient occupation of the house, but not that which is only for the personal use and convenience of the occupier and the applicant is entitled to purchase from the stranger purchaser not merely the structure of the dwelling house but also the land on which it stands and further every appurtenant and accessory which may be deemed necessary to a full and complete enjoyment of the thing sold.

Final Decision: The appeal was allowed without costs, the Case remanded to the trial Court and the learned Court below will allow Bibhabati to amend her application in such a way that it is made clear whether the entire disputed property forms part of one dwelling house or not and after she has made the necessary amendment in her application the appellant will be entitled to file an objection and then there will have to be an enquiry as to whether the entire disputed, property is one dwelling house within the meaning of Section 4, Partition Act and if the whole of it is not part of one dwelling house, how much of it is outside of it. Hi any part of the disputed property is found to lie outside the dwelling house, that will be partitioned.

GUHA RAY, J.

( 1 ) THIS is an appeal by defendant 1 Ganga Dutt Murarka who had purchased 5/6th share of the disputed property from one of the co-sharers from an order under Section 4, Partition Act. After the purchase of 5/6th share of the disputed property by defendant 1, Bibhabati who acquired 1/6th share of the disputed property under the Will of her mother instituted a suit for partition. There was a preliminary decree on 17-6-1952. Thereafter she made an application under Section 4, Partition Act. The application was opposed by defendant 1 on two grounds, namely, that the plaintiff was not a member of the undivided family to which the disputed property belonged, and, secondly that the application was not maintainable in law. The learned Court below overruled both the objections and allowed the application of Bibhabati under Section 4, Partition Act.

( 2 ) MR. Gupta on behalf of the appellant does not raise before us any of the two points taken before the trial Court, but raises a new point altogether, namely, that there was no investigation by the Court below as to whether the entire disputed property really formed a dwelling house and whether to the whole of this property Section 4, Partition Act applies.

( 3 ) BEFORE proceeding to deal with the point in controversy in this appeal it is necessary to dispose of certain preliminary objections raised on behalf of the respondent. This objection is based on Section 8, Partition Act under which any order for sale made by the Court under Sections 2, 3 or 4 is deemed to be a decree within the meaning of Section 2, Civil P. C. Mr. Chakravarty on behalf of the respondent argues that if an order for sale is deemed to be a decree within the meaning of Section 2, Civil P. C. an appeal from it is really an appeal from a decree and not an appeal from an order so that this Court which is vested with jurisdiction to hear miscellaneous appeals which means appeals from orders has no jurisdiction to hear this appeal. Mr. Chakravarty also raises the question that the necessary court-fees payable on the memorandum of such an appeal has not been paid. In the Appellate Side Rules there is really nothing to indicate whether appeals from orders under Sections 2, 3 or 4, Partition Act are to be treated as Appeals from Original Decrees or as Appeals from Original Orders. Rule 64 of Chapter 9 of the Appellate Side Rules relating to the preparation of paper-books in Appeals from Orders lays down that the rules for the preparation of paper-books in Appeals from Original Decrees valued under Rs. 20,000/- or valued at Rs. 20,000/-or more shall apply respectively to every first appeal from an order of the like value including an order under Section 47, Civil P. C. passed by a Subordinate Court not being an Order under Order 41, Rule 23 of the same Code with certain modifications. This does not really help us in determining whether an Appeal from an Order under Section 4, Partition Act which, is to be deemed to be a decree within the meaning of Section 2, Civil P. C. is to be treated as an Appeal from an Original Order or an Appeal from an Original Decree. In a publication known as the Rules of Business of the Judicial Department, Appellate Side, High Court, Calcutta, prepared under the orders of the Chief Justice as far back as 1923 at page 48 are enumerated certain things as Appeals from Original Decrees and certain others as Appeals from Orders. In this second category are included Appeals from Orders under Sections 47 and 144, Civil P. C. which also under Section 2, Civil P. C. are deemed to be decrees. An order under Section 4, Partition Act which is deemed to be a decree within the meaning of Section 2, Civil P. C. seems to us to be on a par with orders under Sections 47 and 144, Civil P. C. and so appeals therefrom may be classified in the same way as Appeals from Orders under Sections 47 and 144, Civil P. C. Equally reasonably appeals from Orders under Section 4, Partition Act may be classed as





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