High Court Of Calcutta
Mitra, J.
Ramesh Chandra Ganguly
Vs.
Sudhamoy Ganguly
C.R. No. 539 of 1985
Decided On : May 20, 1987
EVIDENCE ACT - SECTION 63 - INDIAN SUCCESSION ACT, 1925 - SECTION 213 - UNPROBATED WILL - ADMISSIBILITY IN EVIDENCE - COLLATERAL PURPOSES.
Fact of the Case:
The petitioner filed a suit for eviction of the opposite parties, treating them as licensees in respect of the suit premises. The opposite parties claimed that the petitioner was a co-sharer in respect of the suit premises and that the suit premises originally belonged to Gopal Ganguly and Boto Krishna Banerjee. The petitioner, in his amended written statement, alleged that he was a co-sharer of the suit property by virtue of inheritance from his step-mother, the youngest sister of Boto Krishto Banerjee, as his step-mother and her husband contributed to the construction of the house of which the disputed room forms part. The opposite parties sought to prove the unprobated Will of Boto Krishto Banerjee wherein the testator had stated that he with his own money had constructed the disputed house.
Finding of the Court:
The court held that an unprobated Will can be admitted into evidence in a proceeding other than a probate proceeding for collateral purposes, such as to prove the intention of the testator regarding his estate or to prove certain statements made by the testator therein regarding acquisition of his estate.
Issues: Whether an unprobated Will is admissible in evidence in a proceeding other than a probate proceeding.
Ratio Decidendi: The court relied on the judgments in ILR 4 Calcutta 509, 18 CWN 103, 20 CWN 122 and 42 CLJ 480, which held that for collateral purposes but not for proving title under the Will of an executor or legatee an unprobated Will can be admitted into evidence in proceeding other than a probate proceeding.
Final Decision: The court discharged the Rule without any order as to costs.
1. THE short question involved in this Rule is whether an unprobated Will is admissible in evidence in a proceeding other than a probate proceeding. The opposite parties filed Title Suit No. 105 of 1982 in the 5th Court of the learned Munsif at Howrah for eviction of the petitioner treating him to be a licensee in respect of the suit premises. The case as made out by the opposite parties in the plaint inter alia, was that, both the parties were known to each other for quite long time. In or about the year 1978 the petitioner approached the opposite parties for giving him an accommodation in the suit premises as a licensee to which the opposite parties agreed and the petitioner was accommodated as a licensee in respect of the room in the suit premises. The said licensee, however, was revoked by a notice dated January 25, 1982, asking the petitioner to vacate the suit premises on the expiry of the month of March, 1982 but the petitioner did not vacate. The petitioner, contested the said suit by. filing his written statement denying and disputing the case of the opposite parties as made in the plaint and claimed inter alia, that he was a co-sharer in respect of the suit premises in the extent of 8/- annas share; that the suit premises originally belonged to Gopal ganguily and Boto Krishna Banerjee who contributed equally towards the construction of the house on the suit premises. Boto Kisto Banerjee was the brother-in-law of Gopal Ganguly and the opposite parties are the grandsons and grand-daughter of 'smt. Annapurna Debi, one of the sisters of Boto' Kristo Bansrjee, while the petitioner is a son of Gopal Ganguly. Subsequently, the petitioner filed an application for amendment of his written statement introducing a new story regarding the costs of the construction of the said house of which the suit room is a part and stated that the costs were paid by the 'youngest sister of Boto Kristo Banerjee. and her husband and they became owners of moity share in the suit premises. The said youngest sister Smt. Krishna Rani Ganguly was the petitioner's step-mother. The said application for amendment of the written statement was filed after the plaintiffs were examined -in -chief. The plaintiffs filed objection to the said application for amendment but the said amendment application was ultimately allowed. In the said suit the opposite parties wanted to file some documents subsequent to the said ' amendment of the written statement and also wanted to re-call 'the P. W. 1 m order to prove some documents which included an unprobated Will stated to have been executed by the said Boto Krishto Banerjee on August 9, 1948 to which the petitioner objected by filing his written objection. The learned Munsif, however, by the impugned order allowed the said prayer of the opposite parties.
2. MR. Mukherjee, the learned advocate appearing on behalf of the petitioner submits that an unprobated Will cannot be admitted into evidence as no right as the executor or the legatee can be established in any Court of law under the said unprobated Will till a Court of competent jurisdiction had granted probate of the said Will and referred -to Section 213 of the Indan Succession Act in support of his said contention. Mr. Mukherjee further contends that a Will can only be proved in a Probate proceeding and that is also to be proved strictly in accordance with Section 68 of the Evidence Act by one of the attesting witnesses to the said Will and referred to the decision in the case of Rammol (Das) Coch v. Hakal Kali Kochini (22 CWN 31. 5) in support of his said contention. Mr. Mukherjee also referred to the decision in the case of Sashi Kumar Baneijee and Ors. v. Subodh Kumar Banerjee, since deceased and after him his legal representatives and heirs, (AIR 1964 SC 529) where the Supreme Court has stated that The mode of proving a Will does not originally differ from proving any other document except as to the special requirement of attestation prescribed in the
Login now and unlock free premium legal research
Login to SupremeToday AI and access free legal analysis, AI highlights, and smart tools.
Login
now!
India’s Legal research and Law Firm App, Download now!
Copyright © 2023 Vikas Info Solution Pvt Ltd. All Rights Reserved.