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2011 Supreme(Cal) 900

IN THE HIGH COURT OF CALCUTTA
TAPAN KUMAR DUTT, J.
Chopala Kanta Debsharma @ Sarkar – Appellant
Vs.
Nishikanta Ray @ Barman – Respondent
S.A. No. 150 of 1999 and C.A.N. No. 4508 of 2011
Decided On: 08.07.2011

Advocates:
Advocate Appeared:
For Appellant/Petitioner/Plaintiff: Asish Kr. Bagchi and Gautam Kr. Thakur
For Respondents/Defendant: Golam Mustafa and K. Bhatta

A registered document carries with it a presumption that it was validly executed, and the burden of proof is on the party who seeks to challenge its validity to establish that it was not.

Headnote:

GIFT DEED - VALIDITY - FRAUD AND MISREPRESENTATION - BURDEN OF PROOF - POSSESSION - REGISTERED DOCUMENT - PRESUMPTION - EVIDENCE ACT, 1872 - SECTION 101 - TRANSFER OF PROPERTY ACT, 1882 - SECTION 122 - CODE OF CIVIL PROCEDURE, 1908 - ORDER 41 RULE 27.

Fact of the Case:

Plaintiff filed a suit for declaration of his right, title, and interest in the suit property and to declare a gift deed executed by his mother in favor of defendants 2 to 5 as illegal, not acted upon, void, and not binding on him. The trial court dismissed the suit, finding that the gift deed was validly executed and registered. The plaintiff appealed, and the lower appellate court allowed the appeal, setting aside the trial court's judgment and decree.

Finding of the Court:

The High Court allowed the second appeal filed by the defendants, set aside the judgment and decree of the lower appellate court, and remanded the matter back to the lower appellate court for fresh consideration. The High Court held that the lower appellate court erred in setting aside the trial court's judgment and decree without considering the relevant law and evidence.

Issues: 1. Whether the lower appellate court erred in not coming to any finding with regard to the plaintiff's allegation that the gift deed was obtained by misrepresentation and fraud. 2. Whether the lower appellate court erred in holding that there is no reason to believe that the plaintiff's mother voluntarily gifted the suit property to the defendants on the basis of surmises and conjectures. 3. Whether the lower appellate court erred in drawing adverse inference against the execution and registration of the gift deed as it could not be produced even when the Sub-Registration Office was summoned to that effect. 4. Whether the lower appellate court erred in holding that the gift deed in question cannot be said to have been acted upon in the absence of evidence that the plaintiff's mother delivered possession of her share in the suit property to the defendants.

Ratio Decidendi: 1. The plaintiff failed to prove the allegation of fraud and/or misrepresentation with specificity, particularity, and precision in the pleadings and failed to adduce any proper evidence in support of the allegation. 2. The lower appellate court erred in laying too much emphasis on the question of possession without considering the principle of law that handing over the document to the donee in a given situation may amount to a valid acceptance. 3. The lower appellate court erred in not considering the presumption that arises in the case of a registered document, particularly when the attesting witnesses deposed that the deed of gift was read over and explained to the donor and such evidence remained unshaken in spite of cross-examination.

Final Decision: The High Court allowed the second appeal, set aside the judgment and decree of the lower appellate court, and remanded the matter back to the lower appellate court for fresh consideration.

JUDGMENT

Tapan Kumar Dutt, J.

1. This Court has heard the learned Advocates for the respective parties. The facts of the case, briefly, are as follows:

The plaintiff-respondent filed a Suit being Title Suit No. 118 of 1990 in the Court of the learned Munsif at Raigunge against the defendants-appellants and their father Chandra Kanta Debsharma alias Sarkar. In such suit the plaintiff-respondent prayed for a declaration of his right, title and interest in the suit property and for a declaration that the deed of gift executed by the plaintiffs mother on 27.6.1988 and registered on 12.10.1988 in favour of the defendant Nos. 2 to 5 is illegal, not acted upon, void and not binding upon the plaintiff-respondent. The plaintiff-respondent also prayed for decree for perpetual injunction restraining the defendants-appellants from dispossessing the plaintiff from the suit property.

2. The said Suit was contested by the defendant No. 1 by filing a written statement. Defendant Nos. 2 to 5 are the sons of defendant No. 1. The learned Trial Court by his judgment and decree dated 31.3.1992 dismissed the said Suit upon finding inter alia that admittedly the suit property belonged to Laxmi Kanta Barman and on his death his wife Pramila Bala Roy and his two sons i.e. the plaintiff and his brother, Bejoy Barman, inherited the suit property in equal shares but Bejoy Barman died a bachelor. Thus, Pramila Bala Roy became the owner of 2/3rd share in the property left by Laxmi Kanta Barman. There is no dispute with regard to the fact that the plaintiff ultimately had 1/3rd share and Pramila Bala Barman had 2/3rd share in the property left by Laxmi Kanta Barman. The main question involved in the suit was with regard to the legality and validity of the said deed of gift dated 27.6.1988 (registered on 12.10.1988). The learned Trial Court found that the certified copy of the deed of gift was adduced in evidence as Exbt. 'B' and that the defendants-appellants had called for the original deed from the registration office concerned but the original deed was not produced by the said office. It was found by the learned Trial Court that D.Ws. 5 and 6 are the attesting witnesses to the deed and that the deed was executed by Pramila Bala though Pramila Bala was an illiterate lady. The learned Trial Court found from evidence of D.Ws. 5 and 6 that they had no animosity to either of the parties and that there is nothing to disbelieve them and that the said witnesses have deposed that the deed was read over and explained to Pramila Bala and in their presence Pramila Bala executed the gift deed. The learned Trial Court found that the said Pramila Bala was duly identified and the learned Trial Court was satisfied with regard to the execution of the deed. The plaintiff's allegation that the gift deed was vitiated by fraud and/or misrepresentation was not believed by the learned Trial Court and the learned Trial Court ultimately dismissed the Suit. The plaintiff has alleged that the defendant No. 1 (Chandra Kanta Debsharma alias Sarkar) had misrepresented to the said Pramila Bala that for the purpose of obtaining a bank loan, certain documents were required to be executed and under the cover of such misrepresentation, the defendant No. 1 ultimately got a gift deed executed by said Pramila Bala and such act on the part of the defendant No. 1 was a fraudulent act. This story did not find any favour with the learned Trial Court.

3. The plaintiff-respondent filed a Title Appeal No. 65 of 1992 challenging the JUDGMENT and decree passed by the learned Trial Court and such Title Appeal was placed before the learned Assistant District Judge, Uttar Dinajpur at Raigunge and ultimately, the said learned Lower Appellate Court by its JUDGMENT and decree dated 25.8.1993 allowed the said Title Appeal by setting aside the JUDGMENT and decreed passed by the learned Trial Court. The defendants have preferred the instant second appeal challenging the said JUDGMENT and decree of the learned Lower

































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