High Court Of Delhi
DAYA NAND CHANDILA - Appellant
Versus
DELHI DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY - Respondent
Regular Second Appeal 81 of 1995
Decided On : 05/06/1997
INJUNCTION - POSSESSION - DELHI DEVELOPMENT ACT, 1957 - SECTIONS 22, 53B - POSSESSION OF LAND - OWNERSHIP - TRESPASSER - INJUNCTION AGAINST DEMOLITION - SUIT FOR - DISMISSAL - APPEAL - NO INTERFERENCE.
Fact of the Case:
The appellant filed a suit against the respondent for permanent injunction restraining it from demolishing the appellant's house. The appellant claimed that he had constructed the house in 1971-72 and had been in continuous possession since then. The respondent contended that the land belonged to the Gaon Sabha and had been placed at its disposal for development and maintenance, and that the appellant had no right, title, or interest in the land.
Finding of the Court:
The trial court and the appellate court found that the land belonged to the Gaon Sabha and had been placed at the disposal of the respondent. They also found that the appellant had no right, title, or interest in the land and was a trespasser. The courts dismissed the appellant's suit for injunction.
Issues: 1. Whether the appellant had a right, title, or interest in the land. 2. Whether the appellant was a trespasser. 3. Whether the appellant was entitled to an injunction against the respondent.
Ratio Decidendi: 1. The appellant failed to produce any document evidencing his title to the land. 2. The appellant's claim of possession was contradicted by documents showing that the land was earmarked for common use of the village community and that a Shiv Mandir existed on the land since 1951-52. 3. The appellant failed to prove that he had been in settled possession of the land for a sufficiently long period and that his possession was acquiesced in by the Government of India.
Final Decision: The appeal was dismissed.
( 1 ) THIS second appeal u/section 100, Civil Procedure Code. brings in challenge the judgment and order dated 30. 8. 1995 passed by the Add ). District Judge, Delhi in RCA No. 71/93 confirming the decree of dismissal of the appellant s suit for permanent injunction as rendered by the Trial Court.
( 2 ) THE facts which gave rise to this appeal may be shortly stated are that the appellant filed a suit against the respondent for permanent injunction restraining it from demolishing the appellant s house bearing No. WZ-40/1, situated at Village Khayala, New Delhi. The appellant set up the plea that in the year of 1971-72, he had constructed the said house and since then he has been in continuous and uninterrupted possession thereof. That on 23. 1. 1985, the respondent, through its employees, attempted to demolish the said house. The defence of the respondent was three-fold. Firstly, it was contended that the land in question comprising of Khasra No. 48/27 belonged to Gaon Sabha of Village Khyala and by the notification dated 20. 8. 1974 issued by the Central Government u/section 22 of the Delhi Development Act (for short the Act), the lands including the land comprising of Khasra No. 48/27, which had vested in the Central Government on the urbanisation of the Village Khyala, were placed at the disposal of the respondent for the purpose of development and maintenance of the said lands and as such the appellant had no right, title or interest in the said land. The second defence was that the suit was bad for want of notice u/section53b of the Act read with Section 80, CPC. The third defence was that the appellant had no cause of action as the respondent had not threatened to demolish the structure raised on the said land.
( 3 ) AFTER recording evidence the learned trial Judge came to the conclusion that the land comprising of Khasra No. 48/27 belonged to the Gaon Sabha and the same had been placed at the disposal of the respondent vide notification dated 22. 8. 1974 (Ex. DWI/2) and, the appellant had no right, title or interest in the said land. It was also held that the appellant being in unlawful possession of one Bigha of the said Khasra number is a trespasser and, therefore, he cannot seek the helping hand of the Court for protecting his unlawful possession. Feeling aggrieved, the appellant carried the matter in appeal. The Additional District Judge, on the reappreciation of evidence confirmed the findings of the trial Judge.
( 4 ) THE question which arises for determination in this appeal is whether the judgments of the Courts below are the result of total misreading of evidence and of recording the findings while ignoring the oral as well as documentary evidence on record. At the outset, I must make it clear that there is no document on record evidencing appellant s title over the land comprising of Khasra No. 48/27. His claim is based on his long and uniterrupted possession of the said land. In Ismail Arif v. Mohd. Ghaus, 201. A. 99 (P. C), their Lordships of the Privy Council have laid down that it is not necessary for the person claiming injunction to prove his title to the suit land. It would suffice if he proves that he was in lawful possession of the same and his possession was invaded or threatened to be invaded by a person who had no title whatsoever. In the present case, it is beyond the pale of controversy that the Gaon Sabha was the recorded tenure holder of the land comprising Khasra No. 48/27 and there is a Shiv Mandir on the said land. It is contended by the learned Counsel for the appellant that the certificate Ex. Public Witness 1 / B and copy of Khatauni Ex. Public Witness 2/1 clearly prove that the appellant is in settled possession of the said land and both the Courts below have ignored the said material evidence and on the basis of surmises they had come to a wrong conclusion. It is now well settled that on a question of fact the decision rendered by the lower Appellate Court is final and t
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