Mr. Justice R.N. Mittal, President—Briefly the facts are that the complainant hired a locker No. 729 from the respondent Bank at its Defence Colony, Branch, Delhi for keeping the ornaments. He kept therein ornaments received by him at the time of his marriage, both gold and silver and the old solid-gold ornaments given to him as gift by his mother in November, 1971 after his marriage. The mother expired in 1975.

2. It is pleaded that with a view to have two lockers and to keep the marriage ornaments and ornaments given by the mother separately, he took one locker in Allahabad Bank, Parliament Street, in 2nd week of September, 1991. It is alleged that after taking that locker he took out the ornaments which he got at the time of marriage from the locker in dispute, and deposited them in the Allahabad Bank. On 12th Feb., 1992 he operated the locker and kept 4 more old Karas weighing 200 grams which he had brought from Banaras, his home town. Earlier he had kept old gold jewellery weighing 300 grams and old gold necklace weighing 200 grams in that locker. On that date he locked it with the following ornaments :—

Old gold jewellery 300 grams Rs. 1,50,000/-

(known as Kardhani)

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