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1997 Supreme(Guj) 349

Gujarat High Court
Judgename :R.BALIA
TRUSTEES OF HARESHWAR MAHADEV TRUST - Appellant
Versus
TRUSTEES OF SHRI jasvantsinhji AUDICHYA BRAHMAN BOARDING VIDYARTHI bhavan - Respondent
C.A. 101 of 1997
Decided On : 07/23/1997

Advocates Appeared: P.KAVINA, P.M.RAVAL

Headnote:(a) Bombay Public Trust Act, 1950 — Secs. 18 to 21, 79 and 80 — Bar of Civil Court jurisdiction — Scope & applicability — Decision by authorities under Sec. 19 of the Act as to whether or not a particular property belongs to a particular public trust would not operate as bar to Civil Court jurisdiction to enquire into that question merely because defendant appellants have raised the dispute about the title of the plaintiff.

       If the question whether or not a particular property belongs to a particular public trust which is a public trust or not has arisen during the course of enquiry under Sec. 19 and that question has been decided by the Deputy/Assistant Charity Commissioner as the case may be and in that proceedings by the highest of the authority if that finding has become final, it becomes final and conclusive effectively shutting out any enquiry in future and it is not envisaged that once such final and conclusive finding has been reached by the competent authority, subsequently if any proceedings are taken for enforcement of any right in respect of any such property, the mere denial of title of the trust enforcing its right in the property would inhibit the jurisdiction of the Civil Court to entertain the suit, and the authorities under the Bombay Public Trust Act shall be required to decide the question once over again. That will be very negation of the declaration of finality and conclusiveness of the findings earlier recorded when such question had arisen. I therefore do not find any substance in the contention of the learned counsel for the appellant that since defendant-appellants in the present case have raised the question about the title of the plaintiff demanding an enquiry into whether the property in question is the property of the trust, jurisdiction of the Civil Suit to enquire into that question is barred with reference to Sec. 79 read with Sec. 80.

       [Para 10]

       (b) Bombay Public Trust Act, 1950 — Secs. 18 to 21, 79 and 80 — Bar of Civil Court jurisdiction — Bar is subject to any question required to be determined under Sec. 79 or other provisions of the Act — Further finality & circumstances attached to finding under is not absolute but is subject to other provision of the Act.

       The bar of Civil Court to inquire into any question is subject to any question which is required to be determined under Sec. 79 or other provisions of the Act which have been declared final and conclusive, is not absolute but is subject to other provisions of the Act.

       [Para 14]

       (c) Bombay Public Trust Act, 1950 — Secs. 79 & 80 — Bar of Civil Court jurisdiction — Scope of — Determination of Civil Court whether the relevant entry produced by plaintiff relates to suit property of plaintiff not beyond the jurisdiction of Civil Court — Question answered in negative against defendant.

       The question that the Courts below have acted without jurisdiction in determining the question that the relevant entry produced by plaintiff relates to suit property and corresponding the suit property is a property of the plaintiff trust must be answered in negative, that is, against the defendants.

       [Para 16]

R. BALIA, J.

( 1 ) THIS second appeal is filed by trustees of Hareshwar Mahadev trust, a public trust registered under the Bombay Public Trusts Act against whom suit filed by the respondent-trustees on behalf of another Public Trust known as shri Jaswantsinhji Audichya Brahman Boarding Vidyarthi Bhavan and registered under Bombay Public Trusts Act has been decreed by both the Courts below.

( 2 ) PLAINTIFFS have filed present suit in the Court of Civil Judge (Junior Division) for declaration of their title to land comprised in Survey No. 60 at C. T No. 63 and removal of encroachment made on the land by constructing a lavatory and cesspool and also for permanent prohibitory injunction. The assertion of the plaintiffs in the plaint was that the property in question was a grant from the State by Lekh No. 101, which is Exh. 116, and the property in question was entered in the register of public trust as property of the plaintiff-trust after holding an enquiry under S. 19 of the Bombay Public Trusts Act (hereinafter called the Act ). The entry relating to the property in question under S. 19 of the Act is Exh. 117 on record. The defendants have denied the title of plaintiffs and asserted title in themselves primarily as well as by adverse possession in the alternative. In the face of these pleadings, issue No. 3 was framed, "whether the plaintiff proves that the suit land is of the ownership of plaintiff-trust ?" The trial Court found after taking into consideration the entry in the register made under S. 19 of the Act and the Lekh No. 101, Exh. 116 that the entry of properties belonging to the plaintiff-trust have been made in the register of public trust and the entry of description of four boundaries of the land made at page 2 of the document Exh. 117 corresponds with the description of four boundaries shown in Lekh No. 101 Ex. 116. The trial Judge also referred to Exh. 116 for coming to the conclusion that the entire open land surrounding hareshwar Mahadev Mandir was given to the plaintiff-trust, exclusive of the premises of the temple. It also reached the conclusion by considering the oral and documentary evidence produced by the defendant that the documentary evidence produced by the defendant revealed the open land surrounding the Hareshwar Mahadev Mandir, excluding the land of temple and pujari room, is not of the ownership of defendanttrust. With these findings, it found in favour of the plaintiff about the title and decreed the suit for removal of encroachment in favour of the plaintiff by deciding the issue of adverse possession also against the defendant. On appeal before learned extra Assistant Judge, the decree passed by Civil Judge (Junior Division) was affirmed vide judgment and decree dated 2-5-1977. On the question about ownership, the appellate Court referred to the register of the property maintained under the Act where the entries of the properties owned by the public trust, of which the plaintiffs are trustees, were made at the time of registering the trust when there was no disputes about the ownership, and agreed with the conclusion of the trial Court that the land in question has been shown as registered in favour of the plaintiffs, by affirming the decree of the trial Court. It also relied on the circumstances, that the defendant is also public trust registered under the Act and the properties belonging to it also have been shown in the register of trust. However, land in question was not registered in the name of defendants. It was noticed by the learned appellate judge that when the defendant himself got registered this trust with the Charity commissioner he did not include the property in question in the list of properties owned by it and to be registered as properties of the trust. In these circumstances, the appellate Judge found in favour of the plaintiff. The plea on behalf of the respondent was not accepted, and the suit was decreed.

( 3 ) DEFENDANTS while they filed the second appeal along with memo
























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