Gujarat High Court
Judgename :P.B.MAJMUDAR
BHAGWANDAS TRILOKCHAND - Appellant
Versus
BHUNGODOMAL ZAMATMAL - Respondent
Civil Revision1030 of 1985
Decided On : 04/06/2000
Bombay Rent Act - Section 29 (2) - Suit for possession - Trial court decreed the suit of the plaintiff and decree was challenged by the heirs of defendant no. 1 - Appellate court came to the conclusion that there was a genuine partnership between defendant No. 1 and defendant Nos. 4 and 5 and property was managed by the Custodian so, that time, the Rent Act was not applicable as Rent Act is not applicable to the premises belonging to the Government - Appellate court dismissed the suit of the plaintiff by allowing the appeal of the defendants - Hence, original plaintiff filed Revision Application - Held, The appellate court applied correct principles for setting aside the decree of the trial court - It was found that the trial court had not considered the evidence in its proper perspective and certain documentary evidence was also not properly considered - The appellate court, therefore, was entitled to re-appreciate the evidence on record and was also entitled to come to its own conclusion by appreciating the evidence on record - Court does not find any substance in the aforesaid argument that the first appellate court should not have interfered with the findings of the trial court on the question of sub-letting - In this view of the matter, Court does not find any substance in this revision application - The view taken by the appellate court cannot be said to be contrary to law and this Court, while deciding Revision under Section 29 (2) of the Bombay Rent Act, is required to consider whether the appellate court has committed any error of law or whether the appellate court has misread the evidence on record while deciding the appeal - Court does not find any such error of law or any misreading of evidence by the appellate court while deciding the appeal - On the contrary, the learned appellate court has given very cogent reasons for coming to the conclusion that the partnership was a genuine partnership and there was no sub-letting by the defendant No. 1, who was the original tenant of the suit premises - Revision Application dismissed. (Para 9)
( 1 ) THE petitioner herein is the original plaintiff of Regular Civil Suit No. 34 of 1975. Aforesaid suit was filed in the Court of the learned Civil Judge (J. D.), Kutiyana, against one Shirumal Zamatmal and four others. Said Shirumal Zamatmal died during the pendency of the suit and, therefore, his heir Bhungdomal Zamatmal was brought on record, but during the pendency of the appeal, he also died and, therefore, heirs of Bhungdomal were also brought on record before the appellate court, who are present respondent Nos. 1/1 to 1/6 herein.
( 2 ) IT is the case of the plaintiff in the suit that the property in Kutiyana town at M. G. Road was an evacuee property. Part of the suit premises was purchased by the plaintiff by registered sale deed dated 7. 1. 1975 from the power-of-attorney holder of original owner Bhagwandas Vatumal and Reemandas Chuhdmal and from the date of the said purchase, the plaintiff has become the owner of the suit property. According to the plaintiff, shop No. 1 of the suit premises as well as one small room on the back side of the suit premises was initially allotted to said Shirumal by the Custodian at the rate of Rs. 1. 50 Ps. p. m. According to the plaintiff, said Shirumal, i. e. defendant No. 1, was the only allottee and, therefore, except occupying tenancy right, he had no other right in the suit property. Still, however, the shop in question as well as the small room is transferred by the defendant No. 1 to defendant No. 2, Bhungdomal illegally and accordingly, he has transferred the suit property illegally to defendant No. 2 and, thereafter, defendant No. 2 left the aforesaid place Kutiyana and had gone to another town Girgadhada and at that time, defendant No. 2 has further sub-let the suit premises to defendant Nos. 3, 4 and 5. Defendant Nos. 3, 4 and 5 are the real brothers and they are occupying the suit premises and they are doing business jointly in the name of Maheshkumar and that they are doing the business of milk and curd in the suit premises. It is also the case of the plaintiff that they have made some alteration in the suit premises and has made certain constructions. Therefore, they decided to evict the defendants from the suit premises. For that purpose, he gave registered notice dated 31. 3. 1975. Since the defendant failed to comply with the said notice, aforesaid suit was filed for getting possession from the defendants.
( 3 ) AFORESAID suit was resisted by the defendant Nos. 1, 4 and 5 by filing written statement at Exhibit 10. Defendant No. 2 filed his written statement at Exhibit 11 and defendant No. 3 has filed his written statement at Exhibit 12. The original defendant No. 1 died during the pendency of the suit and, therefore, his younger brother was brought on record. It was admitted by the defendants that the original defendant No. 1 Shirumal was allotted the premises by the Custodian. However, they denied that he had no tenancy right in the suit premises. It was further stated that the defendant No. 1 was doing business in partnership with defendant No. 2 and at that time, Rent Act was not applicable to the premises as the same was of the ownership of Government. According to the defendants, the partnership between the defendant Nos. 1 and 2 continued upto 1966. Thereafter, the said firm was dissolved and the defendant No. 2 left Kutiyana. But all throughout, the defendant No. 1 continued with the possession of the suit premises. It was also the say of the defendants that the defendant No. 1 Shirumal started his partnership business on 13. 1. 1966 in the name of "maheshkumar Sugnomal" and that said business is a partnership business with defendant Nos. 4 and 5. It was also the say of the defendants that defendant No. 3 has nothing to do with the said business as he was serving as a teacher at the relevant time and he used to merely help his brothers in the said partnership business. It is also stated that the defendant No. 1 has never parted with possessi
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