This is an appeal filed by the plaintiff in Title Suit No. 3 of 1961 on the file of the Sub-Judge I, Imphal against his judgment and decree dated 22-1-1965 declaring that the appellants and the persons mentioned in the plaint A schedule, represented by the appellants under Order 1, Rule 8, Civil P. C., are the actual tenants of the plaint schedule land of about 70 paris (about 175 acres) situate in Pangei and dismissing their suit for declaration of their full title to the suit land and for the further declaration that the registered sale deed dated 10-7-1953 executed by late Chand Khan the fifth defendant in the suit in favour of the respondents 1 to 4 and their mother Santi Devi and the mutation of the suit land in their names are void.

2. The case of the appellants briefly stated is thus: When the British Government took over Manipur State after the rebellion of 1891, the former granted the plaint schedule land of about 70 Paris situate in Pangei village to one Hafiz Fateh Shah and his brother Sheriff Shah in recognition of their services rendered during the rebellion. The land was mutated in their names. Hafiz Fateh Shah and Sheriff Shah belonged to West Punjab (now in