2011 Supreme(Gau) 821
IN THE HIGH COURT OF GAUHATI
Iqbal Ahmed Ansari, J.
Sri Bhasker Saikia
Vs.
Smti Tatari Devi & Ors.
CRP No. 128 of 2007
Decided On: 29.09.2011
Advocate Appeared:
For Appellant/Petitioner/Plaintiff: Mr. P.K. Kalita and Ms. P. Goswami
For Respondents/Defendant: Mr. D.C. Mahanta, Mr. T.J. Mahanta, Ms. P. Bhattacharya and Mr. P.S. Deka
Headnote:
Civil Procedure Code - Section 47, 2(2) - Seeking, inter alia, declaration of their rights, title and interest - Suit land - Recovery of khas possession of land - Preliminary decree - Decretal land - material facts, which have led to this revision - (i) Decree holders-opposite party instituted Title Suit seeking, inter alia, declaration of their rights, title and interest over the suit land, as described in Schedule A to the plaint, as well as recovery of khas possession of land in Schedule B, the land, described in Schedule B, being a part of the land of Schedule A, by evicting the defendants therefrom - (ii) learned Civil Judge decreed the suit by describing the decree as a preliminary decree, whereby plaintiffs rights, title and interest over the land in Schedule A, inter alia, was declared and the khas possession of the land, in Schedule B, was directed to be delivered to the plaintiffs by ascertaining, with the help of the Circle Officer, land in Schedule B and appointed, in this regard, the Circle Officer as Survey Commissioner, with direction to him to personally supervise the demarcation of the land in Schedule A and B so that recovery of khas possession of the land in Schedule B takes place - Held, impugned order is hereby set aside and the learned executing Court is hereby directed to hear the parties afresh, make enquiry as may be deemed necessary and, then, reach a final decision on the question as to whether the delivery of land to the decree-holders was in accordance with law or not, or was there any error, mistake or mischief and, on the basis of the conclusion(s), which the learned executing Court may reach, appropriate-consequential order(s) may be passed. It is, however, made clear that since the decree has been granted in respect of the land covered by dag No. 226, under patta No. 40, any land, other than, or in excess of decretal land, if already delivered to the decree holders, then, such delivery of possession of the land other than, or in excess of, the decretal land, has to be held as illegal and the khas possession of the excess land, not covered by dag No. 226, shall be delivered back to the judgment-debtors - learned executing Court must ensure that the decree, which has been granted, is executed at the earliest and delivery of possession is given to the decree-holders, but without any excess delivery of land - Revision stands disposed of.
I.A. Ansari, J.
1. This revision has put to challenge the order, dated 01.02.2007, passed by the learned Civil Judge, Lakhimpur, in Misc. Case No. 19/2006 (arisen out of Title Execution Case No. 9/2004), whereby the objection, raised by the judgment-debtors, alleging that the delivery of possession of land has been given, in excess of the decretal land, to the decree-holders, has been dismissed. Before coming to the merit of this revision, I set out hereinbelow, in brief, the material facts, which have led to this revision.
(i) The decree holders-opposite party instituted Title Suit No. 12/2001 seeking, inter alia, declaration of their rights, title and interest over the suit land, as described in Schedule' A' to the plaint, as well as recovery of khas possession of land in Schedule 'B', the land, described in Schedule 'B', being a part of the land of Schedule 'A', by evicting the defendants therefrom.
(ii) By judgment and order, dated 16.02.2004, the learned Civil Judge (Sr. Division), Lakhimpur, decreed the suit by describing the decree as a preliminary decree, whereby plaintiffs' rights, title and interest over the land in Schedule' A', inter alia, was declared and the khas possession of the land, in Schedule 'B', was directed to be delivered to the plaintiffs by ascertaining, with the help of the Circle Officer, Bihpuria, the land in Schedule 'B' and appointed, in this regard, the Circle Officer, Bihpuria, as the Survey Commissioner, with direction to him to personally supervise the demarcation of the land in Schedule 'A' and 'B' so that recovery of khas possession of the land in Schedule 'B' takes place.
(iii) No appeal was preferred by the judgment-debtors against the decree so granted. Thereafter, the decree-holders instituted Title Execution Case No. 9/2004. This execution proceeding passed through various kinds of resistance in the sense that the Circle Officer, Bihpuria, reported to the learned Executing Court, on 22.04.2006, that he had visited the decretal land and found that the decree-holders were already in possession of the decretal land. Interestingly, however, the Circle Officer's report also suggested that appropriate demarcation can be done only by the Director of Survey, Government of Assam, and the Circle Officer : thereafter, requested that the Director of Survey, Government of Assam, be directed to demarcate the land, in question. An objection was raised in the execution proceeding, by the decree-holders, as regards the truthfulness of the Circle Officer's report by contending that the. Circle Officer's report was not true and sought for re-issue of the writ of delivery of possession of the land, in Schedule 'B', to the decree-holders. By filing a petition, the judgment-debtors raised an objection to the effect that the preliminary decree had not been made final and, hence, without passing a final decree, the question of delivery of possession did not arise. This apart, according to the judgment-debtors, the Circle Officer's report clearly revealed that the decree-holders were already in possession of the decretal land and, hence, there was no question of dispossession of the decree-holders as contended by them. However, on the basis of the application, made by the decree holders, seeking issuance of a fresh writ of delivery of possession of the land in Schedule 'B', an order was passed, in the execution proceeding, directing that the writ of delivery be re-issued.
(iv) Yet another application was made by the decree-holders, in the execution proceeding, seeking that notice be issued to the Mandal to be present along with the Nazir at the time of execution of the decree. The learned executing Court, then, passed an order directing the decree-holders to take necessary steps for issuance of writ of attachment of immovable property and, on the strength of the writ, so issued, the Nazir was, eventually, directed to attach the decretal land. In course of time, the Nazir reported that the writ had been exec