2011 Supreme(Gau) 985
IN THE HIGH COURT OF GAUHATI (SHILLONG BENCH)
Tinlianthang Vaiphei, J.
Smt. Jyoti Vaswani
Vs.
State of Assam and another
R.F.A. No. (SH) 6 of 2008 with CR (P) No. (SH) 8 of 2009
Decided On: 16.12.2011
AND
Smt Jyoti Vaswani
Vs.
Smti. Reshma Vaswani
Advocate Appeared:
For Appellant/Petitioner/Plaintiff: Mr. O.D.V. Ladia, Mr. B. Laitmon
For Respondents/Defendant: Mr. B. Bhattacharjee, Mr. S. Changkija
Headnote:
Code of Civil Procedure - Order 7, 8 - Rule 11, 1 to 14 - Prayer for issuing separate patta - Gift Deed - Board of Revenue refusing to admit her appeal against the order - Case of the appellant, as pleaded in the plaint, is that she is the cousin of one and after her marriage with latter also became acquainted with the said his brothers and sisters. Out of love and affection for the appellant, the said, for himself and on behalf of his brothers and sisters, duly conveyed, by way of gift, a plot of land measuring approximately 2,450.25 square feet situate by the side of Police Bazar vide the Gift Deed which was registered - Having accepted the gift, the donor delivered possession of the said plot in favour of the appellant. At the time of execution of the Gift Deed, the donors were not aware of any case filed by the respondent No. 1 (defendant 1) against any of them pending before any Court. After registration of the Gift Deed, the name of the appellant stood mutated in the revenue records vide the letter of the Deputy Commissioner, However, it turned out that a gift deed was also executed by one Principal of the respondent No. 2 in favour of respondent 1 in respect of the plot of land measuring about 2450 sq. feet lying by the side of a stream and at the back side of the plot of land delineated, demarcated and shown as Plot No. D in the map forming a part of the memorandum of family arrangement entered one hand and on the other which was witnessed Proprietor of Store Proprietor of Broadway, who is the father-in-law of the respondent No. 1. – Held, revision is directed against the order passed by the Meghalaya Board of Revenue, dismissing the appeal filed by the petitioner, who is also the appellant in the connected first appeal, against the order passed by the learned Additional Deputy Commissioner, East Khasi Hills, Shillong in Case refusing to issue Patta/Lease for the disputed land in her favour. There is no dispute that the suit land in the connected RFA is one and the same with the disputed land in this revision petition. Once Title Suit instituted by the petitioner for declaration of her title to the same suit land has been found to be barred by Order XXIII, Rule 1(4) of the Code in the connected judgment, her application for issue of Patta/Lease agreement in respect of the same disputed land must meet the same fate. It may be noted that both the Revenue Courts had decided that as the subject-matter of the prayer before them was sub-judice, they should not interfere at that stage. With the disposal of the RFA in the connected judgment ending with the dismissal of the suit, there is no question of issuing patta/lease agreement in respect of the same plot of land in favour of the petitioner. Consequently, the impugned orders of both the Revenue Courts need not be interfered with by this Court. Both the appeal and the revision petition is dismissed.
T. Vaiphei, J.
1. Both the appeal and revision, which are inter-connected and arising out of the dispute between the same parties over the same disputed plot, were heard together, and are now being disposed of by this common judgment. The appeal is directed against the order dated 3-3-2004 passed by the learned Assistant District Judge, Shillong in T.S. No. 4(H) of 2001 rejecting the plaint under Order 7, Rule 11 of the Code of Civil Procedure as being barred by the doctrine of estoppel, while the revision is directed against the order dated 31-3-2009 passed by the Board of Revenue refusing to admit her appeal against the order dated 1-10-2008 of the Additional Deputy Commissioner, Shillong rejecting her prayer for issuing separate patta to her in respect of the same disputed plot i.e. Plot No. 43 marked as Plot A in the map attached to the family settlement dated 23-6-1984. To simplify the case, I will first decide RFA No. 6(SH) of 2009 and thereafter dispose of, as far as possible, the connected CR(P) No. 8(SH) of 2009 on the basis of my decision thereon. In the appeal, the case of the appellant, as pleaded in the plaint, is that she is the cousin of one Ashok Bhagwandas, s/o late Bhagwandas, and after her marriage with Pishu Vaswani, the latter also became acquainted with the said Ashok Bhagwandas, his brothers and sisters. Out of love and affection for the appellant, the said Ashok Bhagwandas, for himself and on behalf of his brothers and sisters, duly conveyed, by way of gift, a plot of land measuring approximately 2,450.25 square feet situate by the side of G.S. Road, Police Bazar, Shillong vide the Gift Deed dated 29-9-1988 which was registered on 29-3-1989 at Mumbai. Having accepted the gift, the donor delivered possession of the said plot in favour of the appellant. At the time of execution of the Gift Deed, the donors were not aware of any case filed by the respondent No. 1 (defendant 1) against any of them pending before any Court. After registration of the Gift Deed, the name of the appellant stood mutated in the revenue records vide the letter dated 3-1-1991 of the Deputy Commissioner, Shillong. However, it turned out that a gift deed was also executed by one Parbatibai, w/o late Odarmal Thadani, the principal of the respondent No. 2 (Shri Harish Vaswani, now deceased) in favour of respondent 1 in respect of the plot of land measuring about 2450 sq. feet lying by the side of a stream and at the back side of the plot of land delineated, demarcated and shown as Plot No. 'D' in the map forming a part of the memorandum of family arrangement entered into between Shri Kishan Chand Thadani, Smt. Rukimini Bai, Shri Ashok Bhagwandas (Thadani) on the one hand and Smt. Parbatibai on the other on 23-6-1984, which was witnessed by Shri Atmaram Murdhanani, Proprietor of Mohini Store and Shri Kishan Chand Vaswani, Proprietor of Broadway, Shillong, who is the father-in-law of the respondent No. 1.
2. It was further pleaded by the appellant that in terms of the oral family arrangement followed by a memorandum along with the map attached thereto voluntarily entered into among the parties concerned. The disputed plot was allotted for the exclusive ownership and possession of the said Ashok Bhagwandas, his brothers and sisters while plot 'B' was allotted to Shri Kishan Chand Thadani, plot 'C' to Smt. Rukminibai and plot 'D' to Smt. Purbatbai, now deceased. The said arrangement had already been acted upon by the parties then and there, though it was mentioned in Clause VII of the memorandum that the 'patta of the entire plot of the land will stand in the names of 4(four) parties signing the Memorandum of oral settlement and other taxes will be shared and borne equally till separate Pattas are issued as and when allowed by the authorities'. It was contended by the appellant that the disputed plot was not the land gifted by Smt. Parbatibai, the principal of defendant No. 2, to respondent 1 and, as such, she could not claim the own