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1983 Supreme(Gau) 38

GAUHATI HIGH COURT
T. N. SINGH, J.
Jamini Mohan Acherjee -Appellant
Versus
Santosh Kumar Roy -Respondent
Civil Revn. No. 1 of 1981
Decided On : 11-03-1983

Advocates Appeared:
P.M. Palit, M.C. Deb Roy

The term "owner" mentioned in Section 12 (2) of the Electricity Act, 1910, comprehends a person who has all rights and incidences of ownership of the property, including the right to possess and the right to transfer the same.

Headnote:

ELECTRICITY ACT, 1910 - SECTION 12(2) - INJUNCTION - JURISDICTION - SECTION 151, C.P.C. - INTERPRETATION - OWNER - EASEMENT RIGHT - IRREPARABLE INJURY - PROVISO TO SECTION 115, C.P.C. - APPLICATION OF.

Fact of the Case:

The plaintiff-respondent filed a suit for a declaration of easement right of way by grant and of necessity and for perpetual injunction against the defendant-petitioner. In the same suit, an application for temporary injunction was also filed which was granted on 30-8-1978 and confirmed in appeal on 30-1-1979. In terms of the said injunction the defendant was restrained, inter alia, from causing any disturbance in plaintiffs easement right of peaceful user of pathway of Schedule B land. The plaintiff-respondent filed an application under Section 151, C. P. C. for injunction to restrain the defendant-petitioner from obstructing the plaintiff-respondent from taking electric connection to his house situated on Schedule A land of the plaint by taking the electric lines over the Schedule B land. The learned Munsiff granted the injunction.

Finding of the Court:

The court held that the defendant-petitioner was not the "owner" within the meaning of Section 12 (2) of the Electricity Act, 1910, and therefore, he had no right to insist that the said work of electrical installation could not be undertaken without his consent. The court also held that the learned Munsiff had jurisdiction to grant the injunction under Section 151, C. P. C. and that the application filed on 11-9-1979 did make out a case for grant of injunction under Order 39, Rule 1, C. P. C. However, the court held that the objection of the plaintiff-respondent founded on the proviso to Section 115, C. P. C. must prevail and dismissed the application.

Issues: 1. Whether the defendant-petitioner was the "owner" within the meaning of Section 12 (2) of the Electricity Act, 1910? 2. Whether the learned Munsiff had jurisdiction to grant the injunction under Section 151, C. P. C.? 3. Whether the application filed on 11-9-1979 made out a case for grant of injunction under Order 39, Rule 1, C. P. C.? 4. Whether the objection of the plaintiff-respondent founded on the proviso to Section 115, C. P. C. must prevail?

Ratio Decidendi: 1. The term "owner" mentioned in Section 12 (2) of the Electricity Act, 1910, comprehends a person who has all rights and incidences of ownership of the property, including the right to possess and the right to transfer the same. 2. Courts have inherent power to issue temporary injunction in circumstances not covered by Order 39, C. P. C. 3. The substance of the matter will be taken into consideration by the Court and the label given by the party will never be decisive of the matter. 4. The proviso to Section 115, C. P. C. bars interference by the High Court with an order of a lower court unless the petitioner can show that he will suffer irreparable injury if the order is allowed to stand.

Final Decision: The application was dismissed.

Judgement

- This revision petition is directed against an order passed on 4-101980 by the learned Sadar Munsiff, Agartala, in Title Suit No. 73 of 1978. By the impugned order the learned Munsiff injuncted the defendant-petitioner not to obstruct the plaintiff-respondent from taking electric connection to his house situated on Schedule A land of the plaint by taking the electric lines over the Schedule B land. This order was passed on an application filed under Section 151, C. P. C. by the plaintiff-respondent in which it was, inter alia, mentioned that the plaintiff had got permission for electric connection in his homestead and that there was no other way to take the electric lines except by drawing them over the Schedule B land. It was further stated in the petition that the defendant-petitioner filed an objection before the S.D.O., Electric Division, whereupon work of carrying out the electrical installation was stayed. The plaintiff-respondent in the same application also alluded to his easement right in respect of Schedule B land, as per condition incorporated, in the sale deed by which the plaintiff-respondent purchased Schedule A land from the defendant-petitioner.

2. In this connection, a brief reference may be made to the case of plaintiff-respondent as made out in the plaint. The suit was filed by the plaintiff-respondent on 6-7-1978 for a declaration of easement right of way by grant and of necessity and for perpetual injunction against the defendant-petitioner. In the same suit, an application for temporary injunction was also filed which was granted on 30-8-1978 and confirmed in appeal on 30-1-1979. In terms of the said injunction the defendant was restrained, inter alia, from causing any disturbance in plaintiffs easement right of peaceful user of pathway of Schedule B land.

3. In this application, Mr. Palit has raised the following contentions before me in assailing the order passed on 4-10-1980.

(1) The learned Munsiff had no jurisdiction to grant injunction under Section 151, C. P. C. on the petition filed thereunder by the plaintiff-respondent. The petition filed on 11-9-1979 did not make out a case for grant of injunction under Order 39, Rule 1, C. P. C.

(2) In passing the impugned order of injunction he also acted illegally and with material irregularity by ignoring the provisions of Section 12 (2) of the Electricity Act.

4. Mr. Deb Roy who opposes the application has submitted in the forefront of his argument the fact that the petition had become infructuous as a result of the electrical installation work having been already carried out by the Electrical Department on 17-3-1981 as will be revealed from the counter-objection filed by him in this case which is duly supported by an affidavit. In this connection he has drawn my attention to the fact that when the rule nisi was issued on this petition by this Court on 3-3-1981, it refused ad interim stay to the petitioner. It is further submitted by him that in any event in view of the proviso to Section 115, C. P. C. this Court shall not interfere with the impugned order inasmuch as the defendant-petitioner has not made out any case to the effect that if the order is allowed to stand it would cause him irreparable injury. On the contrary, it is submitted, an interference with the order at this stage will cause serious injury to the plaintiff-respondent who will be deprived of the basic civic amenity like electricity. Mr. Deb Roy has further drawn my attention to Sections 4 and 13 (a) and (e) of the Easements Act, 1882, and to the statements made in the plaint as respects claim being grounded therein on easement of necessity. He has further submitted before me that the impugned order is neither violative of Section 151, C. P. C. nor of Section 12 (2) of the Electricity Act.

5. In my opinion, it is not necessary for the disposal of this application to give any decision on the interpretation of the provisions of the Easements Act in view of the fact that that will be p











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