Judges : P.K.BALASUBRAMANYAN
Choyi - Appellant
Versus
Peravankutty - Respondent
Case No : S.A No. 377 of 1987
Decided On : 02/28/1995
Advocates Appeared :
M.V. Dose & mather Per Appellant Prabhu R Menon For Respondents
Wills - Property Rights - S.124 of the Indian Succession Act - Ext. Al Will - [WILLS] - [PROPERTY RIGHTS] - [S.124 of the Indian Succession Act] - The court interpreted the Ext. Al Will to determine the nature of the bequest in favor of the defendant and the subsequent clauses imposing restrictions. The court held that the apparent absolute estate in favor of the defendant must be cut down to a limited interest to accommodate the interest created in favor of the plaintiffs, as the defendant died without issues. The court also emphasized the intention of the testator and the need to give effect to every testamentary intention contained in the Will, as far as possible. The court's decision was influenced by the principles enunciated in Ramachandra v. Hilda Brite and Bhura v. Kashiram, emphasizing the importance of reconciling various dispositions in a Will and giving effect to the expressed intention of the testator.
Fact of the Case:
The suit was for a perpetual injunction restraining the defendant from alienating the properties on the ground that he had a limited interest in the properties and that the title to the properties vested with the plaintiffs. The suit was dismissed by the lower courts, and the plaintiffs appealed.
Finding of the Court:
The court found that the defendant's apparent absolute estate must be cut down to a limited interest to accommodate the interest created in favor of the plaintiffs, as the defendant died without issues. The court held that the defendant and his wife had only a life interest in the properties and neither of them had the right to alienate the properties. The properties vested in the plaintiffs, and they were entitled to perpetual injunction restraining the defendant from alienating the properties.
Issues: The main issue was the nature of the bequest in favor of the defendant under the Ext. Al Will and the subsequent clauses imposing restrictions. The court also addressed the validity of the restrictions and the rights of the plaintiffs in relation to the alienation of the properties by the defendant.
Ratio Decidendi: The court's decision was influenced by the principles enunciated in Ramachandra v. Hilda Brite and Bhura v. Kashiram, emphasizing the importance of reconciling various dispositions in a Will and giving effect to the expressed intention of the testator. The court also considered the provisions of S.124 of the Indian Succession Act and the intention of the testator to ensure that the children of the defendant would take the properties if he had children, and if not, the properties should go to two of his other children with a life estate in favor of the widow of the defendant in case the defendant pre-deceased her.
Final Decision: The court set aside the judgment and decrees of the lower courts and decreed the suit as prayed for. The court granted the plaintiffs the right to recover the properties from the transferees and restrained the transferees from altering the nature of the property, putting up any construction therein, or committing any waste therein.
The first plaintiff in O.S.6 of 1983 is the appellant. The second plaintiff has been impleaded as respondent No. 2. The plaintiffs are the children of one Raru. The defendant in the suit was another son of Rani. In addition to the plaintiffs and the defendant, Raru had another child Unnooli. The defendant is respondent No.1 in the Second Appeal. Pending Second Appeal he died on 13-2-1991. His wife Unni Peri was
impleaded as additional respondent in the Second Appeal. The defendant, respondent No.1 put forward a contention that pending the proceedings he had assigned the plaint schedule properties in favour of One Alavi and one Mohammed. The said persons have been supplementally impleaded as additional respondents in this Second Appeal. There appears to he a mistake showing the ranking in the memorandum of Second Appeal. The ranking will he corrected to show Unni Peri, wife of the first respondent as supplemental respondent No. 3. Alavi as supplemental respondent No. 4 and Mohammed as supplemental respondent No. 5,
2. The suit by the plaintiffs was one for a perpetual injunction restraining the defendant from alienating the plaint schedule properties on the ground that he had a limited interest in the properties and that the title to the properties vest with the plaintiffs. This claim of the plaintiffs was denied by the defendant, who claimed that he had absolute title to the properties and he could not be restrained by any injection as cl aimed by the plaintiffs. The suit was dismissed by the courts below accepting the contention of the defendant and hence this Second Appeal by the first plaintiff.
3. The plaint schedule properties and other items of properties belonged to Raru, the father of the plaintiffs and the defendant. On 26-9-196! Rani executed a Will which is marked as Ext. Al. Under the said Will Raru bequeathed the properties in favour of the defendant, his eldest son plaintiffs and Unnooli and Tirumala his wife. The defendant was shown as part No.1 to that Will, the plaintiffs were shown as parties 2 and 3, Unnooli was part No. 4 and Tirumala was party No. 5. In para.4 of the Will Raru provided that items 1 and 2 of the schedule to the Will along with two Palmyra palms standing at the north western corner of item No. 4 would devolve on the defendant exclusively on his death. In para. 7 of the Will he provided that i n case the defendant died prior to his death, if he had left behind children, the properties set apart to him were to go to those children. In case he had no children, his wife, additional respondent No. 3 herein would have a life interest with a right to be in possession and the right to take the income until her life time and item No.1 would vest with the first plaintiff herein and item No. 2 and the Palmyra palms would vest with plaintiff No. 2 herein. It was further stated that since the defendant had no children at the time of execution of the Will, the defendant had no right to sell the properties set apart to him in para.4 of the Will and that he had only a right to encumber the properties to the extent of Rs. 100/-. In para.8 he provided for the contingency if any one of the plaintiffs pro-deceased him. In para.9 of the Will he reiterated the position by providing that the Will come into effect only on his death and all the conditions provided in clauses 3 to 8 would come into effect only on his death and he would have the right to alter or cancel the Will. The case of the plaintiffs was that read as a whole the estate bequeathed to the defendant was only a life interest with vested remainders to the plaintiffs in the respective items that the defendant could not therefore alienate the properties and hence they are entitled to an injunction restraining him from doing so. The defendant on the other hand contended that the bequest; in his favour was absolute that since he survived Raru, clause 7 of the Will had no operation and that in any event the said clause was bad and could not defe
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