Judges : S.VELU PILLAI
Kannan - Appellant
Versus
Kannan - Respondent
Case No : S. A. No. 357 of 1960
Decided On : 01/29/1964
Advocates Appeared :
V. P. Gopalan Nambiar; V. Bhaskaran Nambiar; For Appellants A. Achuthan Nambiar; T. P. Kelu Nambiar; For Respondents 1, 3 & 4 M. C. Sreedharan; For Respondents 2 & 5
Survey and Boundaries Act - Title to Property - S.13 & 14 of the Madras Survey and Boundaries Act, 1923 - [S.13, S.14]
Fact of the Case:
The plaintiff filed a suit for recovery of possession of the suit property on title and for other reliefs. The courts below negatived the plaintiff's case on title and possession within twelve years of the suit. The plaintiff claimed the property as part of Mavullachal kadu, while the contesting defendants claimed it as part of Padachal kadu. The resurvey decision was contended to have become final and conclusive, but the point was not put forth in the same form in the lower courts. The courts examined the documents of title and concluded that the suit property is part of Padachal kadu.
Finding of the Court:
The court found that the settlement of the boundary of resurvey No. 29/2 cannot affect the decisions taken by the two courts below on title to the suit property. The court also noted that the title of the defendants depended not on the location of the resurvey number, and the settlement of the boundary can be regarded as but one circumstance affecting the decision on title. The court dismissed the Second Appeal with costs to the defendants.
Issues: The main issues revolved around the title to the suit property and the effect of S.13 & 14 of the Madras Survey and Boundaries Act, 1923. The court also addressed the possession of the suit property within twelve years of the suit.
Ratio Decidendi: The settlement of the boundary of the resurvey cannot affect the decisions taken by the courts on the title to the suit property. The court also noted that the settlement of the boundary can be regarded as but one circumstance affecting the decision on title.
Final Decision: The Second Appeal was dismissed with costs to the defendants.
1. This Second Appeal by the plaintiff and the 5th defendant, arises in a suit by the former for recovery of possession of the suit property on title and for other reliefs. The suit property is denoted by plots A, A-1, A-2; B, B-1, B-2, C & C-1 in Ext. C-1 plan. The two courts below have negatived the plaintiffs case both on title and on possession within twelve years of the suit. The findings are concurrent, and I see no reason to disturb them so far as plots B, B-1, B-2 and C-1 are concerned; they will stand. As regards plots, A, A-1, A-2 and C, though the findings are concurrent, the learned Advocate General who appeared for the appellants raised a point of law, which depended on the effect of S.13 & 14 of the Madras Survey and Boundaries Act, 1923 (Act VIII of 1923). These plots were resurveyed in the year 1931 as portions of resurvey No. 29/2, patta for which was issued to the 5th defendant under whom the plaintiff claims. In the pleadings and at the trial, the case of the plaintiff was that these plots are part of a property called Mavullachal kadu, and that of the contesting defendants 1, 3 and 4 was that they are part of a property called Padachal kadu. This was the real controversy between the parties. The resurvey decision not having been questioned or challenged by the contesting defendants or by Pydal their predecessor-in¬interest within the period prescribed by S.14 of the Act, was contended to have become final and conclusive, not only as regards the location of the boundary of resurvey No. 29/2, but also on the title to the property denoted by resurvey No. 29/2 as settled. The plea in this form was not taken in the plaint and defendants 1, 3 and 4 had therefore no occasion to meet it; it was taken in the written statement of the 5th defendant which was filed after the other defendants had filed theirs. The question was not put in the present form in either of the courts below, although no doubt, the alteration made on resurvey was adverted to by them, and was held by them to be the result of some mistake. The conclusiveness of the decision on resurvey however was not considered. On going through the appeal memorandum in the lower appellate court I am not satisfied that the point was specifically taken. So, as pointed out by learned counsel for defendants 1 and 4 who appeared in this court, the parties had no occasion to put forth their case as to the legality or regularity or otherwise of the proceedings under the Act, upon due compliance with which alone, any finality or conclusiveness could be attributed to the resurvey decision. For example, it was, complained, that there was no notice to the defendants or their predecessor, of the proceedings of the resurvey under the Act, although some time afterwards certain objections were preferred by Pydal as part of his move for the correction of patta. The point was urged before me however as one of law; but I am satisfied, that the resurvey by which the aforesaid plots A, A-1, A-2 and C came to be included as part of resurvey No. 29/2, can have no bearing on the main issue of title to the suit property.
2. In the plaint, as has been seen, the property was claimed as part of Mavullachal kadu although the survey numbers, old and new, were both mentioned in its schedule, and in the written statements the defendants claimed the suit property as part of Padachal kadu. The two courts have examined the documents of title on which the parties relied, for example, Exts. B-67 and B-75 on which the 5th defendant relied, and Ext. B-55 on which defendants 1 and 4 relied, for proving their respective title. These and other related documents were considered with reference to the boundaries and the measurements specified in them and the two courts have concluded that the suit property is part of Padachal kadu and not part of Mavullachal kadu. This was the nature of the evidence adduced by the parties, and the courts below have taken a decision on such evidence. It is note
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