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2009 Supreme(Ker) 479

High Court Of Kerala
THE HONOURABLE MR. JUSTICE S.S. SATHEESACHANDRAN
K.Zacharia - Appellant
Versus
Jolly Cherian - Respondents
WP(C).No. 11702 of 2009 (O)
Decided On : 26 June 2009

Advocates Appeared:For the Petitioners:V.L. Shenoy, Advocate. For the Respondents:N. Ashok Kumar, Advocate.

Headnote:

Civil Procedure Code. 1908 -Section. 47 - Petition is filed by the respondents 1, 2, 4 and 5 in E.P.No.630/2003 in O.S.No.273/1995 on the file of the Sub Court, Ernakulam. The decree passed in the above suit, which was one for partition, allotting specific shares in the suit property to the sharers is being executed in the aforesaid execution petition. One among the plaintiffs in the suit namely, K.George Zacharia allotted a specific share, passed away after the passing of the final decree -Held, facts and circumstances presented in the case is that the widow and daughter of late K.George Zacharia, the decree holder, had already been substituted to represent his estate by entertaining their application for delivery - 4th petitioner has not challenged the substitution as such, but contend that as a legatee under a will executed by late K.George Zacharia, she alone is competent to get the property alloted to him under the decree. The execution petition E.P.No.630/2003 was once dismissed, but, later restored and taken back on file - Petition is disposed

Judgment :

The writ petition is filed by the respondents 1, 2, 4 and 5 in E.P.No.630/2003 in O.S.No.273/1995 on the file of the Sub Court, Ernakulam. The decree passed in the above suit, which was one for partition, allotting specific shares in the suit property to the sharers is being executed in the aforesaid execution petition. One among the plaintiffs in the suit namely, K.George Zacharia, who was also allotted a specific share, passed away after the passing of the final decree. His widow and daughter moved an application as legal heirs for delivery of the share allotted to him under the decree, and they are the 1st and 2nd respondents in the writ petition. The other two respondents, 3 and 4 in the writ petition, are co-plaintiffs in the suit and they have also been allotted shares under the decree. The claim of the 1st and 2nd respondents, widow and daughter of late K.George Zacharia, for getting delivery of the property allotted to the share of Zacharia in their favour, is being resisted by the 4th petitioner in the writ petition, who was also a party to the suit, contending that late K.George Zacharia had executed a will bequeathing all his assets in her favour, and so much so, she is the sole legatee entitled to the share allotted to him under the suit. Petitioners 1 to 3 in the petition are some of the defendants in the suit, and respondents in the execution petition. They supported the claim of the 4th petitioner and now in the writ petition they have joined with her to impeach the correctness of an order passed by the court below with respect to the will purported to have been executed by K.George Zacharia. An enquiry on the genuineness of the will, which is an unregistered one, was proceeded by the execution court, in which, the 1st petitioner herein, the brother of late K.George Zacharia, was also examined. The learned Sub Judge, after considering the materials placed in that enquiry, passed an order directing for sending over the document for an expert opinion to one Sri.Khan Shahib, who is stated to be a Finger Print and Hand writing expert. The 4th petitioner/5th respondent in the proceedings before the court below, who propounded the will was directed to deposit an amount of Rs.3,500/-towards expert's fee as demand draft drawn in the name of the expert. Ext.P12 is the copy of that order. Correctness and propriety of Ext.P12 order passed by the learned Sub Judge is impeached by the petitioners invoking the supervisory jurisdiction vested with this Court under Article 227 of the Constitution of India.

2. I heard the counsel on both sides. Having regard to the facts and circumstances presented and the submissions made at the time of hearing with reference to the materials produced in the petition and perusing the impugned order passed by the learned Sub Judge, I requested the learned counsel for the petitioner to enlighten me whether the dispute presented before the execution court as to who is the legal heir of a deceased decree holder, that too, in a decree passed in a suit for partition allotting specific shares to that decree holder in which the other judgment debtor could not have any interest or raise any challenge, is a question falling for determination before the execution court under Section 47 of the CPC. The learned counsel for the petitioners relying on Parbati Debi and others v. Mahadeo Prasad Tibrewalla (AIR 1979 SC 1915) and Gopaldas Mohata v. Fulchand (1997 (1) KLT Short note 40), submitted that if a question as to who is the legal representative of the decree holder is raised before the executing court, that court is bound in law to resolve that dispute under Section 47 of the CPC.

3. The question, thus, arising for consideration is whether a dispute regarding the status of a representative of a decree holder in a suit for partition to whom specific share was allotted, is a question arising for determination by the executing court for execution, discharge or satisfaction of the decree. Section 4









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