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2010 Supreme(Ker) 520

High Court of Kerala
THE HONOURABLE MR. JUSTICE S.S. SATHEESACHANDRAN
C. Vijayalakshmi
Versus
C. Gopalakrishna Menon
SA. No. 229 of 1998 (B)
Decided On : 07-09-2010

Advocates Appeared:
For the Petitioner:A.P. Chandrasekharan, Sr. Advocate. For the Respondent:B.G. Bidan Chandran, Advocate.

Headnote:

Transfer of Property Act 1882 - Section.122 - Definition of - Deed - Gift deed - Second appeal - Challenging concurrent decision rendered by the court below granting a decree in favour of respondent/plaintiff cancelling Ext.A2 gift deed in favour of the plaintiff/appellant - Plaintiff/respondent, in his suit, over and above seeking cancellation of settlement deed executed by him in favour of defendant sought for a decree of perpetual prohibitory injunction as well against the defendant to restrain her from trespassing upon or interfering with his possession and enjoyment over the plaint property. Though the trial court had granted a decree of injunction as well, the lower appellate court, in the appeal preferred by the appellant, taking note that she is residing in the building comprised in the schedule property, and further, by virtue of Ext.B1 settlement deed executed by her mother, she is a coowner of the property vacated that decree of injunction. However, the decree granted in favour of the plaintiff/respondent cancelling Ext.A2 settlement deed in favour of the appellant/defendant was confirmed by the lower appellate court also dismissing the appeal of the appellant challenging that part of the decree - Held, Gift deed executed by the plaintiff in favour of the defendant, it is seen, it is not coupled with any condition imposing an obligation on the donee to accept the gift subject to such condition. In other words, it is not at all an onerous gift. When it was not an onerous gift, the normal presumption is that the donee in whose favour such a gift has been made would be too willing to accept that gift once he or she comes to have knowledge of such gift. When Ext.B1 settlement deed spells out in unmistakable terms that the execution of Ext.A2 gift deed by the plaintiff in favour of the defendant was known to her mother also it presupposes that execution of Ext.A2 was not a concealed matter, but, a transfer with knowledge of other co-owners as well. PW2 was an attesting witness to Ext.A2 settlement deed is yet another circumstance indicating that he too, another co-owner of the property, knew of the settlement made by the plaintiff in favour of the defendant. When such be the case, at least two of the co-owners knew of Ext.A2 before, and the defendant, the donee, under Ext.B1 settlement deed, at least from the date of execution of Ext.B1. To get the cancellation of Ext.A2 the plaintiff was bound to prove the special circumstances, if any, establishing that there was no acceptance of the Ext.A2 gift by the defendant. Not only that no such circumstance was pleaded in the plaint to prove the non-acceptance of the gift no material whatsoever was placed even to show that the donee despite knowing of the gift would not have accepted the deed in her favour. Remittance of building tax or revenue charges, as evidenced by Exts.A4 and A5 series, by the plaintiff has least significance and value where it is shown that he is the eldest member of the family and, further, an occupant in the building situate in the property which remained undivided under the enjoyment of all the co-owners as tenants in common - Both the courts below have granted the decree impugned in favour of plaintiff on innocuous circumstances without appreciating the disputed question involved over the acceptance of the gift by the donee in accordance with the legal principles applicable to the case - The decree impugned in the appeal confirming the decree of the trial court is set aside - The appeal is allowed direcing both sides to suffer their costs.

Judgment :

1. The second appeal is filed by the defendant in O.S No.38/1990 of the Additional Munsiffs Court, Kozhikode challenging the concurrent decision rendered by the court below granting a decree in favour of the respondent/plaintiff canceling Ext.A2 gift deed in favour of the plaintiff/appellant. Plaintiff/respondent, in his suit, over and above seeking cancellation of Ext.A2 settlement deed executed by him in favour of the defendant sought for a decree of perpetual prohibitory injunction as well against the defendant to restrain her from trespassing upon or interfering with his possession and enjoyment over the plaint property. Though the trial court had granted a decree of injunction as well, the lower appellate court, in the appeal preferred by the appellant, taking note that she is residing in the building comprised in the schedule property, and further, by virtue of Ext.B1 settlement deed executed by her mother, she is a coowner of the property vacated that decree of injunction. However, the decree granted in favour of the plaintiff/respondent cancelling Ext.A2 settlement deed in favour of the appellant/defendant was confirmed by the lower appellate court also dismissing the appeal of the appellant challenging that part of the decree. Concurrent decision by the two courts granting the plaintiff the decree cancelling Ext.A2 settlement deed is challenged in this appeal.

2. Plaintiff is the maternal uncle of the defendant. Some of the undisputed facts involved in the case show that the property inclusive of the plaint property belonged to one Ramunni Menon, the maternal uncle of plaintiff. The defendant is admittedly a physically challenged lady who is a spinster, aged 36 years at the time when Ext.A2 settlement deed was executed in her favour. She is the daughter of Lakshmikutty Amma, the sister of the plaintiff. Ramunni Menon, maternal uncle of the plaintiff and also Lakshmikutty Amma, executed Ext.A1 will in favour of six persons, the children of his sister, bequeathing in their favour equally the properties covered by that will. One among the legatees under the will namely Unnikrishna Menon died issueless as a bachelor. His rights under the will also devolved upon the other legatees, plaintiff, Lakshmikutty Amma and her two sisters, namely Janakikutty Amma and Narayanikutty Amma and Ravunnikutty Menon (PW2). The will came into effect on the death of Unnikrishna Menon. But, admittedly the properties covered by the will remained as undivided with the legatees enjoying them as tenants in common. Plaintiff who obtained 1/5 right over the property under the bequest covered by Ext.A1 will and also later as a legal heir of his brother Unnikrishna Menon, executed Ext.A2 deed settling his share in the property in favour of the defendant. However, two years later, under Ext.A3 registered deed, he cancelled Ext.A2 settlement deed.

3. Suit was instituted against the defendant for a decree to cancel Ext.A2 gift deed contending that it has not come into effect, and for injunction against trespass as indicated earlier. The defendant resisted the suit contending that the gift accepted by her is not liable to be cancelled or revoked. The original of the gift deed, according to the defendant, was handed over to her soon after its registration. But, later, surreptitiously it was taken away by the plaintiff who also was an occupant of the residential building with her, situate in the plaint property when he had left that house after picking up a quarrel with some of the inmates. After execution of Ext.A2 settlement deed in her favour, the defendant contended, the plaintiff has no subsisting title, right or interest over the property.

4. On the issues settled over the pleadings of the parties, both sides let in oral and documentary evidence to substantiate their respective case. Plaintiff examined two witnesses including himself, as PW1 and PW2, and got exhibited Ext.A2 to A5 series. The defendant examined herself as DW1 and tendered E


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