IN THE HIGH COURT OF KERALA AT ERNAKULAM
A.M. SHAFFIQUE AND K. RAMAKRISHNAN, JJ.
SHERIKATH AND ORS. – APPELLANTS
Versus
SHAMSEENA AND ORS. – RESPONDENTS
M.A.(Exe.) No.10 of 2016
Decided On : 03-02-2017
Transfer of Property Act 1882 - Section 53 - Civil Procedure Code, 1908 - O.XXI R. 58 - Fraud - Bona fide purchaser of property - Transfer of - Burden to prove the fraud - Any fraudulent transfer under Section 53 of the Act, then the burden is heavy on the objector to prove that he is a bona fide purchaser for valid consideration in good faith. This has to be established by the objector/claimant
K. Ramakrishnan, J.
Claimant in E.A.No.289/2016 in E.P.No.29/2013 in O.P.No.2492/2011 on the file of the Family Court, Thrissur are the appellants herein. The first respondent herein is the wife of the 2nd respondent and appellants 1 to 4 are the siblings and 5th respondent is the mother of the 2nd respondent. The first respondent filed O.P.2492/2011 before the Family Court, Thrissur against the second respondent for return of gold ornaments or its value, claiming an amount of Rs.14,92,480/-. The original petition was filed on 19.12.2011 and it was posted to 14.06.2012 for return of notice. When the first respondent came to know about the intention of the second respondent to assign his properties, she filed an application to advance hearing and also filed I.A.No.1757/2012 on 18.05.2012 for attachment before judgment and the petition schedule property was attached as per order dated 18.05.2012. The case was decided in favour of the first respondent and thereafter she filed E.P.No.29/2013 for realisation of the amount by sale of the property, share of the second respondent in the property. When sale notice was published, the appellants filed E.A.No.289/2016 for lifting the attachment under Order 21 Rule 58 of the Code of Civil Procedure. It is alleged in the claim petition that the property having a total extent of 11 cents with a building therein originally belong to late Kunjumon, who is the husband of 5th claim petitioner and father of petitioners 1 to 4 and the second respondent. He obtained the property as per partition deed No.1476/84 of S.R.O. Chavakkad. On the death of Kunjumon, the property devolved on the claim petitioners and the second respondent. The second respondent as per release deed No.850/2012 dated 11.09.2012 released his share in the property in favour of the claim petitioners for an amount of Rs.2,27,000/-. So they became the owners of the property. The second respondent has no attachable interest in the property as on the date of attachment as the property was sold prior to the attachment. He was having lot of financial commitments and creditors were after him. So in order to discharge those liabilities, he had sold his right in the property in favour of the claim petitioners and this fact was known to the first respondent and knowing that the second respondent has no right in the property, she got it attached with malafide intentions. The petitioners are bona fide purchasers for valid consideration and without notice of pendency of any proceedings. So they prayed for releasing the attachment.
2. The second respondent remained absent. First respondent filed counter contending that the petition is not maintainable. The allegation that the share of the second respondent was sold for a consideration of Rs.2,27,000/- and the claim petitioners are the bona fide purchasers for value etc., is not correct and denied. The allegation that they made enquiries as to whether there was any encumbrance to the property before purchase is also not correct. The second respondent had released his share with fraudulent intention to defeat the right of the first respondent to pay the value of the gold ornaments claimed by her in the proceedings. In fact no consideration was passed and he is still in possession of the property and the claim petitioners were not bona fide purchasers for consideration without notice of the proceedings as claimed. The second respondent had received notice in the proceedings on 09.04.2012 and immediately he had created this document in favour of the claim petitioners with malafide intention knowing that there was no attachment, but there is possibility of attachment. Further even during 2011 itself, a crime was registered by Chavakkad police as Crime No.640/2011. So it cannot be said that the claim petitioners were not aware of the proceedings pending and this was created to defeat the right of the first respondent to recover the amount with fraudulent intention in collusion with the claim
Abdul Jalal v. Maria Financiers
Hamda Ammal v. Avadiappa Pathar
Ithakku Abraham v. Kesavan Damodaran
Rajan @ Rajan Gopinathan v. Dr. D. Jayasree Nayar
Sathiyamma v. Gayathri and Others
V.E.A.R.M. firm and Another v. Maung Ba Kyin and Another
Vannarakkal Kallalathil Sreedharan v. Chandramaath Balakrishnan and Another
Login now and unlock free premium legal research
Login to SupremeToday AI and access free legal analysis, AI highlights, and smart tools.
Login
now!
India’s Legal research and Law Firm App, Download now!
Copyright © 2023 Vikas Info Solution Pvt Ltd. All Rights Reserved.