High Court Of Rajasthan
Judgename : K.N. Wanchoo, I.N. Modi
Amarsingh - Appellant
Versus
Karnail Kaur - Respondent
Civil Miscellaneous Leave to appeal case No. 11 of 1955
Decided On : 01/27/1956
CONSTITUTIONAL LAW - ARTICLE 133(1)(B) - LEAVE TO APPEAL TO SUPREME COURT - CLAIM OR QUESTION RESPECTING PROPERTY OF VALUE OF RS. 20,000/- OR OVER - SUIT FOR DECLARATION OF PREGNANCY AND LEGITIMACY - VALUATION FOR JURISDICTIONAL PURPOSES - APPLICABILITY OF ARTICLE 133(1)(B) - INTERPRETATION.
Fact of the Case:
Plaintiffs filed a suit for a declaration that the defendant's alleged posthumous child was not the son of her husband and that she was not pregnant at the time of her husband's death. The trial court decreed the suit, but the High Court reversed the decision on appeal. The plaintiffs applied for leave to appeal to the Supreme Court under Article 133(1)(b) of the Constitution, arguing that the judgment involved a claim or question respecting property of the value of not less than Rs. 20,000/-.
Finding of the Court:
The court held that Article 133(1)(b) of the Constitution is an independent clause and not an alternative to any portion of the next preceding clause. The court further held that the plaintiffs' suit was not a suit for any specific property or for a declaration with respect to any such property, but it was a suit for obtaining a declaration that the opposite party Mst. Karnail Kaur was not in a state of pregnancy at the time of her husband's death and that her alleged posthumous child Jagrupsingh was, therefore, not the son of her husband Dayalsingh. The court also held that the mere circumstance that the plaintiffs valued their suit for jurisdictional purposes at the sum of Rs. 10,000/-should not be allowed to stand in the way of their showing that the suit directly or indirectly affected the property of the value of Rs. 20,000/-or over.
Issues: 1. Whether Article 133(1)(b) of the Constitution is an independent clause or an alternative to any portion of the next preceding clause. 2. Whether the plaintiffs' suit was a suit for any specific property or for a declaration with respect to any such property. 3. Whether the mere circumstance that the plaintiffs valued their suit for jurisdictional purposes at the sum of Rs. 10,000/-should be allowed to stand in the way of their showing that the suit directly or indirectly affected the property of the value of Rs. 20,000/-or over.
Ratio Decidendi: 1. Article 133(1)(b) of the Constitution is an independent clause and not an alternative to any portion of the next preceding clause. 2. The plaintiffs' suit was not a suit for any specific property or for a declaration with respect to any such property. 3. The mere circumstance that the plaintiffs valued their suit for jurisdictional purposes at the sum of Rs. 10,000/-should not be allowed to stand in the way of their showing that the suit directly or indirectly affected the property of the value of Rs. 20,000/-or over.
Final Decision: The court granted the plaintiffs leave to appeal to the Supreme Court.
2. The dispute between the parties in substance and effect relates to the right to succeed to the estate of the deceased Dayalsingh, nephew (being brother’s son) of the petitioners, and the husband of oppo site party No. 1 Mst. Karnail Kaur. The plaintiffs’ case was that Mst. Karnail Kaur was not at all pregnant at the time of her husband’s death on the 20th February, 1947, and, therefore, the alleged after-born son Jagrupsingh opposite party No. 2 was an impostor, not being the child of Dayalsingh. There was a further allegation that Mst. Karnail Kaur had contracted a second rnarriage with Labhsingh, one of the sons of the plaintiff Arnarsingh. The plaintiffs’ suit was instituted directly to obtain a declaration to the effect above-rnentioned. They valued their suit for purposes of jurisdiction at Rs. 10,000/-and paid a fixed Court-fee of Rs. 20/-only. The suit was resisted by Mst. Karnail Kaur on the grounds that she was in fact pregnant at the time of her husband Dayal Singh’s death and “that Jagrupsingh was her posthurnous child and that the version of the plaintiffs that she had entered into a second rnarriage with Labhsingh son of the plaintiff Arnarsingh was entirely false and without any foundation. The trial Court found in favour of the defendants on the question of re-rnarriage but against them so far as the question of Mst. Karnail Kaur’s pregnancy at the time of her husband’s death was concerned, and in that view decreed the plaintiffs suit. On appeal by the defendants, a Bench of this Court reversed the trial Court’s finding on the question of Mt. Karnail Kaur’s pregnancy at the time of her husband’s death and dismissed the plaintiffs’ suit. The plaintiffs have filed this application for leave to appeal to the Supreme Court from the aforesaid decision.
3. The application was argued before us mainly on the ground that it was covered by Article 133(1)(b) of the Constitution, that the judgment of this Court was one of variance with that of the Court below and that it would affect the plaintiffs’ claim or right respecting property of the value of not less than Rs. 20,000/-. We may point out that the application for leave to appeal appears to us to have been drawn up somewhat vaguely so as also to bring it within Clause (1) (a) of Article 133, but we do not propose to deal with it under that clause as the argument addressed to us was concentrated on Clause (1) (b) of that article. The relevant portion of Article 133 is in these terms:-“An appeal shall lie to the Supreme Court from any judgment, decree or final order in a civil proceeding of a High Court in the territory of India if the High Court certifies-
(a) that theamount or value of the subject-matter of the dispute in the Court of first instance and still in dispute on appeal was and is not less than twenty-thousand rupees or such other sum as may be specified in
that behalf by Parliament by law; or
.(b) that the judgment, decree or final order involves directly or indirectly some claim or question respecting property of the like amount or value; or
.(c) that the case is a fit one for appeal to the Supreme Court; and where the judgment, decree or final order appealed from affirms the decision of the Court immediately below in any case other than a case refer red to in Sub-clause (c), if the High Court further certifies that the appeal involves some substantial question of law.”
4. The question for determination before us is whether the judgment or decree of this Court involves directly or indirectly some claim or question respecting property of the like amount or value (i.e., twenty-th
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