RAJASTHAN HIGH COURT
Vineet Kothari, J.
Satya Narain - Appellant
Versus
Ismile & Ors. - Respondent
S.B. Civil First Appeal No. 240 of 1995.
Decided On : 13-05-2008
"30. The foundation of the case of Jagannath's case (supra) being only a custom, based on a personal law. The force of customs being diluted by enactment of a statute, this case loses its binding force. It may at best have a kind of illustrative value. Thus, in our considered opinion, the ratio of the case of Jagannath's case has no binding value for deciding the question in hand. A custom in certain statutes have been recognised to have been continuing value but in the Pre-emption Act, no such saving has been provided for any prevailing custom, therefore also, a custom based on a perusal law looses significance altogether.
31. The ratio in the case of Bahu Ram's case (supra) clearly is to the effect that vicinage cannot be a position which will give the right of pre-emotion. In this case, it has been recognised that a co-sharer definitely has a right of pre-emption.
32. What is now to be seen is whether the term co-sharer or Partner as delineated in Section 6(1)(i) engulfs in it a person who has a right in a party wall i.e. When there is a common wall between the two dwellings.
33. A common wall supports the structure of the two houses. To that extent, is the use of the wall. Both the dwellings being contiguous. It is to be seen whether the two inmates have any commonality of the use of their dwellings? Answer would be in the negative. None of the two houses have anything common except a wall, which is jointly owned and faced the respective dwellings.
34. If the two houses have no other feature which is common to them, then this is certain that their occupant do not share the property when put to use, in any facet, except of course the support of wall. Can that contingency be given a broader definition so as to characterise each of the owner of the wall, be termed to be user of both the houses in its all parameters? The answer will again be in the negative. No one permits a neighbour to get into his house to his determinant. Meaning thereby the Co-sharership or partnership does not extend beyond the wall. Thus the owner of the house of both sides are part owner of the common wall.
35. Definition of Co-sharer as given in Section 2 (1) of the Rajasthan Pre-emption act, 1966 defines an owner of the part of a premises as a Co-sharer. But Co-sharer of the nature we are concerned has a handicap, that is most important aspect, that he cannot use any part of the premises of another. If use is restricted to wall only then to what extent his rights are to be recognized?
36. As part owner of the wall, two neighbours exclude each other from the use of the respective houses. Thus each one of them is excluded from the use of the dominant part of the main part of the house. If a Co-sharer as depicted as a sharer of Party wall, is not in a position to use the dominant part of the house, then his rights are confined to the use of the wall of which each one is part owner. A part owner thus, given the right of preemption under Section 6(1)(i), will have the capacity to inhibit the free enjoyment of property of other. Such restriction sounds to be an onerous burden.
37. Premises on which the doctrine of right of pre-emption is based is that the vendee should not put the existing owner in a difficult position than the one which was before sale. The wall separates the two dwellings. The respective easements are governed by a separate statute. Those rights cannot be infringed by any sale. These e
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