2013 Supreme(Raj) 1803
RAJASTHAN HIGH COURT AT JAIPUR BENCH
R.S.Chauhan, J.
Pushpendra Singh Chandrawat - Appellant
Versus
Prabhu Raj Singh & Anr. - Respondent
S.B. Civil Writ Petition No. 14314 of 2013.
Decided On : 17-09-2013
Advocates:
For the Petitioner:Anoop Dhand, Advocate.
For the Respondent No. 1:Amit Kumar Jain, Advocate.
The Tehsildar is required to value only the property in dispute, as shown in the map attached with the plaint.
Headnote:
COURT FEES - VALUATION OF SUIT PROPERTY - RAJASTHAN COURT FEES AND SUITS VALUATION ACT, 1961 - SECTION 7 - COURT DIRECTED TEHSILDAR TO VALUE THE PROPERTY IN DISPUTE AS SHOWN IN THE MAP ATTACHED WITH THE PLAINT - TEHSILDAR EXCEEDED THE INSTRUCTION AND INCLUDED THE PART OF THE PROPERTY MARKED AS ABCD IN THE MAP, INSTEAD OF CONFINING HIMSELF ONLY TO THE PROPERTY SHOWN IN GREEN AND YELLOW COLOURS IN THE MAP - HELD, THE VERY BASIS OF THE VALUATION IS MISPLACED.
Fact of the Case:
Plaintiff filed a suit for possession, permanent injunction, and mesne profit regarding a fort known as Sheopurgarh. The defendant claimed ownership of the property. The court directed the Tehsildar to value the suit property. The Tehsildar valued the property as Rs. 2 crore 26 lac, including the part of the property marked as ABCD in the map, which was not in dispute. The plaintiff objected to the report, but the court rejected the objection and directed the plaintiff to deposit Rs. 5,14,490/-.
Finding of the Court:
The court held that the Tehsildar had exceeded the instruction given to him and had included the part of the property marked as ABCD in the map, instead of confining himself only to the property shown in green and yellow colours in the map. The court further held that the plaintiff had clearly indicated the dimensions of the property in dispute in the map attached to the plaint.
Issues: Whether the Tehsildar was justified in valuing the part of the property marked as ABCD in the map, which was not in dispute.
Ratio Decidendi: The court held that the Tehsildar had exceeded the instruction given to him by the court and had included the part of the property marked as ABCD in the map, which was not in dispute. The court further held that the plaintiff had clearly indicated the dimensions of the property in dispute in the map attached to the plaint.
Final Decision: The court set aside the impugned order and directed the court to instruct the Tehsildar to do the valuation of "the property in dispute" marked in the map in green and yellow colours only, the measurements of which were mentioned in the judgment. The payment of the court-fees shall be decided only after receiving the Tehsildar's report with regard to the property in dispute as mentioned in the judgment.
JUDGMENT
1. - The plaintiff petitioner is aggrieved by the order dated 20.7.2013 passed by Additional District Judge No. 18, Jaipur Metropolitan, Jaipur, whereby the objection filed by the plaintiff petitioner against the report of the Tehsildar Sanganer (Jaipur) has been rejected and the plaintiff petitioner has been directed to deposit a court-fees of Rs. 5,14,490/- within fifteen days.
2. The brief facts of the case are that the plaintiff petitioner had filed a suit for possession, permanent injunction and mesne profit regarding a fort known as Sheopurgarh situated at Pratap Nagar, Sanganer, which belonged to his father the Late Rao Durga Singh. He further claimed that the defendant respondent, Prabhu Raj Singh, happen to be a relative of his. Therefore, on 1.2.1971 he allowed Prabhu Raj Singh to reside in a portion of the fort, which was marked in yellow colour in the map attached with the plaint. However, in September 2011, Prabhu Raj Singh started raising illegal construction in the adjoining property, which is marked in green in the map enclosed with the plaint. When the plaintiff objected to the illegal encroachment on part of his property, the defendant did not pay any heed to his objections. Subsequently, on 22.1.2012 Prabhu Raj Singh even brought labour into the fort in order to raise certain construction on portion marked as ABCD in the map. However, subsequently he gave up his efforts to start any encroachment. Instead, he started claiming that he is the owner of the property. But according to the plaintiff petitioner, Prabhu Raj Singh has no concern with the property. Hence the suit for possession, permanent injunction and mesne profit. The suit was filed along with a court-fees of Rs. 13,635/- as the plaintiff valued the disputed property at Rs. 2 lac.
3. The defendant respondent, Prabhu Raj Singh, filed an application under Order 7, Rule 11 CPC stating therein that the valuation of the property is more than Rs. 2 crore. Hence the suit has been filed on deficit court-fees. Upon his application, an inquiry has been held under Order 10, Rule 1 CPC, and under the provisions of the Rajasthan Court-Fees and Suits Valuation Act, 1961. The plaintiff submitted a reply to the said application and denied the averments. After hearing the arguments on the said application, by order dated 11.2.2013 the learned Judge directed the Tehsildar, Sanganer (Jaipur) to do the valuation of the suit property and to submit his report within a period of fifteen days. Therefore, on 8.3.2013, the Tehsildar submitted his report and valued the property as Rs. 2 crore 26 lac.
4. The plaintiff petitioner submitted an objection to the report submitted by the Tehsildar. However, by order dated 20.7.2013 the learned Judge accepted the valuation of the suit property as Rs. 2 crore 26 lac and directed the plaintiff petitioner to deposit Rs. 5,14,490/-. Hence this petition before this Court.
5. Mr. Anoop Dhand, the learned counsel for petitioner, has contended that by order dated 11.2.2013 the learned Judge had directed the Tehsildar to do the valuation of the "property in dispute". The term "property in dispute" was also defined as shown in the map attached in the plaint. However, the Tehsildar has exceeded the instruction given to him, and has included the part of the property marked as ABCD in the map, instead of confining himself only to the property shown in green and yellow colours in the map. According to the learned counsel, the dispute is only with regard to the property shown in green and yellow colours. The dispute does not extend to the part of the property shown as ABCD in the map. Thus, the very basis of the valuation is misplaced.
6. On the other hand Mr. Amit Kumar Jain, the learned counsel for defendant respondent, has contended that the property was described in paras 2 and 3 of the plaint. A bare perusal of para 3 clearly reveals that the plaintiff had also spoken about part of the property marked as ABCD. Therefore, the Tehsildar was
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