2014 Supreme(Raj) 953
RAJASTHAN HIGH COURT
Amitava Roy, Vijay Bishnoi, JJ.
LR’s Teja Ram - Appellant
Versus
State of Rajasthan & Ors. - Respondent
D.B. Special Appeal (Writ) No. 259 of 2006.
Decided On : 10-02-2014
For the Appellant:L.R. Mehta, Advocate.
For the Respondents: Sunil Joshi on behalf of Rajesh Panwar, AAG.
Headnote:A. Rajasthan Tenancy Act, 1955, Section 88 and 188 – Rajasthan Land Revenue Act, 1956, Section 91 – Khatedari Rights – Petitioner field suit for declaration claiming Khatedari rights in respect of 54 Bigha of Agricultural Land – Land recorded as Bila Kabja Sarkari Padat in revenue records – Plaintiff relied on Patta granted by former Jagirdar of Barmer – Genuineness of patta produced by petitioner doubtful – Plea that maintenance of Patta Record in jagir of Barmer Pargana Malani was most haphazard – The measurements of the land given in patta did not meet the requirements when land in question was recorded as Government Land – Held, the plaintiff was not entitled to Decree of Khatedari rights. The findings of the lower court and the single judge has been upheld – The petitioner has not been able to prove his valid claim in the land in question – Petitioner claimed his right on the grounds that the pasta was given to him by the former jagirdar of Barmer and also raised the plea that he has been maintaining the said Patta – the plea not reliable – The records and the evidence show that the measurement of the land also did not match the govt records – decree was not given to the petitioner for the rights in khatedari – Appeal is not permitted.
B. Rajasthan Tenancy Act, 1955, Sections 221 and 223 – Where a question about the jurisdiction of the Revenue Appellate authority is asked it has been held that the authority was wrong in decreeing the suit without sufficient evidence on record and thus the Revenue board correctly intervened with the order of the authority – Revenue Board has the superintendence over all revenue courts.
Certainly. Based on the provided legal document, here are the key points summarized:
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The case involves a land dispute where the petitioner, Late Teja Ram, claimed Khatedari rights over 54 Bighas of agricultural land recorded as 'Bila Kabja Sarkari Padat' in revenue records (!) .
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The petitioner relied on a Patta allegedly granted by a former Jagirdar of Barmer, but the genuineness of this Patta was doubted due to the haphazard maintenance of records and discrepancies in land measurements (!) .
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The Assistant Collector initially dismissed the revenue suit, citing lack of proof of continuous possession and doubts about the authenticity of the Patta, especially since the land was recorded as government land (!) .
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The Revenue Appellate Authority reversed this decision and decreed the suit in favor of Late Teja Ram, accepting his evidence and the Patta's validity (!) .
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The State government did not appeal or seek revision but referred the matter to the Board of Revenue under a specific section, which questioned the validity of the Revenue Appellate Authority's order and accepted the reference (!) .
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The Board of Revenue, exercising its supervisory powers, reviewed the case and found that the Revenue Appellate Authority had exceeded its jurisdiction by accepting insufficient evidence regarding possession and the authenticity of the Patta (!) .
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The review concluded that there was no reliable evidence to establish Late Teja Ram’s possession over the land, and the Patta's measurements did not meet the standards for agricultural land, thereby invalidating his claim (!) .
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The courts, including the learned Single Judge, upheld the findings that the Revenue Appellate Authority's decision was beyond its jurisdiction and was not supported by adequate evidence (!) .
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The courts emphasized that the Revenue Board has broad supervisory powers over subordinate revenue courts, including the authority to interfere when illegalities are identified (!) (!) .
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Ultimately, the appeal was dismissed, affirming that the original decision to deny Khatedari rights was correct based on the evidence and legal principles involved (!) (!) .
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