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2013 Supreme(Raj) 141

RAJASTHAN HIGH COURT
Pratapmal Dharewa Dadabari Trust Vs. Ganpat Das (Dr. Kothari, J.)
HON'BLE DR. VINEET KOTHARI, J.
Shri Pratapmal Dharewa Dadabari Trust, Sujangarh & Ors.
Versus
Ganpat Das & Ors.
S.B. Civil Writ Petition No. 1404 of 2012, decided on 04.04.2013

Advocates Appeared
Abhinav Jain, for Petitioners;
N.L. Joshi, for Respondents

Headnote:Rajasthan Public Trust Act, 1959, Sec. 18 read with Evidence Act, 1872, Sec. 65 & 90 — Patta of land 100 years old — Application for allowing secondary evidence in the form of a 100 years old document — Photocopy of the same be allowed as original is not traceable — Photocopy of which is duly produced at the time of filing the suit — Suit for eviction of Poojari — Poojari died but legal representatives not handing over the possession to the Trust — Held — Court is not justified in refusing to allow the secondary evidence which was duly supported by evidence in the form of registration with the Devasthan Department with description of property — Poojari of the temple has no inheritable right of worship and his appointment as poojari and duties to perform `seva pooja' is governed by the terms of his appointment by the Trust — Legal representatives cannot claim any inheritable right even of `seva puja.' (Para 14)

       Petition allowed.

        jktLFkku yksd izU;kl vf/kfu;e] 1959] /kkjk 18 lifBr lk{; vf/kfu;e] 1872] /kkjk 65 o 90 & Hkwfe dk iV~Vk 100 o"kZ iqjkuk gS & ,d lkS o"kZ iqjkus nLrkost ds :i esa xkS.k lk{; is'k djus dh vuqefr gsrq vkosnu & mldh Nk;k izfr dh vuqefr nh tkos D;ksafd ewy dh ryk'k ugha gks ik jgh gS & mldh Nk;k izfr okn nk;j djrs le; lE;d~ :i ls is'k dh gqbZ gS & iqtkjh dh csn[kyh gsrq okn & iqtkjh dh e`R;q gks pqdh gS ysfdu mlds fof/kd izfrfuf/k izU;kl dks dCtk lqiqnZ ugha dj jgs gS & vfHkfu/kkZfjr & xkS.k lk{; dks Lohdkj djus ls euk djus esa U;k;ky; U;k;ksfpr ugha tks lEifRr ds fooj.k ds lkFk nsoLFkku foHkkx esa iaft;u ds :i esa lk{; ls lE;d~ :i ls lefFkZr Fkk & eafnj ds iqtkjh dks iwtk dk dksbZ fojklru vf/kdkj izkIr ugha gksrk rFkk iqtkjh ds :i esa mldh fu;qfDr o ^lsok iwtk* djus ds mlds drZO; izU;kl }kjk mldh fu;qfDr ds fucU/kuksa ls fofu;fer gksrs gS & fof/kd izfrfuf/k ^^lsok iwtk** ds Hkh fdlh fojklru vf/kdkj dk nkok ugha dj ldrsA ¼in la[;k 14½

       ;kfpdk Lohdkj dhA

       

Hon'ble Dr. KOTHARI, J.—The present writ petition has been filed by the plaintiff – Shri Pratapmal Dharewa Dadabari Trust, Sujangarh and its three trustees against the defendant-respondents Ganpat Das s/o Kaludas & other legal representatives of late Kaludas, who was working as Poojari in the temple managed by the registered Public Trust, the petitioner no.1. The petitioner plaintiffs are aggrieved by the order Annex.7 dated 16/12/2011,whereby, the learned trial court in a suit for mandatory injunction seeking to restrain the defendants from encroaching the land of temple of deity, which was managed by the petitioner Public Trust and forcibly performing Pooja therein and not to interfere in the day-to-day management of the petitioner Public Trust along with damages for unauthorised occupation by them on the part of the property of petitioner Trust, which was duly registered as Public Trust with the Devasthan Department.

By the impugned order the petitioner Trust sought to prove the photocopy of the original Patta of Samvat Year 1898, more than 100 years old document, as a secondary evidence, since the original Patta was given to their advocate Shri Har Gopal Mohta of Bikaner, who died during the pendency of said trial in the year 2008 and the photocopy of the said Patta was already on the record of the trial court and other corroborative evidence in the form of registration of petitioner Trust with the Devasthan Department including the description of the property vide order No.12/87/Churu of the Assistant Commissioner, Devasthan Department, Bikaner dated 25/6/1987 (Annex.8) in the case file No. 68/85 passed under Section 18 of the Rajasthan Public Trust Act, 1959 and Annex.2 giving the details of the immovable property of the said petitioner Trust including the land of 10000 sq. yds, which is approximately the land of 9 bighas disclosed in the Patta, a copy whereof is produced as Annex.5 on record, which Patta is in favour of petitioner Trust/Trustees.

2. The legal representatives of deceased Poojari Kalu Das are contesting the said suit filed by the plaintiff Trust.

3. Learned counsel for the petitioner, Mr. Abhinav Jain submitted that the learned trial court has erred in rejecting the application of the petitioner Trust under Section 65 of the Evidence Act in not allowing the plaintiffs to lead secondary evidence in the form of Patta, a 100 years old document, which itself is entitled to a presumption of it being valid as per Section 90 of the Evidence Act and the original of which, in the circumstances beyond the control of the petitioner Trust, namely death of their advocate Shri Har Gopal Mohta in 2008, a photocopy of which is duly produced at the time of filing the suit itself and since the respondent-defendants, legal representatives of deceased Poojari Kalu Das, who had no right to remain in possession of the part of the property known as Hanuman Temple within the premises of Jain Temple belonging to the petitioner Trust and in fact the respondent-defendants were illegally occupying the said portion of the property and were illegally trying to encroach upon the other part of the land also. Learned counsel for the petitioner, thus, submitted that not only the suit against them deserves to be decreed but in the absence of title being allowed to be proved by the plaintiffs under the garb of impugned order, a serious miscarriage of justice would result in the present case.

4. He relied upon the following judgments in support of his case.

(i) M.Chandra vs. M.Thangmuthu & anr.- 2010 AIR SCW 6362

(ii) Ramchandra Sakharam Mahajan vs. Damodar Trimbak Tanksale (D) & ors. - 2007 AIR SCW 4583

5. On the other hand, Mr. N.L.Joshi, learned counsel for the respondent-defendants submitted that the impugned order of the learned trial court is justified and such interlocutory order does not require interference by this Court in the present writ petition filed under Article 227 of the Constitution of India. He relied upon the following judgment


























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