Rajasthan High Court
Honble B.S. CHAUHAN, J.
Sukhpal Singh - Appellant
Versus
State of Rajasthan & Others - Respondents
S.B. Civil Writ Petition No. 2022 of 1993
Decided On : February 02, 1998
If the Revenue Court comes to the conclusion that it was never executed by late (Shri) Ishwar Singh, it is not necessary for the Revenue Court to declare it a nullity as it can be simply ignored and in that situation, by ignoring the said Will, the other reliefs claimed by the respondent No. 3 plaintiff can be granted by the Revenue Court as according to the averments in the plaint, neither the body nor mind of Shri Ishar Singh accompanied the alleged Will and the said instrument, being non est, is just to be ignored. Moreover, this petition has arisen only against an order passed on the application filed by the petitioner-defendant under Order 7 rule 11 C.P.C. and it is settled law that such an application cannot be entertained and allowed where the validity of a particular document is under challenge. (Para 25)
(2). The brief facts of the case, as revealed by the record, are that the petitioner-defendant and respondent No. 3-plaintiff are real brothers and respondent No. 4 Smt. Gurdev Kaur is their sister. Their father Ishar Singh was holding a Khatedari land in Chak No. 5-MLD (B), tehsil Ghadsana district Sri Ganganagar, who died on 12.11.87. The petitioner-defendant got the mutation of the whole land in his favour on the strength of a Will purported to have been executed by his father Ishar Singh. The respondent No. 3 (plaintiff) filed a suit before the Revenue Authority under Section 53 read with Section 88 of the Rajasthan Tenancy Act, 1955 (hereinafter referred as ``the Tenancy Act), wherein the allegations have been made as under :–
(i) after the death of their father, their sister Gurdeo Kaur has relinquished her share in favour of the said brothers;
(ii) partition took place between the petitioner-defendant and res- pondent No. 3 (plaintiff) which was verified and signed by the Tehsildar and it was attested by the witnesses;
(iii) the petitioner forged a Will on 21.5.88 in his favour and it has been shown to have been made on 15.3.87;
(iv) the said Will is forged and fabricated document as it was not executed by their father. In March, 1987 when the alleged Will is purported to had been made, his father was with him in Punjab;
(v) the Will was presented by the petitioner-defendant himself;
(vi) had the Will been a genuine document, it could have been disclosed on 30.11.87 when the partition took place before the Tehsildar; and
(vii) no notice was given to the respondent No. 3 plaintiff at the time of mutation proceedings.
The Prayer Clause reads as under :–
(a) declaration be made that the plaintiff was entitled for 1/3 share in the land in dispute and after getting it partitioned, he was entitled to possession over 1/3 share;
(b) he be put in possession of the said 1/3 share and mutation be made in his favour;
(c) award him the costs; and
(d) grant any other relief, to which the plaintiff was entitled.
(3). During the pendency of the suit, the petitioner-defendant filed an appli- cation before the competent Revenue Authority that the suit may be dismissed as it did not disclose any cause of action and the order to be passed under Order 7 Rule 11 C.P.C. Moreover, the suit was not maintainable before the Revenue Authority and such a declaration can be made only by the Civil Court. Thus, the plaintiff be relegated to the Civil Court for the said relief. The competent Authority rejected the said application vide order dated 31.1.92 (Annexure P. 2). The Revenue Authority has clearly mentioned that the plaintiff had not sought a declaration of cancellation of the Will, rather it was a case of ignoring the Will being forged and fabricated document. Thus, the Revenue Authority was competent to proceed with the matter.
(4). Being aggrieved and dissatisfied, petitioner-defendant filed a revision before the Board of Revenue-respondent No. 2 - under Section 230 read with Section 221 of the Tenancy Act, which has been rejected by the judgment and order dated 29.12.92 (Annexure. P. 3). Hence this writ petition.
(5). Heard learned counsel for the parties and perused the record of the case.
(6). Mr. H.S. Sidhu-learned counsel for the petitioner has submitted that the ultimate relief sought by the respondent No. 3-plaintiff is to get a declaration that the Will in question is a forged document and, therefore, the matter can be decided only by a civil court and if such a declar
3. Dhyanlaxmi Rice Mills vs. Commissioner of Civil Supplies & Anr. (AIR 1976 SC 2243)
4. Immani Apparao vs. G. Ramalingmurthy (AIR 1962 SC 370)
5. Ammathyee Lal Perumalkkal & Anr. vs. Kumaresan alias Balakrishnan & Ors. (AIR 1967 SC 569)
7. S.R. Nayak & Anr. vs. Union of India (AIR 1991 SC 1420)
9. Firm of Pratap Chandra Nopaji vs. Firm of Kotrike Venketa Setty & Sons (AIR 1975 SC 1223)
10. Raghubachmani Prasad Narain Singh vs. Ambica Prasad Singh (AIR 1971 SC 776)
11. Nawab Khan Abbas Khan vs. State of Gujarat (AIR 1974 SC 1471)
21. Nigawwa vs. Biaruppa Shiddappa Chirekmbrar (AIR 1968 SC 956)
22. Smt. Dulari Devi vs. Jannardan Singh (AIR 1990 SC 1173)
23. Abdul Wahid Khan vs. Bhawani (AIR 1966 SC 1718)
24. Smt. Bismilla vs. Janeshwar Prasad (AIR 1990 SC 540)
8. Yamuna Bai Anant Rao Adhav vs. Ananta Rao Shivram Adhav & Anr. (1988 (1) SCC 530)
13. G. Annamalai Pillai vs. District Revenue Officer & Ors. (1993 (2) SCC 402)
14. State of Kerla vs. M.K. Kunhikannan & Ors. (1996 (1) SCC 435)
1. Shri Shibha Prasad Singh vs. Maharaja Harish Chandra (AIR 1949 PC 297)
16. Bhagwan Das vs. Goswami Brijesh Kumarji & Ors. (AIR 1983 Rajasthan 3)
Login now and unlock free premium legal research
Login to SupremeToday AI and access free legal analysis, AI highlights, and smart tools.
Login
now!
India’s Legal research and Law Firm App, Download now!
Copyright © 2023 Vikas Info Solution Pvt Ltd. All Rights Reserved.