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2021 Supreme(HP) 28

IN THE HIGH COURT OF HIMACHAL PRADESH, SHIMLA
JYOTSNA REWAL DUA, J.
Sh. Parveen Kumar & ors - Petitioners
Versus
Sh. Choudary Ram & ors - Respondents
CMPMO No. 341 of 2014
Decided On : 22-04-2021

Advocates:
Advocate Appeared:
For the Petitioner:Mr. Anuj Gupta,Advocate.
For the Respondent:Mr. Ajay Sharma, Senior Advocate with Ms. Aanandita Sharma,
Advocate,

Headnote:

Constitution of India,1950 - Article 227 - Code of Civil Procedure,1908 - Section 47 - Actual possession of suit land - Warrant of actual possession - Symbolic possession of suit - Prayer in execution petition was for putting plaintiffs/decree holders - Whether any person is or is not the representative of a party, such question shall, for purposes of section, be determined by Court - Allegations in plaint were defendants were neither owners nor tenants over suit land - Yet they had forcibly taken over the possession of suit land in an illegal and unlawful manner - Decree for vacant possession of the suit land was prayed - plaintiffs alongwith other cosharers are the owners of the suit land and the defendants have no right, title or interest over the suit land, and thus, suit of plaintiffs is hereby decreed - Defendants for vacant possession of the land comprised – Held, judgment debtors/objectors have proved on record that they had become co-sharers of suit land subsequent to passing of the decree sought to be executed - Suit land is now jointly owned by them alongwith various cosharers - Possession over the suit land cannot be treated as illegal and, therefore, they cannot be ousted from such possession - possession of the suit land is now in a capacity different from the one in which they had suffered decree for possession. In such circumstances, Learned trial court was justified in not issuing warrant of actual possession in favour of decree holders/petitioners – Petition is dismissed

JUDGMENT :

JYOTSNA REWAL DUA, J.

1. The objections preferred by the judgment debtors to the execution petition filed by the decree holders have been partly allowed by the learned Executing Court vide order dated 29.8.2014, which is impugned herein by the decree holders. In terms of this order, instead of actual possession, only symbolic possession of the suit land has been ordered to be delivered to the decree holders.

2(i) A civil suit was instituted by S/Shri Rania and Chuni Lal, both sons of Shri Litru on 29.12.1995. The defendants in the suit were S/Shri Dulo and Chhunku, both sons of Shri Mangtu. The plaintiffs asserted themselves to be owners alongwith other co-sharers of the suit land comprised in Khata No. 39 min, Khatauni No. 81, Khasra No. 78, measuring 0-00-55 HM, situated in village Tutwan, Sub Tehsil Fatehpur, District Kangra, on the basis of jamabandi for the year 1989-90. The allegations in the plaint were that the defendants were neither the owners nor the tenants over the suit land. Yet they had forcibly taken over the possession of the suit land in May 1989 in an illegal and unlawful manner. Therefore, decree for vacant possession of the suit land was prayed for. Learned trial Court on 22.8.1998, decreed the suit of the plaintiffs exparte against the defendants for vacant possession of suit land. The operative part of the judgment reads as under:

    “…….Since the plaintiffs alongwith other cosharers are the owners of the suit land and the defendants have no right, title or interest over the suit land, and thus, the suit of the plaintiffs is hereby decreed against the defendants for vacant possession of the land comprised in Khata No. 39 min, Khatauni No. 81, Khasra No. 78, measuring 0-00-55 HM, situated in village Tutwan,Sub Tehsil Fatehpur, Distt. Kangra, H.P. as per jamabandi for the year 1989-90.”

2(ii) On 12.8.2006, the legal heirs of original plaintiff No. 1 and Shri Chuni Lal-original plaintiff No. 2 (petitioners herein) filed an execution petition under Order 21 Rule 11 of Code of Civil Procedure for executing the aforesaid decree dated 22.8.1998. The execution was preferred against the legal heirs of original defendants. The prayer in the execution petition was for putting the plaintiffs/decree holders (present petitioners) into actual possession of the suit land after demarcation of boundaries.

2(iii) On 12.1.2007 objections on behalf of judgment debtors were preferred pleading therein that the decree had become inexecutable for the reasons:-

(a) The original judgment debtor No. 1 Dulo had purchased 1/16th share in the suit land on 27.5.1999.

(b) Judgment debtor Bhola Ram son of Shri Dulo had also purchased a separate share in the suit land.

(c) After purchase of shares in the suit land, the judgment debtors had become joint owners in possession with the decree holders. The share of the judgment debtors/joint owners is not specified on a particular portion of land in question. Therefore, till the time the land is partitioned, every inch of it has to be construed as joint between the parties-joint owners.

(d) The decree holders (present petitioners) in such circumstances are not entitled for actual possession of the suit land.

The reply to the objections had been filed on behalf of the decree holders/present petitioners denying the purchase of suit land by the judgment debtors. It was also submitted that even after the purchase of a portion of the suit land by the judgment debtors, the decree could still be executed.

2(iv) Issues were framed in the objection petition on 28.12.2007. The parties led evidence in support of their respective contentions After considering the pleadings and the evidence adduced by the parties, the learned trial court held that the original defendant No. 1 Shri Dulo (father of judgment debtors/respondents No. 1 to 3) had purchased the suit land on 27.5.1999 to the extent of 1/16th share and judgment debtor Bhola Ram had also purchased separate share in the suit land.

Therefore, the judgment

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