N.V.BALASUBRAMANIAN,J.

This Letters Patent Appeal is preferred against the judgment and decree passed by a learned Single Judge of this Court in A.S.No.732 of 1981 dated 11.3.1997 dismissing the appeal and confirming the judgment and decree passed by the First Assistant City Civil Judge, Chennai dismissing the suit in O.S.No.3614 of 1971 on his file.

2. The plaintiff who lost his case before the trial Court as well as the learned Single Judge of this Court is the appellant herein. The first respondent herein is the first defendant in the suit and he is the purchaser of the suit property by a sale deed dated 11.6.1956 and the suit has been filed for the cancellation of the said sale deed and for declaring the sale deed to be collusive, fraudulent, mala fide and not binding on the plaintiff and for other incidental reliefs.

3. The purchaser of the suit property, viz., the first defendant died during the pendency of the appeal and his legal representatives have been impleaded as respondents 2 to 5 by order dated 25.2.2003. Apart from the first defendant, who is the purchaser of the suit property, the other parties to the suit are the second defendant who is the father of the