THANGAMANI, J.

The appellant is the first defendant in the suit. He was aged about 79 when the suit came to be instituted. He is a public man and a leading personality in Villapuram Town. He was M.L.A. for three terms. He was Municipal Councillor continuously for half a century from 1926 to 1976. He was also chairman of Villapuram Municipality on three occasions. He was a Director of the Co-operative Sugar Factory, Mundiyambakkam. Besides, he was the Chairman of Local Building Society. His first wife Alagi died in 1930. Then he married one Thaiyanayagi as his second wife. She also passed away in 1957. Plaintiff and defendants 2 to 7 are his sons and 8th defendant is his daughter through Thamyanayagi. The present first respondent /plaintiff instituted O.S. No. 63 of 1982 on the file of learned Subordinate Judge of Villapuram claiming partition and separate possession of his 1/8 share in the plaint schedule mentioned items and for his share of the income from the said properties from the date of plaint till date of possession.

2. The allegations in the plaint are that on 11-7-1932 there was division of the family properties between the appellant and his brothers under the o