Madras High Court
RAMANUJAM,V. RAMASWAMI
A.Rangaswami Pillai - Appellant
Versus
A.Subramania Pillai - Respondent
Decided On : 03/13/1974
WILL - CONSTRUCTION - SELF-ACQUIRED PROPERTY - BENAMI TRANSACTION - SECTION 82 OF THE INDIAN TRUSTS ACT, 1882 - ONUS OF PROOF - CONDITIONS IN WILL - VALIDITY - DUE EXECUTION OF WILL - SECTION 63 (C) OF THE INDIAN SUCCESSION ACT, 1925 - RECITALS IN WILL AS STATEMENTS UNDER SECTION 32 (7) OF THE EVIDENCE ACT, 1872.
Fact of the Case:
Arthanatha Pillai purchased a property in the name of his third wife, Nagammal, in 1921. He executed a will in 1927, treating the property as his self-acquired property and making certain bequests. Nagammal executed a will in 1953, purporting to deal with the property as her own. The plaintiff, Arthanatha's son by his third wife, filed a suit for partition and allotment of 1/3 share in the property. The second defendant, Nagammal's son, claimed absolute title to the property under Nagammal's will.
Finding of the Court:
The court held that the property was purchased by Arthanatha out of his own funds in the name of his wife, and that it was his self-acquired property. The court also held that Nagammal did not have an absolute estate in the property, but only a life estate with certain restrictions. The court further held that the plaintiff and the other sons had satisfied the conditions prescribed in Arthanatha's will in order to inherit the property.
Issues: 1. Whether the property was the self-acquired property of Arthanatha Pillai? 2. Whether Nagammal had an absolute estate in the property? 3. Whether the plaintiff and the other sons had satisfied the conditions prescribed in Arthanatha's will in order to inherit the property?
Ratio Decidendi: 1. The court held that the property was the self-acquired property of Arthanatha Pillai based on the following: - The recitals in Arthanatha's will, in which he stated that he purchased the property with his own money in the name of his wife. - The absence of any contrary evidence. - The corroborating statements of Arthanatha's other sons in their release deeds. 2. The court held that Nagammal did not have an absolute estate in the property based on the following: - The recitals in Arthanatha's will, which showed that he intended to give Nagammal only a life estate with certain restrictions. - The fact that Nagammal did not rely on the sale deed in her mortgage deed, but instead claimed title under Arthanatha's will. 3. The court held that the plaintiff and the other sons had satisfied the conditions prescribed in Arthanatha's will in order to inherit the property based on the following: - The recitals in Nagammal's will, which did not show that the sons had not complied with the conditions. - The fact that the sons had executed release deeds in favor of Nagammal and her sons, which showed that they had complied with the conditions.
Final Decision: The court dismissed the appeal and confirmed the judgment and decree of the lower court, which had granted the plaintiff a 1/3 share in the disputed property.
V. RAMASWAMI, J. :- The second defendant is the appellant. The first respondent-plaintiff filed a suit for partition and allotment of 1/3 share in the suit properties which consisted of six schedules. The suit was decreed only in respect of the plaint A schedule properties and even in respect of the same the plaintiff was held to be entitled to only to a 1/4 share and not 1/3 share as claimed in the plaint. The suit in respect of the properties mentioned in the other schedules was dismissed. Since in this appeal by the second defendant, the decree granted in favour of the plaintiff in respect of item 1 of the plaint A schedule alone is disputed, we need notice only the facts relating to that item and the respective contentions of the parties.
2. The plaintiff, defendants 1 and 2 and one Chockalingam Pillai are the sons of one Arthanatha Pillai through his third wife. He had a son by name Soundararajan by his first wife and another son by name Mathuranayagam by his second wife. On 22-08-1921 (Ex. B-52). item 1 of the plaint A schedule was purchased in the name of Nagammal, the third wife of Arthanatha Pillai. Arthanatha Pillai executed a will, Ex. A-1, dated 13-7-1927 and died in the year 1928. Under this Will he treated the property purchased in the name of his third wife Nagammal as his self-acquired property and made certain bequests in respect of the same, which will be noticed in detail while considering the respective cases of the parties. Nagammal died on 18-12-1961 leaving a Will dated 15-7-1953 (Ex. B-2). Under this Will, she purported to deal with this item of property as if it was her own and in respect of which she had absolute powers of disposition. The case of the plaintiff was that this item is the self-acquired property of his father Arthanatha Pillai, and that under his Will Ex. A-1 dated 13-7-1927 he is entitled to a 1/3 share. It was stated that Chockalingam Pillai, one of the sons of Arthanatha, relinquished his rights in respect of the same under Ex. A-10, dated 21-4-1937 and that therefore his legal representatives, defendants 14 to 16, are not entitled to any share in the same. The second defendant, claiming an absolute title to the entirety of this item under the Will of Nagammal, resisted this claim of the plaintiff. It was also contended by him that the property was not the self-acquired property of Arthanatha Pillai, that his father Arthanatha had no right of disposition over the same and that therefore the plaintiff had no right to claim any share in respect of this item relying on the Will Ex. A-1. He further contended that the consideration for the same had not been proved to have been paid by his father and that in any case even if consideration had been paid by Arthanatha Pillai there was no evidence to show that he did not intend by such payment to benefit his third wife Nagammal. Alternatively he contended that even under the Will Nagammal obtained an absolute estate and that therefore she was entitled to dispose of the same in any manner she liked and that the plaintiff had no claim for a share in respect of the same. Even if the Will is construed as not conferring an absolute estate in favour of the sons of Arthanatha and is a conditional bequest and the conditions not having been satisfied, the plaintiff and the other sons are not entitled to any share in the same except the second defendant. The trial court held that the porperty was purchased by Arthanatha benami in the name of his wife from and out of his own income and that it was purchased by him in the name of Nagammal for the benefit of Nagammal and her sons and not Nagammal exclusively. The learned Subordinate Judge also found that the Will executed by Nagammal had not been proved and that she had also no disposing power over this item of property. In respect of the plaintiff's case that Chockalinga, one of the sons, had released his right over the same and that therefore the plaintiff was entitled to a 1/3 share in the suit
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