IN THE HIGH COURT OF MADRAS
Sidney Wadsworth, Officiating C.J.
Bathai Bagyalakshmi Ammal
Versus
Thoppai Bappu Aiyar died and Ors.
Decided On : 11.09.1945
Partition Suit - Execution of Decree - Section 47, Civil Procedure Code - Vedaviasa Aiyar v. The Madura Hindu Labha Nidhi, Ltd. AIR1924Mad365 - Bapanna Garu v. Jagga Rao Garu AIR1943Mad407 - Annamalai v. Ramaswami AIR1941Mad161
Fact of the Case:
The appellant and the respondent were co-defendants in a partition suit, each claiming certain items of property. After a compromise decree, disputes arose regarding possession and ownership of the property, leading to an execution petition and subsequent re-delivery application.
Finding of the Court:
The Court found that there was no conflict of interest between the appellant and the respondent until the execution stage, and held that the appeal was not maintainable under Section 47 of the Civil Procedure Code. The executing Court's order for delivery of possession was deemed to be an abuse of jurisdiction, and the Court directed re-delivery of the land to the respondent, referring the parties to a separate suit to decide the title in the land.
Issues: The issues involved the maintainability of the appeal under Section 47 of the Civil Procedure Code, the abuse of jurisdiction by the executing Court, and the rightful possession and ownership of the disputed property.
Ratio Decidendi: The Court applied the principles established in Vedaviasa Aiyar v. The Madura Hindu Labha Nidhi, Ltd. AIR1924Mad365 and Bapanna Garu v. Jagga Rao Garu AIR1943Mad407 to determine the scope of Section 47 of the Civil Procedure Code and the circumstances under which conflicts of interest between co-defendants in a suit could arise during execution.
Final Decision: The Court set aside the order remanding the case for further enquiry, directed re-delivery of the land to the respondent, and referred the parties to a separate suit to decide the title in the land.
Sidney Wadsworth, Officiating C.J.
1. The appellant here was the 20th defendant in a partition suit and is the daughter of the respondent (21st defendant in the trial Court). By respondent we refer to the original respondent who is now dead and is represented by his legal representatives, the second and third respondents. The 2oth defendant was the wife of the third defendant, one of the coparceners. She was in the suit claiming certain items of property as her own and her father the respondent, was claiming certain other items of property as his own. The trial Court disallowed the claims of both the appellant and the respondent. They joined together in appealing to this Court against that decision. The appeal was Appeal No. 101 of 1937. In their memorandum of appeal there is an assertion that items 10 and 11 of Schedule C, with which we are now concerned, were purchased with the stridhanam funds of the present appellant. These two items are usufructuary mortgage rights and it is common ground that the lands covered by these usufructuary mortgages were being managed by the respondent for the appellant. It is also common ground now, though the fact was not revealed during the proceedings in the partition suit and the appeal therefrom, that the present respondent purchased the equity of redemption in respect of these two items from the owner, a third party. It is alleged that the mortgage covering these two items was redeemed by the payment of the amount due to the husband of the present appellant the receipt being Ex. P-6 dated the 20th March, 1935. That allegation is denied by the appellant and the appellant alleges that the purchase of the equity, of redemption was made on her behalf with her money by her father, the respondent. These allegations regarding the ownership of the equity of redemption and the discharge of the mortgage were not placed before the Court either at the trial or in the appeal in the partition suit.
2. When the. matter was pending in appeal before this Court, there was a com-promise between the present appellant and the members of her husbands family The respondent was not a party to that compromise. The result of the compromise was a decree declaring that the appellant was entitled to items 10 and 11 of schedule C and also to other items with which we are not now concerned. There is nothing in this decree to indicate that the appellant was not in possession of the items decreed to her or that she was entitled under the decree to get possession from anybody else. The respondent prosecuted his own appeal after this compromise and he failed.
3. After the termination of the proceedings in appeal, there seems to have been disputes between the appellant and the respondent. The respondent had filed a suit on behalf of the appellant claiming rent for these lands from the tenant and got a decree, and in a second suit for possession he had been appointed receiver While he was holding possession of these lands as receiver, the appellant filed an execution petition in which she claimed possession of the lands by virtue of the compromise decree in the partition suit. She obtained permission frorn the Court which appointed the receiver to execute her decree against the receiver, and of this application for permission the respondent certainly had notice. He had, however; no notice of the main execution petition, and the appellant without opposition succeeded in getting delivery of possession. Thereupon the respondent filed an application for re-delivery and it was in the proceedings for re-delivery that all the facts regarding the purchase of the equity of redemption and the allegation of the discharge of the usufructuary mortgage and the further allegation that the purchase was benami for the appellant, were for the first time brought to the notice of the Court.
4. The executing Court, while conceding that the compromise decree in execution of which possession had been delivered did not provide for delivery of
AI
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.