SupremeToday Landscape Ad
Back
Next
Judicial Analysis Court Copy Headnote Facts Arguments Court observation
Listen Audio Icon Pause Audio Icon
judgment-img

1933 Supreme(Mad) 263

IN THE HIGH COURT OF MADRAS
Bardswell, J.
Nidamanuri Satyamma
Versus
Official Receiver and Anr.
Decided On : 15.09.1933

The main legal point established in the judgment is the requirement for credible evidence to support a claim, as well as the application of specific legal provisions such as Section 28(2) of the Prov. Ins. Act and Section 80 of the Civil P.C. in property disputes.

Headnote:

Official Receiver - Property Dispute - Prov. Ins. Act, Section 28(2), Civil P.C. Section 80 - The judgment discussed the application of the Prov. Ins. Act, Section 28(2) and Civil P.C. Section 80 in the context of a property dispute. The court analyzed the evidence presented and found that the plaintiff's claim was not supported by credible evidence. The court also discussed the legal points raised by the respondent, including the requirement for leave under Section 28(2) and the necessity of notice to the Official Receiver under Section 80 of the Civil P.C.

Fact of the Case:

The plaintiff sued for a declaration of her title to a share in a rice and oil-mill, claiming that she contributed money towards the share. The defendants, including the Official Receiver, contested the claim, and the lower court dismissed the suit based on the evidence presented.

Finding of the Court:

The court found that the plaintiff's claim was not supported by credible evidence and therefore had to be disbelieved. The court also discussed the legal points raised by the respondent, ultimately dismissing the appeal.

Issues: The main issues revolved around the plaintiff's claim to the share in the mill and the legal points raised by the respondent, including the requirement for leave under Section 28(2) of the Prov. Ins. Act and the necessity of notice to the Official Receiver under Section 80 of the Civil P.C.

Ratio Decidendi: The court's decision was based on the lack of credible evidence supporting the plaintiff's claim and the discussion of the legal points raised by the respondent, ultimately leading to the dismissal of the appeal.

Final Decision: The second appeal was dismissed with costs.

JUDGMENT

Bardswell, J.

1. The appeal is by the plaintiff. She sued for a declaration of her title to one-eighteenth share in a rice and oil-mill at Bezwada. Her case is that she contributed money towards the share, that the money was first credited in the name of defendant 2 and afterwards in the name of defendant 1. Defendant 3 is the husband of her sister and defendant 1 is his brother and she says, that as these two defendants are her relations her share was nominally standing in their names, but that on 26th April 1924 she got a release deed from them in respect of her share. Defendants 3 and 4 who are creditors of defendant 2 brought I.P. No. 2 of 1924 of the Sub-Court, Bezwada, to have defendants 1 and 2 adjudicated insolvents. In the end only defendant 2 was declared insolvent and it was held that the release deed, Ex. A was invalid and that defendant 2s estate vested in defendant 5 who is the Official Receiver, Kistna District. The District Munsif decreed the suit in favour of the plaintiff, but on the appeal by the Official Receiver the decree was reversed and the suit was dismissed. The matter is now only one between the plaintiff and the Official Receiver as the suit was given up at an early stage as against the creditors, defendants 3 and 4.

2. On the evidence I think it perfectly clear that the plaintiff did not entrust money either to defendant 1 or defendant 2, or to both of them, in order to the purchasing of a share in the mill. The evidence on the subject is discrepant and, such as it is, is not borne out by the accounts. The accounts clearly show that some money was deposited by the plaintiff with the defendants, but they do not show for what purpose it was deposited and the indications are that it was not deposited, as the plaintiff contends, for the definite purpose of buying a share in the mill. Ex. B, the rough day book of defendant 2, shows that on 9th November 1921 Rs. 331 were credited to the plaintiff as the proceeds of the sale of her jewels; and on the same day Rs. 400 are shown as having been spent "towards our share in the mill." The amount thus spent on the share is not noted as having been spent on behalf of the plaintiff while it is considerably more than the amount received on that date on the plaintiffs account. No further sum is shown as having been held for the plaintiff on that date. It is of course impossible to say that an amount of Rs. 400 could have been paid out of an amount of Rs. 331. Another payment of Rs. 200 for the share, which again is not shown in the accounts as having been paid by or for the plaintiff, was made on 3rd September 1922. On 14th November 1921 according to the accounts, Ex. B, the plaintiff had been credited with Rs. 221-12-9 as the sale proceeds of another jewel but there is nothing to connect this credit with the debit over nine months later of Rs. 200 towards the purchase of the share which purchase is entered as being in the name of defendant. 1. A third credit to the plaintiff of Rs. 124 odd was made on 1st July 1922. This too can in no way be connected with the payment of Rs. 200. All then that the account can be relied upon to show is that a total amount of Rs. 676 odd was held to the plaintiffs credit but there is nothing in the accounts by which it is shown or from which it could be inferred that the money was deposited by the plaintiff in order to the buying of a share in the mill. Further the recital in the release deed, Ex. A, differs from what appears in the accounts. According to it the plaintiff gave to defendant 2 Rs. 400 on 10th November 1921 and Rs. 200 on 3rd September 1922 towards her share. These statements are incompatible with the entries in the accounts to which I have referred above.

3. It is the version given by defendant 2 as P.W. 2 that these amounts of Rs. 400 and Rs. 200 were received from the sale proceeds of jewels though from the judgment of the District Munsif he appears to have said that the credit was in his own name. Any way his



Click Here to Read the rest of this document
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
SupremeToday Portrait Ad
supreme today icon
logo-black

An indispensable Tool for Legal Professionals, Endorsed by Various High Court and Judicial Officers

Please visit our Training & Support
Center or Contact Us for assistance

qr

Scan Me!

India’s Legal research and Law Firm App, Download now!

For Daily Legal Updates, Join us on :

whatsapp-icon Back to top