2012 Supreme(Mad) 4866
IN THE HIGH COURT OF JUDICATURE AT MADRAS
P.R.SHIVAKUMAR J.
E. Chandrasekar Appellants
Vs.
V. Nadamuni Respondents
S.A. No. 640 of 2012 and M.P. Nos.1 and 2 of 2012
Decided on : 14.12.2012.
Advocate Appeared:
For Appellants: Mr. K.A. Ravindran
For Respondents: Mr. T. Dhanyakumar
The court emphasized that in cases involving complicated issues of title, a suit for bare injunction may not be maintainable, and the plaintiff should be given the opportunity to file a comprehensive suit for the establishment of their title.
Headnote:
Partition Deed - Property Dispute - 20.04.1978 - Summary: The court discussed the validity of a partition deed dated 20.04.1978 and its impact on the possession and title of the suit properties. The court allowed the appellants to withdraw the suit with liberty to file a comprehensive suit for the establishment of their title to the suit properties and for necessary consequential reliefs.
Fact of the Case:
The suit was filed for bare injunction based on the claim that the suit properties were allotted to one Krishnamurthy under a registered partition deed. The defendants contested the suit, denying the existence of the partition deed and claiming possession and enjoyment of the suit properties. The trial court dismissed the suit, and the first Appellate Judge concurred with the decision. The appellants sought permission to withdraw the suit with liberty to file a comprehensive suit for the establishment of their title to the suit properties.
Finding of the Court:
The court found that the suit for bare injunction based on possession and alleged title was not maintainable in this case, as the issues of title were complicated. The court allowed the appellants to withdraw the suit with liberty to file a comprehensive suit for the establishment of their title to the suit properties.
Issues: The main issue was the validity of the partition deed and its impact on the possession and title of the suit properties. Additionally, the technical flaw regarding the maintainability of the suit was raised by the respondents.
Ratio Decidendi: The court held that the suit for bare injunction based on possession and alleged title was not maintainable in this case, as the issues of title were complicated. The court allowed the appellants to withdraw the suit with liberty to file a comprehensive suit for the establishment of their title to the suit properties.
Final Decision: The court allowed the appellants to withdraw the suit with liberty to file a comprehensive suit for the establishment of their title to the suit properties.
1. The plaintiffs in the original suit are the appellants in the Second Appeal. The suit was filed for bare injunction based on the plea that all the suit properties were the properties allotted to one Krishnamurthy, the brother of the first respondent, under a registered partition deed dated 20.04.1978 and that part of the suit properties had been conveyed to the first appellant/ first plaintiff under the sale deed dated 30.05.2008 and the second appellant/ second plaintiff had got a general power of attorney from the legal heirs of the said Krishnamurthy, as the said Krishnamurthy is no more. Based on the sale deed dated 30.05.2008 and general power of attorney dated 29.05.2008, the appellants/ plaintiffs claimed to be in possession of the suit properties and pleaded for the relief of permanent injunction against the first defendant who is none other than the brother of Krishnamurthy and the defendants 2 to 4 who are the sons of the first defendant, on the premise that they were making attempts to trespass into the suit properties.
2. The suit was resisted by the defendants contending that no deed of partition between the first defendant and his brother Krishnamurthy, as pleaded by the appellants/ plaintiffs ever came into existence. The further plea of the respondents/ defendants was that the document referred to by the appellants/ plaintiffs as partition deed was only a sham and nominal deed created by the first respondent/ first defendant for the purpose of securing a job to his brother Krishnamurthy in the Sugar Mills. It was also contended that all the suit properties were in possession and enjoyment of the respondents/ defendants and they continued to enjoy the same. Based on the said averments, they had pleaded for the dismissal of the suit. The respondents/ defendants had also taken a plea that the sale deed and the general power of attorney relied on by the appellants/ plaintiffs could not be true and valid, since according to them, Kannan son of the deceased Krishnamurthy was not possessing sound disposing state of mind for several years. The further plea of defence taken by the respondents/ defendants was that the suit in respect of portions of the suit property, which had not been purchased by the appellants and portions regarding which the second appellant was claiming to be in possession by virtue of the deed of power of attorney executed by the legal heirs of Krishnamurthy and the very framing of the suit without showing him as representing his principals, was not proper and on that ground also, the maintainability of the suit could be negatived.
3. The learned trial Judge after trial dismissed the suit. Besides other findings, the learned trial Judge, in order to non suit the plaintiffs, accepted the plea of the respondents/ defendants that no partition took place under the registered partition deed dated 20.04.1978 and that only if the appellants/ plaintiffs were able to establish their title in respect of the property, the court could decide whether the plaintiffs had right over the entire property or not. Based on the said reasoning alone the learned trial Judge chose to hold that the appellants/ plaintiffs had not proved their possession, for negativing the relief of injunction sought for.
4. On appeal the learned first Appellate Judge, concurred with the said findings and dismissed the appeal. Now the appellants/ plaintiffs have brought this second appeal before this court. It transpires items a, b & c of the plaint schedule properties were claimed to be purchased under the sale deed dated 30.05.2008 and during the pendency of the suit the remaining items namely, "d" and "e" were also purchased by the appellants/ plaintiffs. Though the appellants/ plaintiffs could pursue the remedy for permanent injunction based on their alleged possession pursuant to the sale deed dated 30.05.2008 and the deed of power of Attorney dated 29.05.2008, they can also plead the subsequent conveyance of items "d" and "