HIGH COURT OF JUDICATURE AT MADRAS
P.R. SHIVAKUMAR, J.
Samboornammal – Appellant
Versus
State of Tamil Nadu, Rep. by District Collector, Erode District, Collectorate, Erode & Others – Respondent
S.A. No. 860 of 2008
Decided On : 12-02-2015
Tamil Nadu Survey and Boundaries Act, 1923 - Sections 9 and 10 - Permanent injunction - Whether plaintiff is entitled to seek a mandatory injunction - Re-survey conducted - Suit was filed by appellant herein originally on file of First Additional Subordinate Jude Erode praying for a declaration that the re-survey conducted by respondents 1 and 2 in respect of suit property was invalid improper and not binding upon appellant plaintiff for want of service of notices under Sections 9 and 10 of the Tamil Nadu Survey and Boundaries Act, 1923 - A mandatory injunction directing restoration of boundaries of suit land so that appellant plaintiff would get a total extent of acres purchased by her - A declaration that appellant plaintiff is entitled to an extent of acres in suit survey fields and a permanent injunction restraining respondents 3 to 6 from trespassing into any portion of suit property and from causing any obstruction for use of east-west pathway running on northern portion of suit land – Subsequently suit came to be transferred on point of jurisdiction to court of District Munsif cum Judicial Magistrate and renumbered – Held, On other hand clear evidence came to be adduced on behalf of contesting defendants that public notices were issued before general re-survey and every individual land owner was given notice of re-survey - It has also been established by clear evidence by contesting defendants that plaintiff also got knowledge of re-survey at time of re-survey itself - Laches on part of plaintiff will make said contention of contesting defendants more probable and case of plaintiff regarding absence of service of notice or knowledge of re-survey quite improbable - Though official defendants namely defendants 1 and 2 have not produced evidence in proof of service of notice under Section 9(2) of Tamil Nadu Survey and Boundaries Act, 1923 considering above mentioned aspects courts below have rendered a correct and concurrent finding that plaintiff failed to substantiate her contention that she was entitled to any of reliefs prayed for in suit - A declaration that re-survey conducted by respondents 1 and 2 in respect of suit property is invalid improper and not binding upon appellant plaintiff for want of service of notices under Sections 9 and 10 of Tamil Nadu Survey and Boundaries Act, 1923 - A mandatory injunction directing restoration of boundaries of suit land so that appellant plaintiff would get a total extent of acres purchased by her - A declaration that appellant plaintiff is entitled to an extent of acres in suit survey fields and a permanent injunction restraining respondents 3 to 6 from trespassing into any portion of suit property and from causing any obstruction for use of east-west pathway running on northern portion of suit land - Based on such finding courts below have concurrently held that suit filed by her is bound to be dismissed - Hence this court holds that lower appellate court has not committed any error in confirming decree of trial court and that question framed as substantial question of law in second appeal has got to be answered accordingly against appellant - Appeal is dismissed
1. This second appeal is directed against the decree of the lower appellate court, namely the Court of Principal District Judge, Erode dated 12.03.2008 made in A.S.No.89 of 2007 confirming the decree passed by the trial court, namely the court of District Munsif cum Judicial Magistrate, Perundurai dated 21.12.2006 made in O.S.No.174 of 2004 dismissing the said suit.
2. The suit was filed by the appellant herein, originally on the file of First Additional Subordinate Jude, Erode as O.S.No.90 of 2002 praying for: 1) a declaration that the re-survey conducted by the respondents 1 and 2 in respect of the suit property was invalid, improper and not binding upon the appellant/plaintiff for want of service of notices under Sections 9 and 10 of the Tamil Nadu Survey and Boundaries Act, 1923; 2) a mandatory injunction directing restoration of the boundaries of the suit land so that the appellant/plaintiff would get a total extent of 7.2 acres purchased by her in 1965; 3) a declaration that the appellant/plaintiff is entitled to an extent of 7.22 acres in the suit survey fields and 4) a permanent injunction restraining the respondents 3 to 6 from trespassing into any portion of the suit property and from causing any obstruction for the use of the east-west pathway running on the northern portion of the suit land. Subsequently, the suit came to be transferred on the point of jurisdiction to the court of District Munsif cum Judicial Magistrate, Perundurai and renumbered as O.S.No.174 of 2004.
3. The above said prayer was made on the basis of the plaint averments that the appellant/plaintiff purchased 7.02 acres comprised in old survey No.1131 and 0.20 acres comprised in old survey No.1152/B of Thenmugam Vellode village, Perundurai Taluk, Erode District; that the entire extent of 7.22 acres comprised in those survey numbers form a single block; that after having purchased the same, she put up a cattle shed on the north-eastern corner of the said land and formed an east-west pathway in the northern portion of the suit land to reach the cattle shed from the main road running on the west of the suit land; that a month prior to the filing of the suit, the third respondent made an attempt to obstruct the appellant/plaintiff from taking her cattle along the east-west pathway claiming that the said pathway and a portion of the suit land on the north-western portion had been tagged with the survey Nos.1130 and 1128 lying on the north of the suit land and that on her taking a survey measurement, she found that an extent of 7.00 acres alone was available with her and the said anomaly occurred due to the shifting of the northern boundary line towards south and also the western boundary line towards further west. Contending further that in the re-survey she was granted patta for R.S.No.1144 comprising an extent of 2.09.0 hectares equivalent to 7.13 acres, which included a portion encroached by the appellant/plaintiff in the Highway poramboke lying on the west of the suit land; that if the encroached portion of the highway poramboke was deducted, the actual extent available to her in the suit land would be only 7.00 acres; that the same was the result of the wrong fixation of the northern and western boundary lines during the re-survey that took place without serving notices on the appellant/plaintiff under Sections 9 and 10 of the Tamil Nadu Survey and Boundaries Act, 1923 and that hence she was constrained to approach the trial court with the suit for the reliefs stated supra, she had prayed for the above said reliefs in the suit.
4. The official respondents, namely respondents 1 and 2/defendants 1 and 2, did not contest the suit and they remained ex-parte. The private respondents, namely respondents 3 to 6/defendants 3 to 6 alone contested the suit based on the averments made in the written statement of the third respondent/third defendant, which was adopted by the respondents 4 to 6/defendants 4 to 6. According to them, the land of the a
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.