HIGH COURT OF ORISSA
Jagannadhadas, C. J. , Panigrahi And Narasimham, JJ.
NITYANANDA KANANGO - Appellant
Versus
PALA DEI - Respondent
Civil Revision 68 Of 1949
Decided On : NOVEMBER 21, 1951
CIVIL PROCEDURE CODE - ORDER 21, RULES 58, 95, 97, 100 - SECTION 151 - DELIVERY OF POSSESSION - INTERVENTION OF THIRD PARTY - JURISDICTION OF COURT - SCOPE OF INHERENT POWERS - LIMITATION - FINALITY OF ORDERS - SCHEME OF THE CODE.
Fact of the Case:
The petitioner, a decree-holder-purchaser, applied for delivery of possession of a property purchased by him in execution of a mortgage decree. The opposite party, claiming to be in possession of the property, filed an application under Section 151 of the Civil Procedure Code (CPC) for recalling the writ of delivery. The court below entertained the application and, after an inquiry, recalled the writ of delivery. The petitioner challenged the jurisdiction of the court to entertain the application and make an inquiry at that stage.
Finding of the Court:
The court held that the court below erred in entertaining the application of the opposite party and in making an inquiry into her title and possession. It held that the court had no jurisdiction to do so under Order 21, Rule 58, 95, 97, or 100 of the CPC, or under Section 151 of the CPC. The court also held that the decision in 2 Cut L T 49, on which the court below relied, was erroneous and could no longer be followed within the jurisdiction of the court.
Issues: 1. Whether the court below had jurisdiction to entertain the application of the opposite party and make an inquiry into her title and possession. 2. Whether the court below was correct in recalling the writ of delivery.
Ratio Decidendi: 1. The court held that the court below did not have jurisdiction to entertain the application of the opposite party and make an inquiry into her title and possession. It held that the court had no jurisdiction to do so under Order 21, Rule 58, 95, 97, or 100 of the CPC, or under Section 151 of the CPC. The court reasoned that the provisions of the CPC provide for intervention of third parties in two stages: (1) while the execution is pending, under Order 21, Rule 58, and (2) after the possession of the third party is actually disturbed, under Order 21, Rule 100. The court held that the opposite party could not intervene under Order 21, Rule 58 because the execution proceedings were already over and delivery proceedings were not part of execution. The court also held that the opposite party could not intervene under Order 21, Rule 100 because she had not been dispossessed. The court further held that the court had no jurisdiction to entertain the application under Section 151 of the CPC because the inherent powers of the court under Section 151 cannot be invoked in situations that have been specifically contemplated and provided for by the CPC. 2. The court held that the court below was wrong in recalling the writ of delivery. It held that the court below had no jurisdiction to do so because it had no jurisdiction to entertain the application of the opposite party and make an inquiry into her title and possession.
Final Decision: The court allowed the civil revision and set aside the order of the court below recalling the writ of delivery.
JAGANNADHADAS, C. J.
( 1 ) THIS revision comes before us as a Pull Bench on a reference under Rule 4, chapter V of the Rules of this High Court. Under the said rule, taken with Rule 2, the point or points on which the Bench making the reference differed from a decision of a former Division Bench should be stated The order of reference is not specific as to what is the exact point which is referred to us. But there can be no doubt, on a perusal of the said order that wnat was intended to be referred to us, is the question "whether the ruling of the Patna High Court in 2 cut L T 49, has been correctly decided. " It is on that footing that we deal with this reference.
( 2 ) THE subject-matter of this revision is an eight-anna-share in Touzi No. 2861, which has been constituted into the separate Touzi No. 8856. The father of the petitioner before us took a mortgage of this Touzi from the then owner thereof bayed Abdui Quyyam and another on 31-12-1930. (It may be noted that the court below states that the mortgaged property is an eight-anna-share in Touzi no. 6866; but it is specifically admitted before us by the lawyers on both sides, on a reference to the documents exhibited, that what was mortgaged, is an eight-anna-share in the parent Touzi No. 2861 which constitutes the full sixteen annas share of the separated Touzi No. 8856.) A suit on the said mortgage was instituted on 30-6-1943 which resulted in a final decree, in favour of the petitioner. The decree was put in execution and the mortgaged property was purchased by the decree-holder himself on 28-6-1948. The sale was confirmed on 30-7-1948. The decree-holder-purchaser thereupon applied on 17-11-1948 for delivery of possession and a warrant for delivery was issued under Order 21, rule 95, fixing 22-12-1948 for its return. Before the warrant was taken out by the process-server to effect the delivery, the opposite party before us, one srimati Pala Devi, came up with an application purporting to be one under section 151 of the Civil P. C. , for recalling the writ of delivery from the Nazarat. Her case is that the mortgagors had lost interest in the property mortgaged before the suit on the mortgage was instituted and that she is now in possession of the property sought to be delivered and that she not being a party to the decree is not bound by it. Her contention, therefore, is that her possession cannot be disturbed under the decree and that the writ of delivery should be consequently recalled. As appears to be supported by the documents which she has filed, one Sadhu Charan Mohapatra purchased the entire Touzi no. 8856 on 21-4-1943, in certificate proceedings taken by Government against the original mortgagors. That sale was confirmed on 5-7-1943. The said Sadhu charan Mohapatra in his turn, sold the Touzi to the opposite party Srimati Pala devi on 3-1-1945. It is her case that her vendor, since the date of his purchase, and she herself after her purchase from him, have been continuously in possession of Touzi No. 8856 by realising rents from the tenants and in other ways. Evidence of such possession has also been given in the Court below. Admittedly Sadhu Charan Mohapatra, whose purchase, if the case of the opposite party is accepted, was prior to the date of the plaint in the mortgagesuit, was not made a party to that suit, nor has he or the opposite party Pala devi been impleaded as a party at any stage of the suit or of the execution proceedings.
( 3 ) ON the application made by the opposite party in the lower Court for a recall of the warrant of delivery, notice was given to the decree-holder-purchaser and both parties were directed to adduce evidence. The decree-holder-purchaser did not file any written objection. But from the course of the proceedings in the courts below, he appears merely to have demurred to the jurisdiction of the court in entertaining the objection and making an inquiry at that stage. The records of the Court below show that he did not cross- ex
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