1979 Supreme(Ori) 49
High Court Of Orissa
S. Acharya, J.
NARAYAN CHANDRA SAHU - Appellant
Versus
ABHIMANYU SAHU - Respondent
Misc. Appeal 114 Of 1979
Decided On : 09/06/1979
D.S.MOHANTY, J.Sahu, P.KAR, R.Ch.Mohanty, Siddharth Mohanty
The court has the discretion to appoint a receiver for the property during the pendency of a partition suit, considering the possession, maintenance, and rent collection by the parties involved.
Headnote:
Receiver - Partition Suit - The court appointed the appellant as the receiver of the property, setting aside the order appointing a third party receiver, and imposed conditions for the appellant to furnish security and accounts for the income and expenses related to the property.
Fact of the Case:
The suit was for the partition of joint family properties. The court below appointed a third party receiver for a portion of the property, alleging misappropriation of rent by the appellant.
Finding of the Court:
The court found that the appellant was maintaining the property and collecting a reasonable amount of rent from the tenants, and therefore, appointed the appellant as the receiver of the property instead.
Issues: The main issue was the appointment of a receiver for the property during the pendency of the partition suit.
Ratio Decidendi: The court considered the appellant's possession of a house on the property, his maintenance of the property, and the reasonable rent collection from tenants as reasons to appoint him as the receiver.
Final Decision: The court set aside the order appointing a third party receiver and appointed the appellant as the receiver of the property, imposing conditions for security and account submission.
S. ACHARYA, J.
( 1 ) THIS appeal has been preferred against the order of the court below appointing a third party receiver in respect of A 0. 43 decimals of land in the chandbali town out of the entire suit property. The Tahsildar, Chandbali has been appointed as the receiver of the said property and he has been authorised to collect rent from the tenants in the different houses and rooms on the said plot of land from the Month of June, 1979 and to deposit the same in the nizarat of the court below at his convenience under Intimation to that court every Month.
( 2 ) THE suit between the parties is a suit for partition of the joint family properties. Undisputedly, the defendant No. 1, the appellant herein, is occupying a house on the said plot and is staying there with his family. It is also not disputed that some tenants have been inducted by the appellant in the other houses and room on the said plot of land and that the appellant has been collecting rent from the said tenants.
( 3 ) IN the petition under Order 40, Rule 1, C. P. C. in the court below it was alleged by the respondent that the appellant was not maintaining the said houses properly and that he was misappropriating the entire monthly rent of rs. 860/-colleoted by him from the tenants. The parries at first examined witnesses and adduced documentary evidence to buttress their respective cases on the above matter. Ultimately, the court below by its order dated 3-5-79 directed the Tahsildar, Chandbali to hold a local inspection personally to ascertain the actual facts and the amount of rent which was being realised by the appellant from the tenants, and to submit his report to that effect The tahasildar, Chandabali by his report dated 13-6-79 reported that the appellant was collecting only Rs. 440/-towards house rent from the different tenants in the houses and rooms on the said plot of land as stated by the appellant and not Rs, 860/- as alleged by the respondent. He also mentioned in that report that the rent collected by the appellant appeared to him to be reasonable in view of the conditions of the said houses; and that the houses were being repaired annually by the appellant. As the appellant admittedly is in possession of a house on the said plot of land and is living there with his family members, he had inducted the tenants in the other houses and rooms on that plot and till late was realising rent from the said tenants and repairing those houses regularly, the court below was not justified in appointing a third party as receiver of that plot of land during the pendency of the partition suit between the parlies, as that would cause unnecessary inconvenience, worry and embarrassment to the appellant, not called for in the facts and circumstances of the case. On a consideration of the facts and circumstances of this case, I deem it just and proper to appoint the appellant, defendant No. 1 in the suit, as receiver of the said property.
( 4 ) THE appellant and the respondent have each a snare in that property and in the income therefrom. The appellant as it appears from the report of the tahasildar, is spending money for repairing the houses on that plot of land. Considering the facts and circumstances of the case, I hereby direct that the appellant, while acting as receiver of the said property shall furnish proper security to the satisfaction of the court below to the extent of Rs. 3000/- (Three thousand) only per year by the end of December every year beginning from this year, till the disposal of the suit. The appellant shall furnish accounts to the court below regarding the income from the tenant, and expenses towards repairs of the houses, and that will be taken into consideration in the final decree proceeding. On failure to comply with any of the above conditions the order appointing the appellant as receiver of the said property shall stand automatically vacated, and the respondent shall be free to move the court below to appoint any other suitable p