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2026 Supreme(Ori) 729

IN THE HIGH COURT OF ORISSA AT CUTTACK 
A.C.BEHERA, J.
Keshab Nanda and others - Appellants 
Versus
Gouranga Charan Nanda & Others - Respondents
RSA No.351 of 2023
Decided On : 17-03-2026

Advocates Appeared:
For the Appellants :Mr. M.K.Mishra, Advocate
For the Respondents:Mr. B.C. Panda, Advocate

Reliance on a local commissioner's report in judicial decisions must comply with natural justice principles; failure to allow cross-examination and address objections renders a judgment unsustainable.

Headnote:(A) Civil Procedure Code - Order 26 Rule 10(2) - Appeal regarding encroachment and possession of property - The plaintiff sought permanent injunction as well as recovery of possession due to alleged encroachment by the defendants on properties co-owned by the plaintiff and others. The learned Trial Court dismissed the plaintiff's suit primarily on credibility issues surrounding the evidence presented and findings that the defendants were not encroaching upon any property of the plaintiff. Subsequent appeal by the plaintiff led to the 1st Appellate Court reversing the Trial Court's decision based on a survey commissioner's report. This decision was contested in the 2nd appeal, leading to findings that the appellate court's reliance on the commissioner's report without proper evidentiary foundation violated principles of natural justice. (Paras 4, 10, 22, 24)

(B) Violation of Natural Justice - The principles of natural justice require that objections to the report of a local commissioner must be considered, and parties should be allowed to cross-examine the commissioner. The failure of the 1st Appellate Court to do so rendered its judgment unsustainable. (Paras 20, 23)

Facts of the case:
The plaintiff filed a suit alleging that the defendant parties had encroached upon several plots co-owned with them. Defendant argued they had rightful possession without encroachment. The Trial Court dismissed the suit, indicating contradictions in evidence. The 1st Appellate Court later reversed this decision, prompting the 2nd appeal.

Findings of Court:
The 2nd Appellate Court held the 1st Appellate Court's judgment unsustainable due to a lack of addressing objections against the local commissioner's report, leading to a remand for a fresh hearing.

Issues: The main issues were the permissibility of the report by the civil court commissioner and whether the 1st Appellate Court acted on sufficient evidence when reversing the Trial Court’s ruling.

Ratio Decidendi: The court asserted that a judgment cannot solely rely on a local commissioner's report without considering objections and other evidence. Natural justice principles must be observed.

Result: The 2nd appeal is allowed in part, remitting the 1st appeal back to the 1st Appellate Court for fresh decision in accordance with law.

Table of Content
1. overview of defendants and plaintiff roles in appeal (Para 1 , 2)
2. nature of the plaintiff's suit for injunction (Para 3 , 4)
3. defendants' counters and claims of ownership (Para 5 , 6)
4. trial court's dismissal rationale based on evidence (Para 8 , 9 , 10)
5. appellate court's reliance on commissioner's report (Para 12 , 14 , 15)
6. court's observations on procedural errors (Para 17 , 18 , 20)
7. legal principles governing reliance on commissioner reports (Para 21 , 22)
8. invalidation of the appellate judgment due to procedural violations (Para 23 , 24)
9. conclusion to allow appeal partially and remand case (Para 25)

Judgment :

A.C. Behera, J.

This Second Appeal has been preferred against the reversing judgment.

2. The Appellants in this Second Appeal were the Defendant Nos.1,2 and LRs of the Defendant No.4 before the learned Trial Court in the suit vide C.S. No.177 of 2003 and Respondent Nos.1 to 4/G before the learned 1st Appellate Court in the first appeal vide R.F.A. No.52 of 2017.

The Respondent Nos.2 to 5 in this 2nd Appeal were the Defendant Nos.8 to 11 before the learned Trial Court in the suit vide C.S. No.177 of 2003 and Respondent Nos.5 to 8 before the learned 1st Appellate Court in the 1st appeal vide R.F.A. No.52 of 2017.

The Respondent No.1 in this 2nd Appeal i.e. Gouranga Charan Nanda was the sole Plaintiff before the learned Trial Court in the suit vide C.S. No.177 of 2003 and Appellant before the learned 1st Appellate Court in the first appeal vide R.F.A. No.52 of 2017.

3. The suit of the Plaintiff (Respondent No.1 in this 2nd Appeal) vide C.S. No.177 of 2003 was a suit for permanent injunction, in alternative recovery of possession, if the Plaintiff is found to be dispossessed from any portion of the suit properties during the pendency of the suit.

4. The case of the Plaintiff i.e. Gouranga Charan Nanda before the learned Trial Court in the suit vide C.S. No.177 of 2003 was that, the properties described in the Schedule of the Plaint i.e. Plot No.1799, Ac.0.026 decs, Plot No.1798, Ac.0.01 decs, Plot No.1791, Ac.0.03 decs and Plot No.1792, Ac.0.02 decs under Khata Nos.253 and 254 in Mouza Shyamasundarpur described in schedule of the plaint are the suit properties. The R.o.R. of the suit properties have been prepared jointly in the name of the predecessors of the Plaintiff and Defendant Nos.5 to 11.

The Defendant Nos.1 to 4 are the real contestant of the Plaintiff in the suit. They (Defendant Nos.1 to 4) are in no way related to the family of the Plaintiff and Defendant Nos.5 to 11.

The Plaintiff and Defendant Nos.5 to 11 are the joint owners of the suit properties described in the Schedule of the plaint. They (Plaintiff and Defendant Nos.5 to 11) have been possessing the suit properties since the time of their ancestors.

The Defendant Nos.1 to 4 have their homestead land adjacent to the Southern, Northern and western side of the suit properties. They (Defendant Nos.1 to 4) have no manner of right, title, interest and possession in the suit properties.

The Defendant Nos.1 to 4 constructed a pucca building in their Plot No.1790 encroaching upon the North-Eastern corner of the suit Plot No.1791 of the Plaintiff and threw garbage into the suit Plot No.1792 and tried to cut and remove the valuable standing mango and chakunda trees from the south-Western portion of suit Plot No.1799 of the Plaintiff and tried to possess the tank of the Plaintiff situated in the suit Plot No.1798.

For which, the Plaintiff approached the Civil Court by filing the suit against the Defendant Nos.1 to 4 and arraying the Defendant Nos.5 to 11 as proforma Defendants praying for restraining the defendant Nos.1 to 4 permanently from entering into the suit properties and from dispossessing them (Plaintiff and Defendant Nos.5 to 11), from making any construction encroaching any portion of the suit properties and also from cutting and removing the valuable standing mango and chakunda trees from the same in alternative recovery of possessio

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