A deed of adoption, even if registered, does not create a conclusive presumption of a valid adoption. The presumption can be rebutted by evidence that the essential ceremonies and formalities of adoption were not followed.

1. This is a second appeal by Modan Singh defendant No. 1 and the facts leading to it are these. His fathers first cousin Sher Singh executed on the 14th of September, 1961, a deed of adoption (Exhibit D.1) the relevant portion of which runs thus:

"I. therefore, in possession of my full senses by written adoption deed adopt my nephew Modan Singh son of Jangir Singh as a son and from today Modan Singh has been recognised as my natural son. He would perform all religious rites and after my death would be owner of my property of every kind from generation to generation and none will have any objection to this. Jangir Singh consents to the making of adoption by me."

After Sher Singhs death his sister Sham Kaur and his other sisters son Bant Singh brought a suit challenging deed Exhibit D.1 as a mere paper transaction which did not operate to make Modan Singh defendant No.1 and adopted son of Sher Singh. Modon Singh defendant No.1 contested the suit and contended that he was validly adopted by Sher Singh as a son and also that the deed of adoption operated as a testamentary disposition of property in his favour.

At the trial evidence was led on behalf of Modan Singh defendant No.1 to the effect that the ceremony of giving and taking in relation to the alleged adoption had taken place about 10 years earlier to the execution of deed Exhibit D.1. This evidence was disbelieved by both the Courts below and it was held by them that the alleged adoption was invalid inasmuch as no actual giving and taking of Modan Singh defendant No.1 had taken place and also because the consent of his natural mother to the adoption had not been obtained. They further concluded that deed Exhibit D. 1 could not be construed as a testamentary disposition of property by Sher Singh in favour of Modan Singh defendant No.1. Both these findings have been challenged before me on behalf of Modan Singh defendant No.1.

2. Reliance has first been placed by learned counsel for the appellant on Section 16 of the Hindu Adoptions and Maintenance Act, 1956, which states:

"Whenever any document registered under any law for the time being in force is produced before any Court purporting to record an adoption made and is signed by the person giving and the person taking the child in adoption, the Court shall presume that the adoption has been made in compliance with the provisions of this Act unless and until it is disproved."

It is urged that deed Exhibit D. 1 being a registered document a presumption of a valid adoption must be raised in favour of the appellant by virtue of the above extracted provisions. This proposition is unexceptionable but the matter does not rest there. The presumption which must be raised under the Section is a rebuttable presumption as is clearly made out by the use of the word "unless and until it is disproved" appearing at the end of the section. So all that is to be seen is whether the Courts below were right in coming to the conclusion that presumption which had to be raised in view of deed Exhibit D. 1 being a registered document had been rebutted. They took into consideration the circumstance that deed Exhibit D. 1did not mention that any ceremony of giving and taking had taken place about 10 years prior to its execution and that, on the other hand, it specifically stated that the adoption was effective from the date of such execution only. In my opinion, the circumstances is all important and knocks the bottom out of the stand taken by Modan Singh defendant No. 1 that the adoption ceremony had taken place 10 years earlier to the execution of the deed. The entire oral evidence led by him in support of that stand was, therefore, rightly held to be unreliable and if that be so, the alleged adoption must be held to be invalid inasmuch as it is not Modan Singhs case that any ceremony of giving and taking took place at any other time. The finding of the Courts below about the invalidity of the adoption is thus not open to any exception and