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1997 Supreme(P&H) 537

PUNJAB AND HARYANA HIGH COURT
Jawahar Lal Gupta, J.
Gurdip Singh - Appellant
Versus
Sohan Singh - Respondent
RSA No. 2302 of 1996.
Decided On : 21 March, 1997

Advocates Appeared:
For the Appellant :Mr. V.K. Jain, Sr. Advocate.
For the Respondents:G.S. Nagra, Advocate.

A plaintiff who has no title to the property and is not in possession cannot claim a permanent injunction to restrain the defendants from interfering with his possession.

Headnote:

LAND DISPUTE - POSSESSION - ALLOTMENT LETTER - REPORT OF POSSESSION - JURISDICTION - CIVIL COURT - OWNERSHIP - INJUNCTION - FACTUAL FINDINGS - APPELLATE COURT - EVIDENCE - ADMISSIBILITY - ADDITIONAL EVIDENCE - STAY ORDER - STATUS QUO - ISSUES - PRELIMINARY ISSUE - COMPETENCY OF SUIT - COSTS.

Fact of the Case:

The plaintiff filed a suit for a permanent injunction to restrain the defendants from interfering with or taking possession of land measuring 78 Kanals 14 Marlas. The trial court dismissed the suit. The appellate Court found that the defendants had become owners of the suit land on the basis of an allotment letter and possession was delivered to them. The plaintiff filed a second appeal.

Finding of the Court:

The report of possession was not a fake document as it was signed by the plaintiff's own witnesses. The entry in the Jamabandi for the year 1994-1995 showing the plaintiff in possession was doubtful. The order of the Collector rejecting the appeal against the correction of Khasra Girdawari was based on a stay order passed on the same day as the report of possession, which was prima facie incorrect. The ex-parte interim order of the Financial Commissioner only directed maintenance of status quo and did not show that the plaintiff was in possession. The plaintiff had no title to the property and was not in possession, so he had no ground for claiming an injunction.

Issues: 1. Whether the report of possession was a fake document. 2. Whether the entry in the Jamabandi for the year 1994-1995 showing the plaintiff in possession was correct. 3. Whether the order of the Collector rejecting the appeal against the correction of Khasra Girdawari was correct. 4. Whether the ex-parte interim order of the Financial Commissioner showed that the plaintiff was in possession. 5. Whether the plaintiff had title to the property and was in possession. 6. Whether the plaintiff had a ground for claiming an injunction.

Ratio Decidendi: 1. The report of possession was not a fake document as it was signed by the plaintiff's own witnesses. 2. The entry in the Jamabandi for the year 1994-1995 showing the plaintiff in possession was doubtful. 3. The order of the Collector rejecting the appeal against the correction of Khasra Girdawari was based on a stay order passed on the same day as the report of possession, which was prima facie incorrect. 4. The ex-parte interim order of the Financial Commissioner only directed maintenance of status quo and did not show that the plaintiff was in possession. 5. The plaintiff had no title to the property and was not in possession, so he had no ground for claiming an injunction.

Final Decision: The appeal was dismissed with costs of Rs. 5000/-.

JUDGMENT

Jawahar Lal Gupta, J. - The plaintiff filed a suit for a permanent injunction for restraining the defendants from "interfering into or taking possession of land measuring 78 Kanals 14 Marlas." The trial court dismissed the suit. The plaintiff filed an appeal. The appellate Court found that "----I am also of the view that the defendant-respondents have become owners of the suit land on the basis of allotment letter and the possession of the suit land was delivered to the defendants vide report No. 203 dated 21-1-1991 -----". Accordingly, the appeal was dismissed. Aggrieved by the judgment and decree, the plaintiff has filed the present second appeal.

2. Mr. V.K. Jain, learned counsel for the appellant, has contended that the Trial Court has found as a fact that the report No. 203 dated January 21, 1991, was a fake document. Consequently, it had held that the defendants were not in possession. Still further, the learned counsel submits that according to the Jamabandi for the year 1994-1995, a copy of which has been produced along with an application for permission to lead additional evidence, the plaintiff-appellant is in possession of the land and the Central Government has been recorded as the owner. On this basis, it is contended that the findings recorded by the learned lower appellate Court cannot be sustained. Learned counsel has also referred to an order dated December 21, 1993, passed by the Collector, Sub Division, Malout, during the pendency of the civil suit by which he rejected the appeal filed by the respondents against the order of the Assistant Collector dated June 8, 1993, regarding the correction of entry in the Khasra Girdawari. He has also referred to the ex-parte interim order E passed on September 8, 1993, by the Financial Commissioner (Appeals), Punjab. The claim made on behalf of the appellants has been controverted by the learned counsel for the respondents.

3. The report No. 203 dated January 21, 1991 has been produced on the record as Exhibit D-6. It is admitted by Mr. Jain that this report has been signed by Nirmal Singh and Parminder Singh who had appeared as PW Nos. 1 and 3 for the plaintiff-appellant. The very fact that the witnesses produced by the plaintiff-appellant are signatories to the report by which possession was shown to have been handed over to the defendant-respondents indicates that the report was not a false or a fake document. The presence of these witnesses for the plaintiff is clear indication of the correctness of the report. Once this report is accepted as correct as has been found by the learned appellate Court, it is not understood as to how an entry could be made in the year 1994-95 that the plaintiff was cultivating the land as Gair Marusi tenant under the Central Government. Even though no case for allowing the appellant to produce additional evidence is made out, yet, even if this document is taken into consideration, its correctness is extremely doubtful. Equally, it is clear from a perusal of the order dated December 21, 1993, passed by the Collector that the appeal filed by the respondents against an order for correction of Khasra Girdawari was rejected on the basis that the report dated January 21, 1991, had been stayed on the same day. In this view of the matter, the Collector had observed that the stay order having been passed on the same day, it shall be deemed to have come into force immediately and it would not be assumed that the appellants were handed over possession. Prima-facie, there was no warrant for this view. There is nothing to show as to when the stay order was communicated after it had been passed. As for the order dated September 8, 1993, passed by the Financial Commissioner, a copy of which is on record as Mark E, it may be observed that only ex parte directions for maintenance of status quo were given. It does not in any way show that the appellants were held to be in possession.

4. In view of the above, the contention raised by the learned co




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