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2006 Supreme(All) 556

[2006(9) ADJ 113 (All)]
ALLAHABAD HIGH COURT
BEFORE : UMESHWAR PANDEY, J.
RAM LAKHAN AND ANOTHER —Appellants
Versus
GHURAHOO —Respondent
(Second Appeal No. 2904 of 1986, decided on 22nd February, 2006)

Advocates appeared:
R.B. Pradhan, R.S. Ram for the Appellants; S.K. Verma, Siddharth Verma for the Respondents.

Headnote:Will—Execution of sale-deed—Fraud and misrepresentation—Suit for cancellation of sale-deed filed by appellant on round that vendor was illiterate and aged 70 years—Trial Court holding that fraud and misrepresentation played upon appellant-plaintiff by defendant, cancelled it, and decreed suit of plaintiff—Appeal against, by respondent/defendant—Allowed by lower appellate Court, setting aside decree of trial Court —Second appeal against, by appellant-plaintiff—As per defendants' case, plaintiff-appellant was an old man of 70 years, and there did exist a fiduciary relationship between two—Since plaintiff was dependent on defendant and was living with him suffering from handicaps, and defendant was in a dominating position being his nephew—Facts were misrepresented to plaintiff by defendant, he got fraudulent deed of sale executed—Therefore, judgment and decree passed by lower appellate Court set aside—And appeal liable to be allowed—And judgment and decree passed by trial Court restored. [Contract Act, 1872—Sections 25(1)(i) and 16—Transfer of Property Act, 1882—Section 25(1)—Civil Procedure Code, 1908—Section 100—Evidence Act, 1872—Section 111]. [Paras 17 to 22]

       

JUDGMENT

Hon’ble Umeshwar Pandey, J.—This second appeal of the plaintiff has been filed against the judgment and decree dated 20.9.1986 passed by the lower appellate Court (llnd. Addl. District Judge, Ghazipur).

2. The appellant had filed a suit for cancellation of a sale-deed dated 10.12.1984 on several grounds taken in the pleadings including the ground that the sale had been obtained by practising fraud upon him which could be easily manipulated by the defendant/respondent on account of his old age and also on account of his being illiterate. He further stated that no consideration in the present transfer by sale had passed from the defendant to him and he was cleverly deceived by the respondent, who represented to the plaintiff that he wanted a surety bond to be executed by him to indemnify the defendant towards the payment of some dues to the Government. The plaintiff was also given to understand that in case he did not execute the surety bond, the defendant/respondent might face arrest and detention for such non-payment of the dues. After having been fully convinced by the crafty talks of the defendant and on account of being under his influence from before, the plaintiff agreed to execute the surety bond and he was taken to the Court premises where instead a bond this sale-deed was got executed by fraud and misrepresentation.

3. The defendant/respondent contested the suit and filed a written statement disclosing certain facts and pleading inter alia that the sale-deed in question was not got executed by him by practising fraud or any sort of misrepresentation nor did he unduly influence the plaintiff, an old man of seventy years of age. He further pleaded that the plaintiff had three daughters only who had been married and finding himself all alone and lonely he started living with the defendant who happens to be his nephew. He was taking his meals and staying with the defendant and after the defendant joined a service he used to give all money which he received as his salary to the plaintiff only. The plaintiffs daughters and his sons-in-law did not take any care of him and as such the defendant had been looking after his uncle (plaintiff) with utmost sincerity and care. Since the defendant’s father had died and he had separated from his other brothers, his marriage was also got arranged and conducted by the plaintiff himself. The defendant’s wife also took maximum care of plaintiffs comfort while he was residing with her. Later on since the plaintiff was extremely pleased with the care and comfort accorded to him by the defendant and the wife he told his daughters that he was going to transfer his entire property to his nephew (defendant). The defendant further pleaded that in the circumstances as stated above, this sale-deed was executed and no element of fraud had been there in this transfer of plaintiffs property through the impugned sale-deed.

4. On the pleadings of the parties, the trial Court framed as many as five issues and in the findings of issues Nos. 1 and 5 taken together it was held that no consideration passed for the disputed sale of property and that was the only property held and possessed by the plaintiff as a source of his livelihood and virtually there was no occasion in such circumstances to transfer the property showing it to be a transaction of sale. Accordingly the learned trial Court having believed the story set up in the plaint about fraud and misrepresentation played upon the plaintiff by the defendant found that the sale-deed in question was liable to be cancelled and accordingly after giving formal finding on the other issues decreed the suit with costs.

5. The respondent/defendant preferred an appeal before the lower appellate Court against the judgment and decree passed by the trial Court in which the findings, as had been recorded by the trial Court that the sale-deed in question was a result of fraud and misrepresentation practised upon the plaintiff, were reversed and it has be





























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