Allahbad High Court
GANGESHWARPRASAD
Bodhan, Defendant No. 1 - Appellant
Versus
Bhundal Singh - Respondent
Decided On : 07/13/1964
ESTOPPEL - LICENSEES - SCOPE AND EXTENT - ADVERSE POSSESSION - TENANCY RIGHTS - SETTLEMENT BY ZAMINDAR - EFFECT.
Fact of the Case:
Plaintiffs, sons of Dalip Singh, filed suits for possession of agricultural land, claiming title through a gift deed executed by Smt. Rajjo, an occupancy tenant, in favor of Dalip Singh in 1888. Dalip Singh mortgaged the land to defendants in 1915. The defendants were dispossessed by the Zamindar upon Smt. Rajjo's death in 1916, and the Zamindar settled the land with the defendants. The plaintiffs' applications for redemption and recovery of possession under the U.P. Agriculturists Relief Act were dismissed.
Finding of the Court:
The court held that Smt. Rajjo's gift deed was invalid under the N.W.P. Rent Act, and Dalip Singh acquired no title to the land. The mortgages executed by Dalip Singh were not valid mortgages, but created a permissive possession in favor of the defendants as licensees. The defendants' possession was interrupted when they were dispossessed by the Zamindar, and their subsequent possession was derived from the settlement made by the Zamindar, not from the licenses.
Issues: 1. Whether the gift deed executed by Smt. Rajjo in favor of Dalip Singh was valid. 2. Whether the mortgages executed by Dalip Singh were valid. 3. Whether the defendants were estopped from denying the plaintiffs' title to the land. 4. Whether the defendants acquired tenancy rights through the settlement made by the Zamindar.
Ratio Decidendi: 1. Under the N.W.P. Rent Act, an occupancy tenant's rights were not transferable except to co-sharers in the tenancy. Smt. Rajjo's gift deed was, therefore, invalid, and Dalip Singh acquired no title to the land. 2. Since Dalip Singh had no title to the land, the mortgages executed by him were not valid mortgages. They created only a permissive possession in favor of the defendants as licensees. 3. The defendants were not estopped from denying the plaintiffs' title to the land because they were only licensees, not mortgagees. A licensee is not estopped from setting up a claim of adverse possession if he has been ousted from possession by a person exercising a paramount right and has regained possession under a fresh title derived from that person. 4. The defendants acquired tenancy rights through the settlement made by the Zamindar. The Zamindar had dispossessed the defendants from the land, and the defendants' subsequent possession was derived from the settlement made by the Zamindar, not from the licenses.
Final Decision: Second Appeal No. 2672 of 1960 was allowed in part. The decree of the lower appellate court was modified. Suit No. 3 of 1951 was decreed with regard to plot No. 708 only, subject to the payment of Rs. 300/- to the defendants within six months, and it was dismissed with regard to the remaining two plots. Second Appeal No. 2673 of 1960 was allowed. The decree of the lower appellate court was set aside, and suit No. 4 of 1951 was dismissed in entirety.
JUDGMENT : These two connected second appeals arise out of two connected suits (suit Nos. 3 and 4 of 1951) filed in the civil court for possession over certain plots of agricultural land. Bhundal Singh and Badri Singh, sons of Dalip Singh were plaintiffs in both the suits, while Bodhan and Ramapati were defendants in suit No. 4 of 1951 and a Sumiran and Bodhan were defendants in suit No. 3 of 1951. In both the suits it was alleged by the plaintiffs that Smt. Rajjo, an occupancy tenant of the disputed plots, executed a deed of gift in favour of Dalip Singh, father of the plaintiffs, on 2nd October 1888, and Dalip Singh entered into possession under it. On 15th May 1915 Dalip Singh mortgaged with possession by means of a deed of mortgage the plots involved in suit No. 3 of 1951 Ram Bharos who is dead and is now represented by his son Bodhan defendant No. 1. Ramapati defendant No. 2 in that suit was said to be in possession of one of the plots as transferee from Bodhan and was thus impleaded as a co-defendant. On the same date i.e. 15th May 1915. Dalip Singh mortgaged with possession by means of another deed the plots involved in suit No. 4 to Sumiran defendant No. 1 and Ram Bharos, father of Bodhan defendant No. 2. The defendants as
according to the plaintiffs, had, continued in possession as mortgages. Applications for redemption and recovery of possession under Sec. 12 of the U.P. Agriculturists Relief Act were filed against them by plaintiffs but they were dismissed on that since the mortgages related to occupancy tenancy and were thus not valid, no proceedings with, respect to them could be taken under Section 12 of the said Act. Thereafter the petitions filed the suits which have given rise to these appeals. In both the suits it was denied by the defendants that they were in possession of the disputed plots under the mortgages alleged to have been executed by Dalip Singh or that any title passed to Dalip Singh under the deed of gift executed by Smt. Rajjo. They alleged that in consequence of procedure taken by Zamindar upon the death of Smt. Rajjo in possession were dispossessed from plots Nos. 696, 717, 1041 and 1180 and the land to the Zamindar who entered into possession and that the Zamindar settled the said plots with defendants. About plot No. 708 it was said that on partition among Zamindars, it was allotted to Ram Bharos who remained in possession as Zamindars. A number of other pleas were also taken. The trial court dismissed the suits, but on appeal the learned District Judge decreed Suit No. 3 of 1951 for plots Nos. 696 and 717 subject to the payment of Rs. 300/- and suit No. 4 of 1951 involving plots Nos. 1011 and 1180 in entirety subject to the payment of Rs. 299/-. He, however, dismissed suit No. 3 of 1951 for plot No. 708.
2. At the outset it way contended before me by the learned Counsel for the appellant that the petitions could have obtained relief in the revenue courts under Sec. 180 of the U.P. Tenancy Act of 1938 and the civil court had, therefore, no jurisdiction to entertain the suits. This is contention is clearly unsustainable. It would appear that although the plea of want of jurisdiction in the Civil court to entertain the suits had been taken in the written statement it was subsequently abandoned and no issue on the question of jurisdiction struck by the trial court. Further, the plea was neither urged before the lower appellate court was it made a ground of objection in the memorandum of appeal filed in this Court, frequently because it was thought that according made in the Full Bench case of Mahabal Singh v. Raj 1950 All WR 624 (AIR 1960 All 624) (FB) the suit was maintainable to these circumstances the plea of jurisdiction cannot be allowed to be raised at this stage :
3. Coming to the merits of the cases, it is clear that Smt. Rajjo, who was admittedly the sole occupancy Tenancy that of the plots in suit, was not competent transfer her interest, and the gift deed executed by her on 2n
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