2008 Supreme(All) 1863
ALLAHABAD HIGH COURT
B.C.Kandpal
RABIYA
Versus
ALI HUSSAIN
Decided On : 18 August 2008
Second Appeal No. 1341 of 2001
A.K.Sharma, ARVIND VASHISTHA, Lok Pal Singh,
The burden of proof in cases involving illiterate individuals and pardanasheen ladies lies with the party seeking to sustain a transaction, and the burden can be discharged by proving that the document was explained and understood by the grantor.
Headnote:
CPC - Appeal against dismissal of suit for cancellation of sale deed - Section 100 - Summary of Acts and Sections: CPC Section 100 - The court analyzed the burden of proof in cases involving pardanasheen ladies and illiterate individuals, emphasizing the need for the party seeking to sustain a transaction with such individuals to establish that the document was executed with full understanding. The court highlighted the special protection afforded to illiterate individuals and the shift of burden of proof onto the defendants/respondents in such cases.
Fact of the Case:
The plaintiff filed a suit for cancellation of a sale deed, alleging that the defendant had obtained the deed through a forged power of attorney and fraud. The defendant contested, claiming the sale was legitimate.
Finding of the Court:
The court found that the burden of proof lay with the defendants to establish that the power of attorney was not a result of fraud and misrepresentation, especially considering the plaintiff's illiteracy. The lower courts had wrongly shifted the burden onto the plaintiff.
Issues: The issues included the validity of the sale deed, the authenticity of the power of attorney, the receipt of sale consideration, ownership and possession of the disputed property, and the applicability of estoppel and acquiescence.
Ratio Decidendi: The burden of proof in cases involving illiterate individuals and pardanasheen ladies lies with the party seeking to sustain a transaction, and the burden can be discharged by proving that the document was explained and understood by the grantor. The court emphasized the special protection and the need for clear understanding in such transactions.
Final Decision: The appeal was allowed, and the matter was remanded back to the trial court to decide the suit in view of the evidence and the court's observations. The trial court was directed to decide the suit within 45 days.
thereby confirming the judgment and de cree dated 19. 1. 2001 passed by Civil Judge (J. D.) dismissing Suit No. 155/96, Smt. Rabiya versus Ali Hussain & others.
2. Brief facts of the case are that plaintiff/appellant filed a suit against the defendants/ respondents for cancellation of sale deed dated 10-5-1995, registered in Sub Registrar Officer, Jagadari, Roorkee, at Bahi No. 1, Zild 02, 25 on 22. 5. 95. Ac cording to the plaint case the plaintiff Smt. Rabiya inherited the property, shown in the Schedule of property given at the foot of the plaint, from her father late Sri Ahamad and now she is owner in posses sion of the said land. The defendant Nos. 1 and 3, Ali Hassan and Abdul Hassan, respectively are the sons of her great-fa ther and Smt. Raqiba, defendant No. 2, is the wife of Ali Hassan (defendant No. 1 ). The defendant No. 1, in order to grab the property of the plaintiff, got prepared forged power of attorney, in the name of the plaintiff on 25. 4. 95. Thereafter, the de fendant No. 1, Ali Hassan, on the basis of forged power of attorney, also got pre pared forged sale deed with regard to the property belonging to the plaintiff for a consideration of Rs. 1. 50. 000a on 10-5- 1995 in favour of defendant Nos. 2 and 3 and also got it registered. According to the plaintiff the sale price of the disputed land in any manner could not be less than Rs. 3,00,000/ -. In the sale deed the wit ness Tosheef is the man of the defendants and scribe is the Cleri. Advocate Asif Ali. It is also alleged in the plaint that there is no recital that who had actually received the sale consideration of Rs. 1,50,000/ -. The further assertion of the plaintiff is that she is in actual possession of the disputed land and the forged sale deed was never acted upon. She also alleged that Roorkee Tehsil is nearer to her village and there was no occasion for her to prepare power of attorney instead of registering the sale deed directly. Therefore, the plaintiff sought a decree for cancellation of sale deed alleg edly obtained by playing fraud.
3. The defendant no. 1 contested the suit by filing written statement and admit ted this fact that the plaintiff inherited the disputed property from her father late Sri Ahamad, but he alleged that the said property remained in his possession and used to plough, to sow and to harvest the crops over it upto 15-5-1995. Thereafter the disputed land was handed over to de fendants 2 and 3. According to him, the plaintiff lives in her Sasural in village Ikkar which about 30 kilometers away from vil lage Landhora. Her husband is a labour by profession and he often used to go to Haryana and Punjab and the plaintiff also accompany him. Therefore, the disputed land was being looked after by the defend ant No. 1. The defendant No. 1 used to give her half of the crops obtained from the disputed land, but the plaintiff was not satisfied with it she directed him to search for a purchaser of the said land and also asked him for preparation of a power of attorney. In the month of April 1995 the plaintiff had come Roorkee for preparation of power of attorney and it registration but there it was informed that the Collector had forbidden for doing registration of power of attorney and for that purpose permission of Collector was necessary. At this the plaintiff suggested that he should visit Jagadari where she will execute power of attorney in his father. Thereafter on 25. 4. 95 the plaintiff got executed power of attorney in favour of defendant by free consent empowering the defendant no. 1 to act on her behalf. Before its execution the contents of power of attorney were read over and explained to the plaintiff/ appellant in presence of witnesses of power of attorney namely Shri Rati Ram an