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1989 Supreme(All) 586

High Court Of Allahabad
B.L.Yadav, J.
Iswari- Appellant
Versus
Deputy Director Consolidation Kanpur Camp At Hamirpur - Respondent
Civil Misc. Writ Petition No. 25127 of 1989
Decided on : Dec 06,1989

Advocates appeared:
B.N.Asthana, S.K.Purwar, P.K.Asthana

The substitution of only one or a few heirs in a substitution application does not lead to the abatement of the suit or appeal, and the delay in filing the substitution application can be condoned in the interests of justice.

Headnote:

SUBSTITUTION OF HEIRS - U. P. CONSOLIDATION OF HOLDINGS ACT, 1953 - SECTION 11-A - Substitution application - Maintainability - Substitution of only one or few heirs - Effect - Abatement of suit or appeal - Condonation of delay in filing substitution application - Principles of justice and substantial justice.

Fact of the Case:

Petitioners challenged the orders of the Deputy Director of Consolidation and the Settlement Officer (Consolidation) allowing the substitution application filed by respondents 16 and 17, excluding the petitioners as heirs of the deceased parties.

Finding of the Court:

The court held that the substitution application was maintainable even if it did not include the names of all the heirs, and that the substitution of only one or a few heirs did not lead to the abatement of the suit or appeal. The court also held that the delay in filing the substitution application was correctly condoned by the authorities concerned.

Issues: 1. Whether the substitution application was maintainable despite not including the names of all the heirs? 2. Whether the substitution of only one or a few heirs led to the abatement of the suit or appeal? 3. Whether the delay in filing the substitution application was correctly condoned?

Ratio Decidendi: 1. The court relied on the principles contained in Order 22 Rules 2 and 4 of the Code of Civil Procedure, which can be borrowed to do justice between the parties in the absence of specific provisions under the U. P. Consolidation of Holdings Act, 1953. 2. The court held that it is not necessary in law to bring all the heirs on record, and that the impleaded legal representatives sufficiently represent the estate of the deceased. 3. The court observed that the consolidation authorities or the court are required to be guided by the rule of justice, and that the delay in filing the substitution application was condoned with a short order that itself was sufficient for the ends of justice.

Final Decision: The court dismissed the writ petition, holding that the substitution application was correctly allowed and the delay was correctly condoned. The court also directed that the petitioners be mentioned as heirs of the deceased parties and be served with notices to be heard before deciding the appeal.

JUDGMENT :

B.L.Yadav, J.

1. By the present writ petition under Article 226 petitioner has prayed for writ of certiorari quashing the order dated 26-5-1989 passed by the Deputy Director of Consolidation dismissing the revision of the petitioners and the order dated 24-4-1989 passed by the Settlement Officer (Consolidation) allowing the substitution application filed by respondents Nos. 16 and 17.

2. Factual matrix of the case is that Bhagwan Das father of the petitioners Nos. 1 and 2 and respondents Nos. 16 and 17 was dead and one Barwa father of the petitioner No. 3 and respondent No. 15 was also dead. A substitution application was filed by Man Bodhan etc. appellants in the appeal before the Settlement Officer (Consolidation) stating that in place of Bhagwan Das deceased names of his sons Ram Karan and Jai Karan may be substituted and if there are some other heirs it may be asked from the respondents to tell the name of those heirs so that they may also be substituted as heirs and impleaded as parties. In that substitution application names of petitioners Nos. 1 and 2 sons of Bhagwan Das deceased and the names of the petitioner No. 3son of Barwa deceased were not mentioned. The Settlement Officer (Consolidation) by order dated 24-4-1989 (Annexure 6') allowed the substitution application and against that petitioners' revision failed by order dated 26-5- 1989. Against these orders present writ petition has been filed.

Learned counsel for the petitioner urged that as the petitioners were also heirs in the sense that the petitioners Nos. 1 and 2 were real brothers of the respondent Nos. 16 and 17 who were already brought on the record in place of Bhagwan Das deceased the petitioners Nos. 1 and 2 must be substituted as heirs alongwith respondents Nos. 16 and 17 and similarly Ram Bharosa was one of sons of Barwa hence he must be substituted alongwith the respondent No. 15 who is real brother and the substitution application was belated as it was filed after two years from the date of death of the deceased. It was urged that the said substitution application not containing the names of all the heirs should not have been allowed and the case abated.

3. Having heared learned counsel for the petitioner I am of the view that the petition is devoid of merits. If the substitution application was filed by Manbodh etc. appellants in appeal before the Settlement Officer (Consolidation) (Annexure 2') indicating that the respondents Nos. 16 and 17 were sons of Bhagwan Das and respondent No. 15 was son of Barwa deceased hence they may be substituted but the names of the petitioners were not indicated as heirs of the deceased and it was indicated in the application that if there is some other heir that may be pointed out by the respondents, such substitution application is maintainable and it was allowed, the case or suit can not abate. If it is filed indicating the names of only one heir or only few of them that application cannot be said to be not maintainable or defective in any respect. The provisions of the Code of Civil Procedure are not applicable to the provisions of the U. P. Consolidation of Holdings Act, 1953 (for short the 'Act'), but the principles contained in Order 22 Rules 2 and 4 can be borrowed just to do justice between the parties. Rules 2 and 4 of Order 22 deal with the principles that where one or two or more defendants or respondents dies and the right to sue survives against the defendants or respondents an application in that behalf can be made to bring the legal heirs and representatives of the deceased on record. Only one legal representative is sufficient to represent the estate of the deceased. Law does not require more than one or all the legal representatives to be brought on record. In Other words it is not necessary in law to bring all the heirs on the record. There are catena of decisions in support of the above view. Reference may be made to a Supreme Court case (which arose from our High Court) Daya Ram v. Shyam





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