2016 Supreme(All) 871
ALLAHABAD HIGH COURT
BEFORE : PRAMOD KUMAR SRIVASTAVA, J.
SITA RAM TEKRIWAL ....Appellant
Versus
RAJ KUMAR AND OTHERS ....Respondents
(Second Appeal No. 1263 of 2002, decided on 3rd August, 2016)
Counsel :
G.N. Varma, Dr. Madhu Tandon, H.M.B. Sinha, Indrajeet Singh Yadav, Kapil Rathore, R.K. Srivastava, S.S. Yadav and S.S. Sharma for the Appellant; M.K. Gupta, A.K. Gupta and Pankaj Agarwal for the Respondents.
Headnote:Lease-deed—Possession—Non-payment of rent—Appellant took land in question in possession from plaintiff on lease by registered lease-deed for running cinema—Failed to pay rent and premium—Disputed land claimed to be demarcated under U.P. Urban Zamindari Abolition Act—After entering into registered lease-deed and contract relating it, appellant became lessee and tenant of disputed immovable property—Relation of tenant and landlord could not be denied—Considering evidence adduced by parties, disputed land belongs to plaintiff-respondent—Appellant neither owner nor has right to retain its possession—No perversity or infirmity found in finding of fact recorded by first appellate Court—Appellant not entitled to any relief claimed. [Paras 12 to 18]
Result; Appeal Dismissed.
Hon’ble Pramod Kumar Srivastava, J.—1. Present second appeal has been preferred against the judgment dated 18.9.2002 passed by Additional District Judge Court, No. -2, Gorakhpur passed in Civil Appeal No. 79 of 1994, Vishwanath Prasad and others v. Sita Ram Tekriwal, by which judgment dated 17.11.19823 passed by Civil Judge-I, Gorakhpur in O.S. No. 102 of 1980 Vishwanath Prasad and others v. Sita Ram was set aside and the first appeal was allowed for the relief claimed in the original suit.
2. In original Suit No. 102 of 1980 the plaint case in brief was that plaintiffs are onwers of land detailed at the foot of plaint measuring approximately 26000 square feet situated in mohalla Purdilpur, Gorakhpur. The defendant Sita Ram Tekriwal took the land in possession from the plaintiff on lease by registered lease-deed dated 23.2.1972 for a period of 23 years and took the possession of said land same day for running the cinema. The defendant agreed to pay from the date of lease-deed Rs. 931/- per month as monthly rent for this lease in first week of each calendar month regularly up to period of 15 years, and thereafter at the rate of Rs. 1131/- per month for the remaining lease period in the like manner. The defendant had also agreed to pay Rs. 8000/- as premium within 9 months from the date of execution of lease-deed to the plaintiff. The defendant did not pay Rs. 8000/- the amount of premium within time specified in lease-deed in spite of several demands. Subsequently on protest and demand from the side of plaintiff, the defendant gave a signed written undertaking dated 4.2.1975 by which he acknowledged the liability to pay premium of amount of Rs. 8000/- and assured the plaintiff for its payment at an early date. But he did not honoured his assurance and avoided the payment of premium amount, and on 27.1.1978 defendant only paid Rs. 500/- towards amount of premium for which he made the endorsement of part-payment on the back of writing given by him on 4.2.1975 in his handwriting and signature and again acknowledged the liability to pay remaining amount of Rs. 7500/- by the same endorsement. Since September, 1977 the defendant had not paid the monthly rent of Rs. 931/- per month in spite of demand and request of plaintiffs. Therefore under terms of lease-deed, in case of non payment of rent continuously for 6 months, the plaintiffs are entitled to enter into possession of land in suit by terminating the lease of defendants by giving 30 days’ notice. As the defendants had failed to pay monthly rent of disputed land for more than 6 months in continuation the plaintiff sent a registered post notice dated 25.3.1980 to defendant through counsel for terminating the lease and for the demand of amount of rent due as well as the remaining amount of premium due alongwith interest. Said notice was served on defendant on 27.3.1980 but inspite of its service, the defendant had neither paid the amount of rent and premium due nor had handed over the vacant possession of the land in suit. Therefore, the plaintiff had filed suit for recovery of possession over land in suit detailed in plaint by ejecting the defendant and recovery of Rs. 45,716/- as the amount due as above and also for recovery of damages at the rate of Rs. 931/- per month pendelte lite and till recovery of actual possession of disputed property.
3. In original suit, defendant had filed written-statement in which he had admitted that he had taken possession of disputed land from plaintiffs after execution of registered lease-deed dated 23.2.1972 and had agreed to pay monthly rent for 15 years at the rate of Rs. 931/- per month and thereafter monthly rent at the rate of Rs. 1151/ per month and had also admitted to pay premium amount of Rs. 8000/- against which he had paid Rs. 500/-. Except these admissions, the defendant (present appellant in second appeal) had denied other plaint averments. In his written-statement, the defendant had further pleaded that although lease-deed