Point of Law: Contract and Specific Reliefs- Agreement - Determination of market price - No material has been placed by parties before this Court to assess what would be current worth of suit property. A photostat copy of Collector's circle rate, relating to area where suit property is situate, was shown to Court - virtually produced out of pocket by learned Counsel for defendant at the hearing. This Court cannot assess current market value of the property on basis of circle rate.

JUDGMENT :

1. These two second appeals have arisen from a suit for specific performance of contract. Second Appeal No. 1873 of 1985 has been preferred by the plaintiff, whereas Second Appeal No. 2315 of 1985 has been brought by the defendant. Both appeals have been heard together. Second Appeal No. 1873 of 1985 shall be treated to be the leading case.

2. The facts giving rise to the two appeals are these :

Original Suit No. 144 of 1982 for specific performance of contract was instituted by Mahesh Chand against one Rampal Singh, seeking specific performance of a registered agreement to sell dated 02.05.1980, executed in favour of Mahesh Chand by Rampal Singh. Mahesh Chand is hereinafter referred to as the 'plaintiff', which includes reference to his legal heirs and representatives, since substituted in his stead. Rampal Singh, who died pending appeal before the lower Appellate Court and was substituted there by his sole heir and legal representative, Avinash Kumar, is hereinafter referred to as the 'defendant.'

3. The plaintiff's case is that a registered agreement to sell dated 02.05.1980 was executed between him and the defendant, where the defendant covenanted to sell, for an agreed sale consideration of Rs. 15,000/-, his 1/5th share in the agricultural land of Khata no. 254, plot no. 545, admeasuring 24 bigha 10 biswa 11 biswansi, situate at Village Azimabad Machhua, Pargana and Tehsil Koil, District Aligarh. The said land is hereinafter referred to as the ‘suit property’. The registered agreement to sell dated 02.05.1980 shall be called the 'suit agreement'.

4. It is the plaintiff's case that antecedent to the execution of the suit agreement, the defendant received, by way of earnest, a sum of Rs. 1440/-. The defendant further received a sum of Rs. 2,000/-at the time of execution and registration of suit agreement before the Sub-Registrar. Thus, out of the total sale consideration, the defendant received in earnest a total sum of Rs. 3440/-. It was covenanted between parties that the defendant would execute a sale deed conveying the suit property in favour of the plaintiff within two years of the date of the suit agreement. It is the plaintiff's case that he has been always ready and willing to perform his part of contract and is still ready and willing. The defendant has been elusive about the performance required of him in terms of the suit agreement and evaded his liabilities thereunder. The suit was instituted on 13.04.1982, alleging that the defendant, on 15.03.1982, refused to settle the matter amicably and out of Court.

5. The defendant contested the suit by filing a written statement dated 12.07.1982. The defendant denied the execution of the suit agreement. He pleaded that he never received a sum of Rs. 1,440/-by way of earnest. Rather, he received a loan from the plaintiff in the sum of Rs. 2,000/-agreeing to pay the plaintiff interest @ 3% per month. It was agreed inter partes that the loan, together with the accrued interest, would be repaid within a period of two years. The plaintiff, in order to evade the provisions of the of the Uttar Pradesh Regulation of Money-Lending Act, 1976 got the suit agreement executed, where Rs. 3,440/-were shown as earnest. The suit agreement was registered. The defendant has pleaded that for a fact, no agreement covenanting to transfer the suit property was in the parties' contemplation. The defendant has also averred that he paid a sum of Rs. 2,920/-to the plaintiff in August, 1981, liquidating the entire outstanding due to the plaintiff, the principal and the interest included. The plaintiff discharged the suit agreement by endorsing on its reverse that he does not wish to secure a sale deed and had received back his earnest. It is further averred by the defendant that the plaintiff, however, did not return the suit agreement in original, where he made the last mentioned endorsement, telling the defendant that it was of no use to the defendant, as the plaintiff had already endorsed