IN THE HIGH COURT OF JUDICATURE AT ALLAHABAD
SIDDHARTHA VARMA, J.
Prahlad and Another – Appellants
Versus
Sarvajeet – Respondent
Second Appeal No. 168 of 1995
Decided On : 11-10-2022
Sale Deed - Cancel Sale Deed - Appeal has been filed by defendant against judgment and decree of First Appellate Court by which First Appeal of plaintiff was allowed and Suit of plaintiff which was earlier dismissed by Trial Court was decreed - Plaintiff had filed a suit being Original Suit for relief that sale deed be cancelled - Suit was based on fact that plaintiff was an elderly person and was dependent on father of defendants in whom plaintiff had confidence and who had, therefore, capacity to influence decision taking capacity of plaintiff.
Findings of the Court:
Trial Court had rightly put burden of proving whether plaintiff was ill or not on plaintiff and plaintiff definitely could not prove that plaintiff was in any manner ill on date of execution of sale deed - Doctors who had given prescriptions were never produced - Prescriptions themselves told a story which was different from case which plaintiff was taking and also Trial Court rightly concluded from facts which defendants had brought on record and had not been denied by plaintiff that none of other brothers of plaintiff had come in witness box to allege that defendants’ father had exercised undue influence - Even nephew who was much loved by plaintiff and whose name found place on top of house never came in witness box - What is more Court finds that, in fact, plaintiff has not been able to prove as to from where amount which he had deposited in fixed deposit was earned by him - This also shows that plaintiffs had taken consideration and had also converted consideration money into a fixed deposit - It appears that plaintiff had filed a suit as an afterthought - Under such circumstances, it is abundantly proved that First Appellate Court wrongly shifted burden on defendants to prove that plaintiff was not under any undue influence of defendant’s father - All evidence which was there before Trial Court was correctly analysed in a balanced manner by it - First Appellate Court wrongly shifted burden on defendants - Judgment and decree of First Appellate Court passed by VIth Additional District Judge is set-aside.
Result: Appeal allowed.
JUDGMENT :
SIDDHARTHA VARMA, J.
1. This second appeal has been filed by the defendant against the judgment and decree of the First Appellate Court dated 17.12.1994 by which the First Appeal of the plaintiff was allowed and the Suit of the plaintiff which was earlier dismissed by the Trial Court on 5.3.1992 was decreed. The plaintiff-Sarvajeet (the respondent here) had filed a suit being Original Suit No. 445 of 1989 for the relief that the sale deed dated 27.9.1988 be cancelled. The Suit was based on the fact that the plaintiff was an elderly person and was dependent on the father of the defendants in whom the plaintiff had confidence and who had, therefore, the capacity to influence the decision taking capacity of the plaintiff.
2. The plaintiff further had taken a case that on the date when the sale deed was executed i.e. on 27.9.1988, the plaintiff who was suffering from cataract had acute fever and had gone to the office of the Registrar at Tehsil Sagari on the pretext that Kishori the father of the defendants would get him treated by a good doctor. It has been alleged in the plaint that instead of getting the plaintiff treated, the father of the defendants fraudulently got executed the sale deed on 27.9.1988 in favour of the defendants. The defendants in their written statements, however, took a case that the plaintiff had executed the sale deed in question with his free mind and will and on the date when he executed the sale deed, he was in sound mental condition. Further, they stated that the sale deed was executed for a proper consideration. At the Registrar Office, the plaintiff had been informed about the contents of the document and the document which he was going to put his signature on. He had understood the contents of the document and after taking full consideration he had executed the sale deed. The Trial Court had put the burden on the plaintiff of proving that the plaintiff was ill on the relevant date and had put the burden of proving that consideration had passed from the defendants to the plaintiff on the defendants. The Trial Court found the oral evidence of PW-1 Ram Nagina as a heresy evidence as his evidence regarding his knowledge of the illness of the plaintiff, Sarvajeet, was through the father of the defendants himself. Further the Trial Court analysed the testimony of the plaintiff to see to his physical and mental status and went through the evidence which was brought before the Court. The plaintiff had stated in his examination in chief that, to begin with, he had got himself treated by one Dr. Tirathram and when he did not get any benefit out of his treatment he had changed the Doctor and had started taking treatment of one Doctor Yadava. When he did not get any relief from their treatment and when the defendant’s father, in whom the plaintiff had full confidence and faith, suggested that he showed himself to the Doctor at Sagari, the plaintiff had readily agreed. The plaintiff had not brought in the witness box the Doctors who had treated him. However, he produced the prescriptions which were again not proved by the Doctor who had prescribed them. However, since the plaintiff had produced those prescriptions they were considered in evidence and it was found that when on the first occasion the plaintiff was given the medicines on 16.9.1988 then they were prescribed for a period of five days. Thereafter on 20.9.1988, the medicines were slightly changed and they were prescribed for three days more. On 23.9.1988, the temperature and pulse recorded by the Doctor were normal. Therefore, it has been concluded by the Trial Court that three days after 23.9.1988, the plaintiff’s physical condition was absolutely normal. There is no evidence on record, it has been stated by the Trial Court, to prove that the condition of the plaintiff deteriorated thereafter. The Trial Court also took into consideration certain facts about the family of the plaintiff which were brought on record by the defendants and was not
Daya Shankar vs. Smt. Bachi and Others
Kalwa Devadattam and Others vs. Union of India and Others
Narayan Bhagwantrao Gosavi Balajiwale vs. Gopal Vinayak Gosavi and Others
The main legal point established in the judgment is the importance of pleadings in determining the burden of proof and the inability to shift the burden without the necessary pleadings.
The burden of proof regarding undue influence lies with the defendant when the plaintiff is an illiterate villager, but the defendant successfully discharged this burden, validating the sale deed.
The presumption of validity attached to registered documents is rebuttable, and must yield to evidence of mental incapacity at execution.
Legal necessity must be proven to invalidate a sale deed executed for minors' benefit, with the burden of proof on defendants to contest authenticity.
The validity of a registered sale deed is presumed unless strong evidence of fraud or intoxication is presented, and claims of limitation must be substantiated.
The burden of proof lies on the party in a dominant position to demonstrate the fairness of a transaction when the other party is in economic duress.
The burden of proof in allegations of fraud lies on the party in active confidence, and claims of ignorance are undermined by the execution of prior documents.
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