IN THE HIGH COURT OF UTTARAKHAND AT NAINITAL
Vivek Bharti Sharma, J.
Narayan Singh – Petitioner
Versus
Madan Singh – Respondent
Second Appeal No.186 of 2016
Decided On : 19-08-2023
| Table of Content |
|---|
| 1. appeal against previous judgments. (Para 1) |
| 2. contentions regarding ownership and joint khatedar issues. (Para 2 , 3) |
| 3. defense against ownership claims based on land area. (Para 4) |
| 4. trial court's observations on property identification. (Para 6 , 7 , 8 , 9 , 10 , 11) |
| 5. dismissal of appeal; no substantial question of law. (Para 12) |
JUDGMENT :
Vivek Bharti Sharma, J.
Present second appeal is being preferred against the judgment and decree dated 26.09.2016 passed by the District Judge, Nainital in Civil Appeal No.36 of 2015, "Narayan Singh Vs. Madan Singh", whereby the judgment and decree dated 11.08.2015 passed by Civil Judge (S.D.), Nainital in Suit No.114 of 2011, dismissing the suit of the appellant/defendant, has been upheld.
2. Learned counsel for the appellant/plaintiff would submit that the learned trial court had framed 11 issues out of which issue Nos.1, 2 & 7 are important; that, the learned trial court and the First Appellant Court grossly erred in not deciding the issue No.1 in favour of the appellant/plaintiff despite the fact that the property situated in Khasra No.6575 (wholly) and Khasara No.6576 (in part) was purchased in the name of the appellant/plaintiff on 20.10.1986 by his father from Pooran Singh, the original tenure holder. He would further submit that while deciding issue No.1 the trial court erred in law in not considering the fact that the appellant/plaintiff is the owner and in possession of the disputed property i.e. the land situated in Khasara No.6575 (whole) and Khasara No.6576 (partly) and decided issue Nos.1, 2 & 3 together against him.
3. Learned counsel would further submit that the issue No.7 was framed as to whether the appellant/plaintiff and the respondent/defendants are the joint Khatedar in the disputed land and, if yes, whether one joint Khatedar of a Khata has any right to file a suit against the another joint Khatedar of the same Khata or not? He would further submit that the trial court and the First Appellate Court again erred in deciding this issue against the appellant/plaintiff and in favour of the respondent/defendants.
4. Learned senior counsel for the respondent/defendant would vehemently oppose the contention of the counsel for the appellant/plaintiff and would support the judgment of the trial court and the First Appellate Court with submissions that the appellant/plaintiff is not the owner of whole Khasra No.6575 because the total area of the land, as per his sale deed, in his name is, for the area of 0.424 hectare whereas the Khasara No.6576, as per the record, is of more than 0.760 hectare. He would further submit that meaning and notion of Khata is different from that of Khasara number; that, the Khata number keep on changing, however the Khasra number remains the same; that, in one Khata there can be many tenure holders, therefore, being joint Khatedar of one Khata does not mean that these two persons shall have any share in same Khasra number because in one Khata there can be many Khasras.
5. In light of the respective submissions of the learned counsel for the parties, this Court perused the record.
6. The learned trial court while deciding issue Nos.1, 2 and 3 observed that the appellant/plaintiff has utterly failed to show the specific boundaries in the plaint and even in the site plan attached therewith, therefore, the suit property is not identifiable; that, the appellant/plaintiff when pressed for the relief of injunction in respect of the suit property then the details of boundaries should be very clear and identifiable so that there is no doubt to identify the suit property.
7. The learned trial court further observed that on the basis of the site plain attached, the suit property is not identifiable; therefore, it cannot be said that where the Khasra No.6575 and Khasra No.6576, which the appellant/plaintiff alleges to have purchased, is situated. It is further observed by the trial court that the appellant/plaintiff even did not make any applicatio
AI
The court affirmed that ownership and possession can be established through valid sale-deeds and corroborating evidence, even against claims of unsettled land.
In land disputes, precise identification of property is crucial; courts must appoint a survey commission to ascertain location when ownership is contested.
The demarcation of the property was necessary to ensure a full and complete adjudication of the dispute over the location of the suit property.
The court ruled that the demarcation of property is necessary for complete adjudication of disputes over its location, despite the identity of the property being undisputed.
Khatedari rights under the Rajasthan Tenancy Act are granted only to actual cultivators, not to those claiming through others without evidence of cultivation.
The plaintiffs' claim for ownership was limited to the shares held by the landowners, and their omission to include other landowners as co-defendants breached the principle of audi alteram partem.
Possession under an agreement to sell can establish a possessory title, necessitating a survey for property location disputes.
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