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2026 Supreme(UK) 245

HIGH COURT OF UTTARAKHAND AT NAINITAL
SHARAD KUMAR SHARMA, J.
Prem Chandra Singhal - Appellant
Versus
State Of Uttarakhand And Others - Respondents
Second Appeal No. 53 of 2015
Decided On : 21-08-2019

Advocates Appeared:
For the Appellant :Mr. Puran Singh Rawat, Advocate
For the Respondent: Mr. I.P. Kohli, Standing Counsel

Second Appellate Court cannot decide unframed issues on land control act applicability despite pleadings; failure to frame points post-remand renders judgment perverse, requiring fresh remand to first appellate court.

Headnote:(A) Code of Civil Procedure, 1908 - Sections 100, 96, 9, Order XLI Rules 31, 25, Order XIV, Section 80 - U.P. Road Side Land Control Act - Second Appellate Court cannot substitute findings or travel beyond pleadings/arguments considered by lower courts if no issues framed on key pleas like land's location within road side limits despite specific pleadings and replication; failure to frame points for determination under Order XLI Rule 31 or additional issues under Rule 25, even post-remand, renders judgment perverse and without opportunity, warranting remand for fresh decision. (Paras 1, 7, 8, 16, 17, 18)

(B) Civil Procedure - Framing of issues - Courts must frame issues under Order XIV based on rival pleadings; deciding without issue on pleaded point denies opportunity to parties and is dehorse the process of law. (Paras 8, 17)

(C) Appellate Jurisdiction - First Appellate Court must formulate points for determination and consider remand directions; confining to title/use without addressing Act's applicability is procedural flaw. (Paras 14, 15, 16)

Facts of the case:
Suit for mandatory injunction filed seeking eviction and removal of construction raised on purchased land; defendants claimed land as state property within road side control limits, pre-existing structure sanctioned earlier; trial court decreed suit; first appeal allowed without framing issues on Act, remanded twice by High Court for reconsideration including Act's applicability, but yet again not addressed leading to dismissal.

Findings of Court:
Impugned judgment perverse for not framing points on Act despite pleadings and prior remand; matter remitted to first appellate court to decide afresh within three months after framing points including Act's implications, title, and injunction right.

Issues: Whether lower courts justified in deciding without issues/points on Road Side Land Control Act applicability despite pleadings; whether first appellate court complied with remand to consider Act, pleadings, evidence.

Ratio Decidendi: Second Appellate Court under Section 100 constrained if lower courts fail to frame issues on pleaded controversies; must remand if no point of determination on key aspects like Act's restrictions, as appreciation requires factual evidence; procedural lapses prolong lis unjustly. Result : Second Appeal allowed; impugned judgment set aside; remitted to first appellate court with directions.

Table of Content
1. second appellate court cannot travel beyond lower courts' pleadings and findings. (Para 1)
2. plaintiff claims title via 1977 sale deed, sues for construction removal. (Para 2 , 3 , 4)
3. defendants claim state land under u.p. road side land control act. (Para 5 , 6)
4. road act restricts construction, does not confer state ownership. (Para 7 , 8)
5. lower courts decided without framing issues on road act. (Para 9 , 10)
6. remanded for road act consideration with pleadings, issues, evidence. (Para 11 , 12 , 13)
7. post-remand appellate court ignored directions on road act. (Para 14 , 15)
8. no issue framing makes judgment perverse, violates section 100 cpc. (Para 16 , 17 , 18)
9. appeal allowed; remanded to frame points and decide afresh. (Para 19 , 20)

JUDGMENT :

Sharad Kumar Sharma, J.

There are certain circumstances, under which, the Court at times is also cornered from taking any particular specific view while adjudicating a lis between the parties and that difficulty is, particularly, faced by the Courts, while exercising its superior power of Appeal, as vested in it under Section 100 of the C.P.C., particularly, when the issue, which otherwise ought to have been a subject matter of determination of the controversy under Section 9 or 96 of Code of Civil Procedure is either not considered by the Trial Court or the Appellate Court, then, while exercising the powers under Section 96 of the C.P.C., in such cases, the Second Appellate Court is constraint that the Second Appellate Court could not have substituted the finding beyond the finding, which has been recorded by the Trial Court or the Appellate Court, while adjudicating a lis, as it is settled law that the Second Appellate Court cannot travel beyond the case as pleaded and argued before the Courts below and, which has been taken into consideration while deciding the case.

2. This is one of those peculiar case, dealing with the peculiar circumstance, which has chanced in the present Second Appeal. Though, this Court despite of being conscious of the fact that the suit itself, which has been instituted by the plaintiff/appellant, herein, being Suit of 1979 was registered as Suit No. 61 of 1979, Prem Chandra Singhal Vs. State of U.P. and others , which was instituted as back as on 10th March, 1979, wherein, the plaintiff/appellant has sought a relief in the nature of a decree of mandatory injunction as against the defendants/respondent, herein, to the effect that by the decree to be rendered by the Court, they may be evicted from the property, in question, and after the removal of the construction, which has been raised by the defendant/respondents, over the dispute land, they may also be directed to hand over with the vacant possession of property, which as per the plaint averments is shown to be detailed in appendix-2, in the description of the property as given in the plaint, which the plaintiff/appellant claims to have acquired his rights over it, in pursuance to the sale deed dated 8th March, 1977, executed and registered in his favour, wherein, he contends that he has purchased a piece of land, lying in khasra No. 71/3, having an area of 3350 square yard, i.e. equivalent to about 0.69 acres situated in village Rishikesh, Pargana Parwadoon, Dehradun. The boundaries of the property in dispute for which the relief was sought by way of a suit for mandatory injunction was described at the foot of the plaint, which is quoted hereunder :-

3. It was the case of the plaintiff/appellant in the suit, that it was the property, which was falling to be within the area of the property, which was purchased by him by the sale deed dated 8th March, 1977, under the strength of which, he contends that the sale deed, which was executed in his favour on 08.03.1977, it was based on the agreement for sale, which was executed by the predecessors/owners in favour of the plaintiff/appellant on 4th March, 1977, and as a consequence of the execution of the sale deed, he was placed in

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