SupremeToday Landscape Ad
Back
Next
Judicial Analysis Court Copy Headnote Facts Arguments Court observation
Listen Audio Icon Pause Audio Icon
judgment-img

1993 Supreme(MP) 492

1994 (0) MPLJ 378
R.P. Awasthy, G C Gupta J.
Murari Lal And Ors.
vs
State Of Madhya Pradesh And Ors.
DECIDED ON : 19 August, 1993

The appealability of an order and an appeal having been filed by an unconcerned and third person is not a bar to suo motu exercise of revisional powers under Section 50 of the M. P. Land Revenue Code of 1959.

Headnote:

LAND REVENUE CODE - SECTION 50 - APPEALABILITY OF AN ORDER AND AN APPEAL HAVING BEEN FILED BY AN UNCONCERNED AND THIRD PERSON IS NOT A BAR TO SUO MOTU EXERCISE OF REVISIONAL POWERS UNDER SECTION 50 OF THE M. P. LAND REVENUE CODE OF 1959.

Fact of the Case:

The petitioners applied for mutation of their names on certain lands in 1985. The Naib Tahsildar passed an order mutating their names on the lands. Respondent No. 4, a complete stranger to the lands and the matter, filed an appeal against the order after five years, which was still pending. The Collector, Narsinghpur, suo motu exercised revisional powers under Section 50 of the M. P. Land Revenue Code of 1959 and set aside the order of the Naib Tahsildar.

Finding of the Court:

The court held that the appealability of an order and an appeal having been filed by an unconcerned and third person is not a bar to suo motu exercise of revisional powers under Section 50 of the M. P. Land Revenue Code of 1959. The court also held that the filing of an appeal by a totally unconcerned person after five years of passing of the relevant order cannot put a fetter on the legitimate exercise of the said power conferred under Section 50 of the Code.

Issues: Whether the appealability of an order and an appeal having been filed by an unconcerned and third person is a bar to suo motu exercise of revisional powers under Section 50 of the M. P. Land Revenue Code of 1959.

Ratio Decidendi: The court relied on the provisions of Section 50 of the M. P. Land Revenue Code of 1959 and the judgments of this Court in Shiwaji Ram v. Board of Revenue and Ors. and Usha Devi v. State of MP to hold that the appealability of an order and an appeal having been filed by an unconcerned and third person is not a bar to suo motu exercise of revisional powers under Section 50 of the Code.

Final Decision: The petition was dismissed with costs.

ORDER

R.P. Awasthy, J.

1. Short question involved in the present case is as to whether appealability of an order and an appeal having been filed by an unconcerned and third person, is a bar to suo motu exercise of revisional powers under Section 50 of the M. P. Land Revenue Code of 1959 (Code in short).

2. The facts relevant for the purpose of this order are as below :-

The relevant lands of village Padoriya and Simariya Khurd, situated in Tahsil Kareli, Distt. Narsinghpur were recorded in patwari papers in the name of the deity of Shri Deo Ramchandraji. The name of Yashoda Bai, predecessor in title of the present petitioners, was recorded as sarwarahkar on the said lands in patwari papers. The present petitioners applied for mutation of their names on the said lands in the year 1985. By an order passed by Naib Tahsildar, Kareli presumably under Section 110 of the Code, the names of the petitioners were mutated on the relevant lands in revenue records. From the contents of the impugned order dated 20-12-1991 passed under Section 50 of the Code by the Collector, it appears that the said order passed by Naib Tahsildar, Kareli could not be traced and remained untraceable. Subsequently, the said lands were partitioned by the petitioners and thereafter, their names were recorded separately on the said lands in revenue records in accordance with the said partition.

3. Respondent No. 4 made a complaint to the Collector, Narsinghpur (respondent No. 2) regarding the said activity of the petitioners. Respondent No. 4 also filed an appeal on 16-10-1990 under Section 44 of the Code against the said order passed under Section 110 of the Code by Naib Tahsildar, Kareli, with an application to condone delay of about five years in filing the said appeal. Obviously, respondent No. 4 is neither a beneficiary nor is in any way concerned with the said lands. On the other hand, he is a complete stranger as far as the said lands and the matter is concerned. The said appeal is still pending.

4. The respondent No. 3, Sub-Divisional Officer, Kareli who also happens to be the Registrar of Public Trusts also started some proceedings under M. P. Public Trusts. However, we are not concerned with the said proceedings because the said proceedings do not bar any application for revision under proviso to Section 50 of the Code.

5. On receiving the said complaint, Collector, Narsinghpur, in exercise of suo motu power of revision, registered the relevant case and issued show cause notices to the petitioners. The petitioners appeared in the court of Collector, but, after seeking several opportunities to file reply, did not file any. After taking into consideration the documentary evidence available on record, the Collector passed the impugned order dated 20-12-1991, by virtue of which the order passed by Naib Tahsildar, Kareli, mutating the names of the petitioners on relevant lands, in revenue records, has been set aside.

6. By bare reading of Section 50 of the Code, it became clear that bar prescribed under the proviso to the said section relates to an application for revision and it does not create any bar to suo motu exercise of the revisional power of the Collector and other authorities enumerated in the said section. If any authority is needed for the said proposition, Shiwaji Ram v. Board of Revenue and Ors., 1979 MPRN at page 493 (an authority of this High Court) can be cited. The same view has been reiterated and confirmed in Full Bench decision of this Court in Usha Devi v. State of MP, 1990 MPLJ at page 353.

7. It has been argued for the petitioner that in the cited Full Bench authority (supra) no appeal had been filed and therefore, the said authority is distinguishable on facts, from the present case. It has also been pointed out that in the said authority it has been laid down that suo motu power of revision can be exercised even in a case of an appealable order and in a case in which no appeal has been filed.

8. However, this aspect also does not deserve a v



Click Here to Read the rest of this document
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
SupremeToday Portrait Ad
supreme today icon
logo-black

An indispensable Tool for Legal Professionals, Endorsed by Various High Court and Judicial Officers

Please visit our Training & Support
Center or Contact Us for assistance

qr

Scan Me!

India’s Legal research and Law Firm App, Download now!

For Daily Legal Updates, Join us on :

whatsapp-icon Back to top