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1994 Supreme(MP) 378

IN THE HIGH COURT OF MADHYA PRADESH
S.K. Dubey, J.
Sitaram
Vs.
Ramcharan & Ors.
S.A. No. 186 of 1985 (G)
Decided On: 23.04.1994

Advocates appeared:
For Appellant/Petitioner/Plaintiff:Mr. K.K. Laholi, Advocate
For Respondents/Defendant:Mr. S.S.P. Shrivastava, Advocate

The presumption of correctness of entries in land records under Section 117 of the M.P. Land Revenue Code, 1959 is confined to land records prepared in the manner prescribed. For entries made by the Patwari on the basis of his observation on the site or on information, the presumption is weaker and the Patwari must lead evidence to prove that the entry was made according to the manner prescribed in the rules and that the copy was issued in the manner prescribed in the form provided by law.

Headnote:

PARTITION - M.P. LAND REVENUE CODE, 1959 - SECTION 178 - PARTITION OF LAND - POSSESSION - PERMANENT INJUNCTION - REVENUE RECORDS - PRESUMPTION OF CORRECTNESS - SECTION 117 - GENUINENESS OF ENTRIES - SECTION 79, EVIDENCE ACT - ADMISSIBILITY OF DOCUMENTS - SECTION 35, EVIDENCE ACT - MAINTAINABILITY OF SUIT - SECTION 34, SPECIFIC RELIEF ACT - TITLE OF PLAINTIFF.

Fact of the Case:

Plaintiff filed a suit for permanent injunction restraining the defendant from interfering with his possession of agricultural land. The land was partitioned under Section 178 of the M.P. Land Revenue Code, 1959, and the suit land fell in the share of the plaintiff. The defendant claimed mesne profits for the damage caused to his crops. The defendant claimed that he was in possession of the land prior to 1976 and that in 1976, the suit land was given to him on Patta, but no evidence was produced to prove this.

Finding of the Court:

The trial court and the appellate court found that the defendant's defense was false and that the entries in the Revenue records were not genuine. The courts held that the suit for permanent injunction was maintainable and decreed the suit.

Issues: 1. Whether the certified copies of the public records coming from proper custody of Patwari have wrongly been excluded from consideration, vitiating the judgment of the lower appellate Court? 2. Whether the documents allowed to be exhibited without objection at the time of recording evidence were wrongly excluded from consideration from the evidence at a later stage, vitiating the judgment of the lower appellate Court?

Ratio Decidendi: 1. The presumption of correctness of entries in land records under Section 117 of the M.P. Land Revenue Code, 1959 is confined to land records prepared in the manner prescribed. For entries made by the Patwari on the basis of his observation on the site or on information, the presumption is weaker and the Patwari must lead evidence to prove that the entry was made according to the manner prescribed in the rules and that the copy was issued in the manner prescribed in the form provided by law. 2. Mere marking of a document as an exhibit does not dispense with its proof. The Patwari should have been examined to prove the correctness of the entries in the Khasras and Khatoni. 3. The right to relief must be judged to exist as on the date of a suit or institution of the legal proceedings. Later developments cannot defeat the right of a party.

Final Decision: The appeal was dismissed with costs.

JUDGMENT

S.K. Dubey, J.

1. This is defendant's second appeal who has lost in both the Courts below. The suit instituted by the plaintiff/respondent No. 1, is for permanent injunction restraining the defendant from interfering with his possession of the agricultural suit land consisted in Survey Nos. 46/2 and 47/1, admeasuring 2 Bighas and 4 Biswas and 1 Bigha and 18 Biswas respectively, situated at village Mahiba, Tansil Ater. District Bhind. The defendant also claimed mesne profits for the damage caused to his crops. It is not in dispute that the plaintiff and defendant Nos. 1 to 5 were co-owners (Bhumiswamis) of the land situated in Survey Nos. 46 and 47 along with other land. The Tahsildar, under Section 178 of the M.P.Land Revenue Code, 1959, for short, the 'Code', in Case No. I7/71-72/A-27, vide order dated 3.9.1973 (Ex. P/1), ordered partition of the land between the co-owners. Suit land comprised in Survey Nos. 46/2 and 47/1, fell in the share of the plaintiff, while the land comprised in Survey No. 46/2 with other land fell in the share of defendant No. 1, Buddhe, father of appellant/defendant No., 6. The Patwari gave a report of partition on 24.4.1978 (Ex. P/2) which was partitioned at the spot on 18.8.1977 after dividing the land as directed by the order of partition. Defendant No. 6, taking advantage of the land being adjacent to the land of the plaintiff, situated at Survey No. 46/2, tried to take possession and to cultivate it. Therefore, with the help of the Patwari, a demarcation was made between the two lands by raising a 'medh' (a mud wall) on 18.8.1977. The parties, on partition, on their specific areas and khasra numbers were entered in the record of rights, i.e.. the Records of khasra in respect of their title as bhumiswami and in possession. The plaintiff cultivated the land by sowing the crop of Bajra in Samvat 2034, but the defendant, by encroaching, damaged the crop. A Police report of this was made and a criminal case was registered before the A.D.M., at No. 339 of 1978.

2. Thereafter, on 7.11.1978. the plaintiff instituted the suit for permanent injunction and mesne profits. The defendants denied the claim of the plaintiff. Defendant No. 6, i.e. the appellant, came with the defence that on 4.7.1976. the plaintiff gave the land on lease and he is sub-tenant since then on payment of Rs. 4/- per year as land revenue. The lease so granted was for a period of eight years. To support his defence, he produced a copy of khasra entry for the year 1978-79 (Samvat 2025), issued by the Patwari (ex. D/1) wherein, in col. 2, after plaintiff's name, Sitaram is entered as permanent sub-tenant. Ex. D/2 is the copy of Khasra Panchsala wherein the entry for the year 1979-80 is shown as in Ex. D/1.

3. The trial Court disbelieved the defence and also discarded Ex. D/1 and D/2 as the documents were not duly proved by examining the Patwari. The trial Court found that the defendants have admitted the possession of the plaintiff over the land of Survey No. 47/1, but they deny the possession of the plaintiff over Survey No. 46/2. Therefore, the dispute only remained with respect to land comprised in Survey No. 46/2. The trial Court held that the plaintiff as co-owner was in possession and after partition, he is in possession as sole-owner over the suit land of the two Survey numbers and thus decreed the suit for permanenl injunction, but did not grant damages as nesne profits. Defendant No. 6, aggrieved of the judgment and decree, preferred an appeal.

4. The appellate Court, after reappraisal of the evidence in detail and the genuineness of the two documents (Exs. D/1 and D/2) confirmed the findings of the trial Court and dismissed the appeal holding that the two documents were not duly proved, the story set up of sub-tenancy is false and contradictory to the defence evidence produced by defendant himself. Hence, this second appeal was admitted by this Court on the following two substantial questions of law:

1. Whether the certiticd











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