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1960 Supreme(MP) 123

IN THE HIGH COURT OF MADHYA PRADESH AT JABALPUR
T.P. NAIK, S.B. SEN, JJ.
Dayaram
Vs.
Maheshwar
F.A. No. 13 of 1957
Decided On: 28.04.1960

Advocates appeared:
For Appellant/Petitioner/Plaintiff: A.P. Sen and A.H. Saifi
For Respondents/Defendant: A.R. Razzak

Wrongful dispossession of a person entitled to be in lawful possession by a trespasser does not ripen into a title by adverse possession, and the cultivation by the trespasser will be ascribed to the true owner as his own cultivation.

Headnote:

ABOLITION OF PROPRIETARY RIGHTS ACT - SECTION 54 - PERSONAL CULTIVATION - INTERPRETATION - ADVERSE POSSESSION - WRONGFUL DISPOSSESSION - EFFECT - PATTA GRANTED BY ADDITIONAL DEPUTY COMMISSIONER, LAND REFORMS - VALIDITY - POSSESSION DELIVERED TO PLAINTIFFS - EVIDENCE - SOWING OF DHAN - EVIDENCE - WRONGFUL TAKING AWAY OF DHAN CROP - DAMAGES - ASSESSMENT.

Fact of the Case:

Plaintiffs filed a suit for possession of certain lands and recovery of damages for the price of dhan crop forcibly taken away by the defendants. The lands were originally Bhogra lands, declared as raiyati lands after the Madhya Pradesh Abolition of Proprietary Rights (Estates, Mahals, Alienated Lands) Act, 1950 came into force. Defendant No. 9, Mst. Apuchha, held the lands in her exclusive right as Bhogra lands and sold them to the plaintiffs in 1953. The defendants claimed adverse possession and challenged the validity of the patta granted by the Additional Deputy Commissioner, Land Reforms, declaring Mst. Apuchha as the holder of raiyati rights.

Finding of the Court:

The court held that Mst. Apuchha was wrongfully dispossessed by Danardhan in 1944-45 and the possession of the defendants did not ripen into a title by adverse possession. The court interpreted "personal cultivation" under Section 54 of the Abolition of Proprietary Rights Act to mean one's own cultivation, and held that Mst. Apuchha was in personal cultivation of the lands as she was wrongfully dispossessed. The court also held that Mst. Apuchha was a proprietor as defined in the Act and that the patta granted by the Additional Deputy Commissioner, Land Reforms, was valid. The court found that possession was delivered to the plaintiffs and that the dhan crop was sowed by them. The court also held that the defendants wrongfully took away the dhan crop and assessed the damages at Rs. 500.

Issues: 1. Whether Mst. Apuchha was in personal cultivation of the lands under Section 54 of the Abolition of Proprietary Rights Act. 2. Whether Mst. Apuchha was a proprietor as defined in the Act. 3. Whether the patta granted by the Additional Deputy Commissioner, Land Reforms, was valid. 4. Whether possession was delivered to the plaintiffs. 5. Whether the dhan crop was sowed by the plaintiffs. 6. Whether the defendants wrongfully took away the dhan crop. 7. Assessment of damages.

Ratio Decidendi: 1. "Personal cultivation" under Section 54 of the Abolition of Proprietary Rights Act means one's own cultivation, and if one is prohibited from doing his own cultivation by a wrongdoer, the authorities ought to ignore the trespasser and ascribe the cultivation by the wrongdoer to the true owner by holding it to be his (true owner's) cultivation. 2. A proprietor includes a gaontia or a thekadar of a village who has a right to recover rent or revenue from persons holding land in such village. 3. The patta granted by the Additional Deputy Commissioner, Land Reforms, was valid as he had jurisdiction to settle the lands with Mst. Apuchha, who was in possession till she was wrongfully dispossessed. 4. Possession was delivered to the plaintiffs as per the evidence of Sakharam (P.W. 1) and Kalindar (P.W. 5). 5. The dhan crop was sowed by the plaintiffs as per the evidence of Sakharam (P.W. 1) and Bhagatram (P. W. 4). 6. The defendants wrongfully took away the dhan crop as they had no right to it. 7. The damages for the wrongfully taken away dhan crop were assessed at Rs. 500.

Final Decision: The appeal was allowed with costs. The plaintiffs' suit was decreed, and the claim for damages was restricted to Rs. 500.

JUDGMENT

S.B. SEN, J.

1. This appeal has been filed by unsuccessful plaintiffs whose suit for possession of certain lands in mouza Linjir, district Raigarh, and for recovery of Rs. 3000/- on account of the price of the dhan crop forcibly taken away by the defendants-respondents, has been dismissed.

2. The following are the allegations of the plaintiffs: The lands in suit were originally Bnogra, lands. After the Madhya Pradesh Abolition of Proprietary Rights (Estates, Mahals, Alienated Lands) Act, 1950 (No. 1/51). came into force, they were declared as raiyati lands. Since the year 1923, the respondent No. 9, Mst. Apuchha was holding the lands in her exclusive right as Bhogra lands. On 8-2-1952, the Additional Deputy Commissioner, Land Reforms, Raigarh settled these lands in raiyati rights in her favour. On 19.5.1953, Mst. Apuchha, respondent No. 9, sold these lands to the plaintiffs for a consideration of Rs. 7500/- and they were put in their possession also. One Danardhan, who was the father of the defendants nos. 1 to 5, was taking these lands on adhiya from respondent no. 9, Mst. Apuchha, every year. After purchasing the lands, the plaintiffs sowed dhan. When the dhan crop was ready, the defendants took possession of the lands in suit and wrongfully took away the dhan crop sowed by the plaintiffs. The plaintiffs suffered damages to the extent of Rs. 3000/- on account of the dhan crop taken away wrongfully by the defendants nos. 1 to 8.

3. Defendant-respondant no.9, Mst. Apuchha, admitted all the allegations in the plaint, excepting the fact about the wrongful taking possession by the defendants nos. 1 to 8 and also her liability to pay any damages on account of the dhan being taken away wrongfully by defendants nos. 1 to 8.

4. Excepting the fact that the lands were originally Bhogra lands and have become raiyati after the Abolition of Proprietary Rights Act cannot into force, the defendants 1 to 8 denied each and every allegation mentioned in para 2 above. They say that defendant no. 9, Mst. Apuchha, never held the lands in suit in her exclusive right. According to them, they themselves sowed the dhan and, therefore removed the same as their own. The value of the crops removed, according to the defendants nos. 1 to 8, was Rs. 150/-. The defendants nos. 1 to 8 further say that Danardan was the gaontia of the village Linjir as the eldest son of Narayan Kolta. The other sons of Narayan Kolta were Balmukund, Ghannoo and Sankirtan. The lands in suit were given to Sankirtan; who was the husband of Mst. Apuchha, for maintenance under the terms of the Wajib-ul-arz. Sankirtan, according to the defendants nos. 1 to 8, died in 1930 in a state of jointness with his brother Ghannoo, who died in the year 1936. After the death of Ghannoo, Danardan entered into possession of the lands. Danardan continued in possession till his death after which defendants nos. 1 to 8 entered into possession and cultivated the lands all along. According, to defendants nos. 1 to 8, therefore, they were in adverse possession of the lands for more than 12 years before the suit was filed and the right of defendant no 9, Mst. Apuchha, if there was any, was extinguished. Defendants nos. 1 to 8 further challenged the parta granted by the Additional Deputy Commissioner, Land Reforms, declaring defendant no. 9, Mst. Apuchha, as the holder of raiyati rights in these lands, as invalid and void. According to them under Section 54 of the Abolition of Proprietary Rights Act, the lands were never under the personal cultivdtion of Mst. Apuchha and therefore, no raiyati rights could be given to her.

5. The trial Court held that the lands in suit were given to Sankirtan in lieu of his share in the village profits by Danardhan. Sankirtan did not die in a state of jointness with Ghannoo. After the death of Sankirtan, the trial Court held that the defendant no. 9, Mst, Apuchha held the suit property as the widow and in a limited right. The trial Court also held that Danardan was not












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