High Court of Madhya Pradesh
Shivdayal, J.
Dimansingh
Vs.
Rameshwar
S.A. No. 198 of 1960 (G)
Decided on : 9-11-1961
It is the dace on which a suit is instituted that the propriety of the remedy will be determined, the remedy which was available at the date when the cause of action arose is not material. [Para 2]
(2) Land Revenue and Tenancy Act, 1950 (M.B.) – S. 91 - Quanoon Mal (Gwalior) - S. 326 - cause of action arose when Quanoon Mal (Gwalior State) was in force - suit was filed when Tenancy 4ct enforced - remedy under Tenancy Act available.
The cause of action arose when the Quanoon Mal was in force. But when the suit was filed, the Quanoon Mal was repealed and the M.B. Land Revenue and Tenancy Act had come into force.
Held: The remedy available was under section 91 of the Tenancy Act and not under section 326 of the Quanoon Mal. [Para 2]
(3) Land Revenue and Tenancy Act, 1950 (M.B) - Ss. 91, 93 – Civil suit on basis of title -not barred by these provisions - Civil suit may be filed without taking recourse to this remedy.
There is nothing in section 91 or 93 which shows that a plaintiff cannot approach a Civil Court without first availing of the remedy provided in these sections. Section 91 or 93 or any other provisions of the Tenancy Act do not provide for a title suit. [Para 2]
(4) Zamindari Abolition Act (M.B.) - S. 41 – ex-Zamindar in illegal possession of the land of his tenant on the date of vesting - does not become a Pukka tenant - the tenant does not lose his right to get back possession.
On the abolition of Zamindari so far as the tenants were concerned, there was only a change of masters, the State taking the place of the Zamindars, some of their rights were enlarged while some were curtailed.
If on the date of vesting, the Zamindar had taken forcible possession of the land of his tenant, the Zamindar did not get pukka tenancy rights over the land nor did the tenant lose his remedy to get himself reinstated. The relief cannot be denied merely because of the change in the law. 1960 JLJ 927 = 1960 RN 305 distinguished. [Paras 5 & 6]
(5) Revenue Law – abandonment - what is - no abandonment by a minor - Quanoon Mal (Gwalior) - S. 258 (3).
When the mother took away the tenant to another village, he was a minor of two or three years of age, this could not constitute abandonment. Abandonment envisages a conscious act by a person who is capable of relinquishing his rights.
(6) Land Revenue Code, 1959 (M.P.) - S. 117 – Khasra - entries in – presumption - entry in possession column - no presumption of any right.
'Khasra' is the annual village paper which must show in respect of each balding as to who is in actual possession of it. There is no column in the prescribed form of Khasra where the names of trespassers or of those persons who arrogated to themselves the status of tenants could be entered. The Patwari might have entered the appellant's name in that column because he was actually occupying the holding in that year The only presumption which arises from the entry is that he was in occupation of that holding, but no more. [Para 6]
(7) Practice - limitation - applicability of law in force on the date of suit applicable.
Statute of limitation is an adjective law. It is lex fori; that law would apply which was in force on the date of the suit. [Para 8]
(Confirmed in LPA See 1963 JLJ-SN 110)
1. The respondent's suit was for declaration of pucca tenancy rights and possession on the allegations that his father Chakrapan alias Chakola was the Pukhta Dakhilkar (occupancy tenant) of survey Nos. 3136, 3137/1, 3137/2 and 3138 in village Bagpura, Pargana Morena. Chakrapan died in Samvat year 1995. At that time the plaintiff was of about two or three years and was the only heir of the deceased Chakrapan. However, taking advantage of his minority, the Patwari struck out his name in Samvat year 1996 and defendant Diman Singh, with the collusion of the Zamindar and the Patwari, dispossessed the plaintiff by wrongfully occupying the land. The plaintiff attained the age of majority on Baisakh Sudi 12, Samvat 2002 (corresponding to May 25, 1953). This suit was filed on November 4, 1954. The suit was resisted by the defendant on several grounds. A decree in favour of the plaintiff was passed by the trial Judge and the same has been maintained by the first Appellate Court.
2. Shri Patankar first of all contends that the Civil Court bad no jurisdiction to try the suit because under sections 325 and 326 of the Quanoon Mal Gwalior State it was only the Revenue Court which was competent to hear this suit. The argument is based on the fact that cause of action arose on July 1, 1939, when Quanoon Mal was in force. In my opinion this contention is untenable. It is the date on which a suit is instituted that the propriety of the remedy will be determined. It is true that the right to sue and get the defendant dispossessed accrued to the plaintiff as alleged in the plaint on 1-1-1939 but the suit was instituted on 4-11-1954. On the last mentioned date sections 325 and 326 stood protants repealed by virtue of section 41 of the Zamindari Abolition Act. Provisions of Pt II of the Madhya Bharat Tenancy Act, Samvat 2007 became applicable on the abolition of Zamindari on 2-10-1951, and similar provisions of Quanoon Mal ceased to apply on and from that date In part II of the Madhya Bharat Tenancy Act fall section 91, 92 and 93. It is therefore the H.B. Tenancy Act which be came applicable and the plaintiff could have instituted a suit under that Act for the reinstatement on the ground of unlawful dispossession. As soon as I find that section 91 of the M.B. Tenancy Act is applicable, it cannot be doubted that the Civil Court has jurisdiction to entertain such a suit. I am unable to accept Shri Patankar's argument that section 93 of that Act allows a civil suit to he instituted only after the remedy provided in sections 91 and 92 has been exhausted. There is no provision in the Tenancy Act which takes away the powers of the civil Court to try the question of title. Section 147 of the Tenancy Act does not oust the civil Court of its jurisdiction because neither Section 91 or 92 nor any other section of the Tenancy Act provides for a title suit. It must then be held that the civil Court had jurisdiction to try the suit.
3. Then it is argued by Shri Patankar that on the question of the plaintiff's title the appellate Court did not appreciate the evidence of the parties fully, Both the Courts relied on the evidence of Totaram, Meghsingh and Murlidhar. Learned counsel strenuously emphasis those portions of their statement where they said that the plaintiff appeared in the village several years after Chakrapan's death and claimed to he his son and that they all just believed him to be Chakrapan's son. After carefully perusing the judgment of the appellate Court I find that this argument was considered by it and in view of the entire evidence it definitely found that the plaintiff was Chakrapan's; son. That being a concurrent finding of the two Courts below, however erroneous it may be, I cannot go into it (Pattabhiseetaramaya, AIR 1959 S.C. 57).
4. It is next maintained for the defendant that because of the abolition of Zamindari, and the consequential change in the law, he became a pucca tenant by virtue of Section 41 of that Act and cannot now be
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