ALLAHABAD HIGH COURT
Rakesh Tiwari and Anil Kumar Sharma, JJ.
Smt. Sudha Sharma —Appellant
versus
Smt. Shashi Bala Sharma —Respondent
First Appeal from Order No. 3382 of 2011
Decided on 27.8.2012
Counsel for the Parties:
For the Appellant:Umesh Vats, Advocate.
For the Respondent:Anoop Trivedi, Advocate.
Headnote:Court Fees Act, 1870—Sections 7(iv)(A), Article 17(iii) —Advaloram Court Fee—Order passed by Additional Civil Judge whereby issue regarding payment of Court Fees had been directed against appellant and she had been directed to pay advaloram Court fee—Appeal thereagainst—Appellant had filed suit for declaration that will dated 16.7.2004 was void, ineffective and had been executed without free Will of her mother and that plaintiff was entitled to get suit property according to Will dated 17.1.1991—Instantly both the Wills mentioned by plaintiffs in the plaint were allegedly executed by plaintiffs’ mother who died on 11.12.2004—After the death of parties mother, the Will executed by her becomes operative—Since Will is an instrument securing property having money value, so Court fees would be payable according to Section 7(iVA) and not under Article 17(iii) of the Court Fees Act—No force found in the arguments advanced on behalf of appellant—No error committed by Trial Court in the impugned order—Direction given to appellant to deposit Advaloram Court Fees as directed by Trial Court—Appeal dismissed. (Paras 12 and 13)
Result: Appeal dismissed.
Anil Kumar Sharma, J.—Challenge in this appeal is to the order dated 21.5.2011 passed by Addl. Civil Judge (S.D.). Court No. 2. Ghaziabad in OS No. 859 of 2006 whereby issue No. 8 regarding payment of Court-fee has been decided against the appellant and she has been directed to pay advoleram Court-tee on relief-A at Rs. 40,00,000.
2. Facts germane to the appeal are that the plaintiff/appellant filed aforesaid suit for declaration that the Will dated 16.7.2004 (the 2004 Will) is void. ineffective and had been executed without free Will of Smt. Pushp Kirti Sharma and the plaintiff is entitled to get suit property according to Will dated 17.1.1991 (the 1991-Will) and the declaration of the Court be intimated to Sub-Registrar, Ghaziabad. The plaintiff further sought relief of injunction restraining the defendant from interfering in plaintiffs possession over house No. KK-160, Kavi Nagar, Ghaziabad and she be restrained from alienating the house on the basis of the 2004-Will. By way of amendment in the plaint, the plaintiffs further sought declaration to the effect that the 1991 Will executed by late Smt. Punay Kirti Sharma is valid and had been executed by her own free Will. The plaintiff has paid Court-fee of Rs. 200 on declaratory relief- A and Rs.500 on the relief-B of injunction. The defendant objected to the payment of Court-fee on the ground that the plaintiff is required to pay advalorem Court-fee according to the market value of the house in suit as provided under Section 7 (iv) (A) of Court Fees Act because she had not claimed simple declaratory relief with regard to the 2004-Will in favour of the defendant. but she has also prayed for consequential relief of injunction and further by way of amendment has sought for adjudging the 1991-Will is valid one.
3. We have heard the learned Counsel for the parties at length and perused the record and well as the law cited at the Bar.
4. Before we proceed to discuss the arguments of parties’ Counsel, it would be appropriate to quote the relief claimed by the plaintiff/appellant in the suit, which is as under:
(Matter in other language)
5. The learned Counsel for the plaintiff has argued that Section 2 (h) of Indian Succession Act, 1925 defines ‘Will’ as “declaration of the intention of testator with respect to his property which he desires to be carried into effect after his death.” Thus, a ‘Will’ is the legal instrument that permits a person, the testator, to make decisions as to how his estate will be managed or distributed after his death. Learned Counsel for the appellant has referred to Section 3 of Transfer of Property Act, where an ‘instrument’ has been defined as a “non-testamentary instrument”. He has tried to convince us that a Will is not an instrument as contemplated under Section 7 (ivA) of the Court Fees Act and thus fixed Court fee would be paid according to the provisions of Schedule-II Article 17 (iii) of the Act and there is no deficiency in payment of Court-fee. Contra learned Counsel for the respondent refuting the above argument has submitted that the ‘Will’ is an instrument securing money or other property having such value. therefore. the plaintiff is required to pay advalorem Court fee on the relief’s claimed by her in the suit.
6. In order to appreciate the rival contention of the parties, it is necessary to place the three provisions of the Court Fees Act, which are involved in the present case, namely, Section 7 (ivA), Article 17 (iii) of Second Schedule of the Court Fees Act and Section 7(iv)(A) of the Court Fees Act. The said provisions are quoted hereunder :
“7 (ivA). In suit for or involving cancellation of or adjudging void or voidable a decree for money or other property having a market value, or an instrument securing money or other property having such value : .
(1) where the plaintiff or his predecessor-in-title was a party to the decree or the instrument, according to the value of the subject-matter, and
(2) where he or his predece