D.V.S.S. Somayajulu, J.—This appeal is filed against the judgment and decree in O.S.No.12 of 1994, dated 31.01.2001 on the file of the Senior Civil Judge, Srikalahasti, Chittoor District.

2. This appeal arises out of the said suit, which has a chequered history. After a long protracted trial, appeal, remand etc., the first appeal has come up for final hearing before this Court.

3. For the sake of convenience, as this is a first appeal, the parties are arrayed and described as plaintiff and defendants only.

4. A tragedy of great propositions is the genesis of the suit and the claim therein. One Sri D.V.S. Tirupati Rao, his wife and three daughters hailing from a well known family committed suicide by setting themselves on fire on 21.02.1994. This mass suicide committed by the members of Tirupati Rao family led to the present claim. Just before the death, the deceased daughters of D.V.S. Tirupati Rao wrote three documents (Exs.B.1 to B.3) by which they purported to give their properties to the deities mentioned therein. Soon after this mass death by suicide, the plaintiff in the suit claiming to be a close relative wanted to perform the necessary last rights of the five peo