2022 Supreme(Online)(Kar) 36938
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IN THE HIGH COURT OF KARNATAKA AT BENGALURU
DATED THIS THE 9TH DAY OF SEPTEMBER, 2022
BEFORE
THE HON9BLE MR. JUSTICE SACHIN SHANKAR MAGADUM
REGULAR SECOND APPEAL NO.286 OF 2022 (DEC/POS)
BETWEEN:
SANNASIDDAIAH
S/O LATE GURUSIDDAIAH
AGRICULTURIST
AGED ABOUT 72 YEARS
R/O HUNASE VILLAGE
KASABA HOBLI
ALUR TALUK - 573 213
HASSAN DISTRICT
...APPELLANT
(BY SRI.UMESH MOOLIMANI, ADVOCATE FOR
SRI.S.V.PRAKASH, ADVOCATE)
AND
H.A.MAHESH
S/O LATE ANNAPPAGOWDA
AGED ABOUT 51 YEARS
R/O HUNASE VILLAGE
KASABA HOBLI
ALUR TALUK - 573 213
HASSAN DISTRICT
..RESPONDENT
(BY SRI.ABHINAY Y.T, ADVOCATE)
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THIS REGULAR SECOND APPEAL IS FILED UNDER
SECTION 100 OF CPC., AGAINST THE JUDGMENT AND
DECREE DATED 16.11.2021 PASSED IN R.A.NO.8/2021 ON
THE FILE OF THE ADDITIONAL SENIOR CIVIL JUDGE,
HASSAN DISMISSING THE APPEAL AND CONFIRMING THE
JUDGMENT AND DECREE DATED 16.01.2021 PASSED IN
O.S.NO.109/2014 ON THE FILE OF THE CIVIL JUDGE AND
JMFC, ALUR, HASSAN AND ETC.,
THIS REGULAR SECOND APPEAL COMING ON FOR
ADMISSION THIS DAY, THE COURT DELIVERED THE
FOLLOWING:
['S V PRAKASH', 'BHADREGOWDA R', '', 'ABHINAY Y T']
The captioned second appeal is filed by the
unsuccessful
defendant,
who
has
questioned
the
concurrent findings of the Courts below, wherein both
Courts have decreed the suit filed by plaintiff declaring that
plaintiff is the absolute owner and consequently, directed
defendant to handover the vacant possession of the suit
schedule property.
2. For the sake of brevity, the parties are referred
as they are ranked before the Trial Court.
3. The plaintiff instituted a suit for declaration and
for possession in O.S.No.109/2014. Plaintiff claimed that
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the suit schedule property is an ancestral property. It is
further contended that father of plaintiff partitioned family
properties between his two sons and in the said partition,
the suit schedule property was allotted to share of the
plaintiff. It is also contended that plaintiff's name was duly
mutated pursuant to partition. The plaintiff claimed that
defendant has no right and title over the suit schedule
property. The plaintiff has further pleaded that in the
month of March 2013, defendant requested plaintiff to
permit him to cultivate land for a period of one year. The
plaintiff claimed that in terms of oral agreement, the
plaintiff handed over possession to the defendant for a
period of one year. After expiry of agreed period, though
plaintiff requested defendant to hand over the possession,
he refused the same. Hence, the present suit.
4. The defendant, on receipt of summons, contested
the proceedings and admitted title of the plaintiff. The
defendant admitted that plaintiff's father acquired suit
schedule property and later, the plaintiff has succeeded to
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the suit schedule property. However, defendant contended
that it was plaintiff's father, who delivered possession
to the defendant in the month of April, 1990 and since
then, he has developed and improved suit schedule
property as he is enjoying suit schedule property
continuously, openly, peacefully, which was well within the
knowledge of plaintiff and therefore, claimed that he has
perfected his title by way of adverse possession.
5. The plaintiff to substantiate his case examined
himself as P.W.1 and one independent witness as P.W.2
and adduced documentary evidence vide Exs.P.1 to 11,
while defendant examined himself as D.W.1 and one
independent witness as D.W.2 and produced three
documents vide Exs.D.1 to 3.
6.
Trial
Court
having
examined
oral
and
documentary evidence answered issue No.3 and 4 in the
negative. In absence of clinching rebuttal evidence, Trial
Court has held that defendant has failed to prove that he
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has perfected his title by way of adverse possession.
Accordingly, proceeded to hold that suit is well within time
and plaintiff is entitled to seek possession of the suit
schedule property.
7. Feeling aggrieved by the judgment and decree of
the Trial Court, defendant preferred an appeal before First
Appellate Court. First Appellate Court having independently
assessed oral and documentary evidence found that
defendant
has
admitted
plaintiff's
title.
Therefore,
Appellate Court was of the view that in absence of
clinching evidence indicating that defendant has perfected
his title, plaintiff cannot be non-suited. The defendant is
bound to hand over possession to the plaintiff. The
Appellate Court referring to the materials on record has
also negatived the defence set up by the defendant and
has come to the conclusion that defendant was in
permissive possession as he has not perfected his title by
way of adverse possession.
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8. Heard learned counsel appearing for the plaintiff
and learned counsel appearing for the defendant. Perused
concurrent findings of the Courts below.
9. It is a trite law that in case of adverse possession
of land, two aspects has to be taken into consideration.
Firstly, the nature of possession of the land should be
exclusive, continuous, uninterrupted and it should be
actual physical possession and not merely constructive
possession over the la