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2026 Supreme(Online)(Kar) 23049

THE HIGH COURT OF KARNATAKA
Pradeep Singh Yerur, J
Shankarshetti – Appellant
Versus
State Of Karnataka – Respondent
RSA No. 1654 of 2023



Advocates:
For the Appellants/Petitioners: Vinaya Keerthy M
For the Respondents: B.S. Guruswamy

In a suit for bare permanent injunction, if the defendant raises a cloud over the plaintiff's title, the suit is not maintainable without seeking the relief of declaration of title; furthermore, under Section 100 of the CPC, the High Court cannot re-appreciate factual findings in a second appeal.

Headnote:(A) Code of Civil Procedure, 1908 - Section 100 - Second Appeal - Scope and ambit - Interference with concurrent findings of fact - Appellate court cannot re-appreciate evidence or substitute its own opinion for that of trial and first appellate courts unless there is perversity or illegality in the decision.

(B) Specific Relief Act, 1963 - Suit for bare permanent injunction - Maintainability - Where the defendants deny the title of the plaintiff and raise a cloud over it, a suit for bare injunction is not maintainable without seeking a relief for declaration of title.

Facts of the case:
The plaintiff filed a suit for a permanent injunction to restrain the Forest Department from interfering with his possession over land, claiming title through a land grant certificate. The defendants contended the suit property was part of a reserved state forest, denied the plaintiff's possession and title, and pleaded maintainability issues under Section 80 of the Code of Civil Procedure and the Forest (Conservation) Act, 1980.

Findings of Court:
The trial court and first appellate court dismissed the suit, finding the plaintiff failed to prove lawful possession and noting that the suit was barred for not seeking a declaration of title when a cloud was raised over the title. The High Court affirmed these findings, observing that a suit for bare injunction is not maintainable when the title is in dispute.

Issues: 1. Whether the trial court and first appellate court erred in law and fact. 2. Whether the suit for bare permanent injunction is maintainable without seeking a declaration of title. 3. Whether substantial questions of law exist to warrant interference under Section 100 of the Code of Civil Procedure.

Ratio Decidendi: When the title of the plaintiff is disputed by the defendants, the plaintiff must seek a declaration of title; otherwise, a suit for bare injunction is not maintainable. Furthermore, under Section 100 of the Code of Civil Procedure, a second appeal is limited to substantial questions of law and does not permit the re-appreciation of evidence or factual findings established concurrently by lower courts.

Result: Appeal dismissed.

Table of Content
1. introduction to the appeal and procedural history. (Para 1 , 2 , 3)
2. plaintiff's claim regarding possession and title through a land grant. (Para 4 , 5 , 6)
3. defence contention regarding forest land classification and lack of maintainability. (Para 7 , 8 , 9)
4. trial and first appellate court's dismissal of the suit. (Para 10 , 11 , 12 , 13 , 14)
5. arguments for the appellant regarding perversity and failure to appreciate evidence. (Para 15 , 16 , 17)
6. arguments for the respondent regarding maintainability and title dispute. (Para 18 , 19 , 20)
7. court's reasoning on the maintainability of bare injunction and scope of section 100 cpc. (Para 21 , 22 , 23 , 24 , 25 , 26)

THIS RSA IS FILED UNDER SECTION 100 OF CPC AGAINST THE JUDGMENT AND DECREE DATED 12.06.2023 PASSED IN RA.No.34/2018 ON THE FILE OF THE SENIOR CIVIL JUDGE AND JMFC, TIPTUR, DISMISSING THE APPEAL AND CONFIRMING THE JUDGMENT AND DECREE DATED 01.03.2018 PASSED IN OS.No.130/201 ON THE FILE OF THE C/C ADDITIONAL CIVIL JUDGE AND JMFC, TIPTUR.

THIS APPEAL, COMING ON FOR ORDERS, THIS DAY, JUDGMENT WAS DELIVERED THEREIN AS UNDER:

CORAM: HON'BLE MR. JUSTICE PRADEEP SINGH YERUR

ORAL JUDGMENT

Heard learned counsel for the appellant.

2. This appeal is preferred by the plaintiff challenging the judgment and decree passed by the Senior Civil Judge and JMFC-Tiptur in RA.No.34/2018 dated 12.06.2023, dismissing the appeal filed by the appellant/plaintiff and confirming the judgment and decree dated 01.03.2018 passed by the C/c Additional Civil Judge and JMFC, Tiptur in O.S.No.130/2014.

3. Parties to the proceedings shall be referred to as plaintiff and defendants for the sake of brevity.

4. The brief facts of the case are as follows:

5. Plaintiff filed suit for permanent injunction restraining the defendants from interfering with plaintiff's peaceful possession and enjoyment of the suit schedule property. It is the say of plaintiff that originally the suit schedule property belonged to Government of Karnataka. The Tahsildar Tiptur has granted the said suit land, in favour of plaintiff under a grant certificate dated 03.09.1998. It is also claimed by the plaintiff that he is possession and enjoyment of the suit schedule property since from the date of grant, enjoying the same by changing the khata and other revenue entries in mutation entry number 1/2010-11.

6. He is also paying the land revenue on the suit property. It is the say of the plaintiff that the defendants have no manner of right, title, interest or possession over the suit schedule property. Defendants started to interfere more specifically; defendant No.5 was trying to encroach on the suit schedule property and attempted to trespass into the suit schedule property to dig in the suit schedule property without any notice to the plaintiff. Therefore, the plaintiff filed suit against the defendants for the relief of permanent injunction.

7. Upon service of the summons to the defendants, a written statement was filed by defendant No.5. The other defendants adopted the written statement of defendant No.5, denied the entire plaint averments, and pleaded that the suit is not maintainable in view of Section 80 of CPC and also under Section 2 of the Forest Conservation Act 1980.

8. It was further pleaded that the Government of Mysore sanctioned land at Chikkanayakannahally and Tiptur Taluk measuring totally 3035 acres and 01 guntas, and the same was classified as 'A', 'B' and 'C' and named Kamalapura State Reserve Forest under Government notification. No. AF9044FT 195/49-4. It is also pleaded that the entire land is in possession of the government under the control of the Forest Department.

9. It is also pleaded that the plaintiff has created a grant certificate in collusion with the revenue officials without obtaining any necessary permission from the Forest Department and has attempted to encroach on the forest land. Therefore, it is pleaded that the plaintiff does not have any manner of right, title, in

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