2015 Supreme(Online)(P&H) 44
HIGH COURT OF PUNJAB AND HARYANA
BALWINDER SINGH – Appellant
Versus
JASWINDER SINGH AND ORS – Respondent
CR 7275/2014
CR-7275-2014 (O&M)
IN THE HIGH COURT OF PUNJAB AND HARYANA AT
CHANDIGARH
CR-7275-2014 (O&M).
Decided on: April 22, 2015.
Balwinder Singh
..... Petitioner
Versus
Jaswinder Singh and others
..... Respondent
* * *
CORAM:
HON'BLE MR. JUSTICE M.M.S. BEDI
PRESENT
Mr.Rakesh Gupta, Advocate,
for the petitioner.
Ms.G.K.Turka, Advocate,
for the respondents.
M.M.S. BEDI, J (ORAL).
The defendant has filed this revision petition
invoking the jurisdiction of this Court under Article 227 of the
Constitution of India, challenging the order dated 27.8.2014 passed
by the Civil Judge (Sr., Divn.), Rajpura, allowing the application of
respondent Nos.1 to 5 and impleading them as legal heirs of Tej Kaur
plaintiff. It is pertinent to observe here that respondent Nos. 1 to 5
who have been impleaded in place of Tej Kaur plaintiff are the sons
and grand sons of Tej Kaur. Her husband Kirpal Singh has not been
impleaded as legal heir of Tej Kaur. The claim of the defendant-
petitioner is that the trial Court ought to have impleaded the husband
1
RAJ KUMAR ARORA
2015.04.28 12:25
I attest to the accuracy and
integrity of this document
CR-7275-2014 (O&M)
of Tej Kaur also as legal representative along with other LRs who are
respondent Nos.1 to 5.
Counsel for the defendant-petitioner has relied
upon judgments Shism Ram and another Vs. Vijender and others,
2010 (3) Civil Court cases 317, and Mahender Nath Vs. Satender
Nath and others, 2010 (3) Civil Court cases 284, in support of his
contentions that when the trial Court impleads LRs of a deceased
party without determining whether they are actually the
representatives of the deceased, the said action is illegal. Judgment
in Mahender Nath's case (supra) has been relied upon to submit
that when there is controversy regarding the impleadment of LRs on
the basis of natural succession or on the basis of Will then all the
parties may be impleaded as LRs of the deceased.
Counsel for the respondents has submitted that Tej
Kaur had filed a suit for declaration challenging revenue entry in
favour of defendant-petitioner Balwinder Singh by the revenue
authorities, defendants Nos.2 & 3, and that the property in dispute
belongs to the father of Tej Kaur, as such being a female, the
inheritance would be governed by Section 15 of the Hindu
Succession Act, which reads as follow: -
“15. General rules of succession in the
case of female Hindus. -
(1) The property of a female Hindu dying intestate
shall devolve according to the rules set out in
section 16,-
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CR-7275-2014 (O&M)
(a) Firstly, upon the sons and daughters (including
the children of any pre-deceased son or daughter)
and the husband;
(b) Secondly, upon the heirs of the husband;
(c) Thirdly, upon the mother and father;
(d) Fourthly, upon the heirs of the father; and
(e) Lastly, upon the heirs of the mother.
(2) Notwithstanding anything contained in
subsection (1),-
(a) Any property inherited by a female Hindu from
her father or mother shall devolve, in the absence
of any son or daughter of the deceased (including
the children of any pre-deceased son or daughter)
not upon the other heirs referred to in sub-section
(1) in the order specified therein, but upon the heirs
of the father; and
(b) Any property inherited by a female Hindu from
her husband or from her father-in-law shall devolve,
in the absence of any son or daughter of the
deceased (including the children of any pre-
deceased son or daughter) not upon the other heirs
referred to in sub-section (1) in the order specified
therein, but upon the heirs of the husband.”
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CR-7275-2014 (O&M)
It has been argued by the counsel for the
respondents that since the property vesting in Tej Kaur could not
devolve upon her husband Kirpal Singh, as such, her sons and grand
sons had moved an application under Order 22 Rule 3 CPC to be
impleaded as LRs of Tej Kaur as the objective of impleadment of LR