JUDGMENT
N.K. Kapoor, J.
1. This is plaintiffs regular second appeal against the judgment and decree of the Additional District Judge whereby the judgment decree of the trial Court was reversed.
2. Briefly put, Ram Sarup, now represented by his legal representatives, namely, the present appellants filed a suit for possession by way of pre-emption claiming superior right of pre-emption being a tenant at will in respect of the registered sale deed dated 1.8.1983. Pursuance to the notice issued by the Court, defendants put in appearance and filed written statement controverting the various material averments made in the plaint. Navneet Kumar filed separate written statement pleading that he being grandson of one of the vendors, namely, Babu Lal had pre-empted the sale in question and obtained a decree for possession by way of pre-emption on 27.10.1983, this way the suit of the plaintiff is not maintainable and so is liable to be dismissed. Even otherwise, the suit land falls within the limits of Municipal Committee, Narnaul, and as such the plaintiff has no cause of action to file the present suit.
3. On the pleadings of the parties, issues with regard to superior right of pre-emption, limitation, sale consideration and with regard as to whether the land falls within the municipal limits of Narnaul were framed. All. these issues need not be noticed in detail as the point in controversy to be resolved falls under issues No.1, 7-A and 7-B which are reproduced hereunder:-
1/ Whether the Plaintiff is tenant and as such has preferential right to pre-empt the sale? OPP.
7-A/ Whether the plaintiff has a superior right of pre-emption as rival pre-emptor as alleged? OPP.
7-B/ Whether the impugned decree and judgment dated 27.10.1983 are liable to be set aside and is not binding upon them as alleged ? OPP.
The trial Court on the basis of evidence led by the parties came to be conclusion that Ram Sarup (now deceased) was tenant on the suit land and thus has a superior right of pre-emption. It further held that since tenancy is heritable, the present appellants-legal representatives of Ram Sarup have a right to prosecute the pending suit as well as grant of relief in view of the decision of the apex Court in case reported as Kanti Rani and Anr. v. Rama Rani, 1988 PLJ 254. Under issues No. 7-A and 7-B the trial Court came to the conclusion that the so-called decree procured by Navneet Kumar carries no weight as Navneet Kumar failed to establish on record the superior right of pre-emption qua Niranjan vendor. Even with regard to Navneet Kumar’s claim qua share of Babu Lal the Court came to the conclusion that there is neither any proof, on record that any ‘Zare Panjam’ was deposited by him nor with regard to payment of sale consideration and costs of stamp and registration. It was a collusive decree and having been passed during the pendency of the present suit does not in any manner adversely affect the rights of the plaintiffs. Resultantly the suit of the plaintiffs was decreed subject to their depositing the sale consideration alongwith stamps and registration charges before the stipulated date i.e. on or before 11.6.1989.
4. On appeal, the lower appellate Court reversed the material findings under issues No, 7-A and 7-B noticed above primarily relying upon the judgment and decree Exhibit P-3 and P-4. According to the lower appellate Court, Navneet Kumar being grandson of Babu Lal had a superior right of pre-emption and the decree dated 27.10.1983 Exhibit P-3 having been passed before the impugned judgment and decree of the trial Court disentitles the Plaintiffs to claim possession on the basis of their superior right of preemption. The objection taken by the respondents (Plaintiffs) with regard to non impleading of them being rival pre-emptors despite having been accepted was brushed aside.
5. Learned counsel for the appellants has assailed the judgment and decree of the Additional District Judge terming the same to be wholly illegal and hence unsustainable in law. It has been urged by the appellants that the lower appellate Court has, in fact, erred in law in not properly perusing the relevant documentary evidence adduced by the parties nor has cared to examine the various statutory provisions clearly bringing out the falsity of the stand set up by the respondents; According to the counsel, the Plaintiffs filed suit for pre-emption being ft tenant at will on 28.9.1983. It is during the pendency of this suit that Navneet Kumar claiming himself to be grandson of Babu Lal filed a suit for possession by means of pre-emption on 26.10.1983 which claim was decreed by the trial Court on 27.10.1983. A bare perusal of the judgment of the trial Court as well as the decree passed leaves no manner of doubt that the same was collusive as neither any notice was issued by the Court nor Navneet Kumar chose to implead the plain-tiffs, who, admittedly, had set up a rival claim and that too earlier to the filing of the suit. Thus such a decree does not in any manner affect the right of the rain-tiff-appellants.
6. Learned counsel for the respondents with a view to justify the conclusion arrived at by the lower appellate Court relied upon the judgment and decree of the civil Court Exhibits P-3 and P-4 and so urged that these having not been set aside and also the fact that the vendees bonafidely conceded in favour of Navneet Kumar having superior right of pre-emption, the conclusion arrived at by the Court is perfectly justified. It was further argued that non-impleading of rival pre-emptor cannot be construed as fatal to the valid decree passed by the Court. Impleading of rival pre-emptors as per Section 28 of the Punjab Pre-emption Act-is to facilitate the Court in passing a decree consistant with a rival claim and so is procedural in nature;1 non-compliance of which is not fatal to the decree bonafidely passed by the Court.
7. Having heard learned counsel for the parties, I am of the view that the impugned judgment and decree of the lower appellate Court is unsustainable in law. Admittedly, Ram Sarup, predeccessor-in-interest of the present appellants filed suit for possession by way pre-emption in respect of sale-deed dated 1.8.1983. It is during the pendency of the suit that Navneet Kumar filed a suit on 26.10.1983 which claim was decreed by the Court on the next date i.e. 27.10.1983. There is no material on record to support whether any ‘Zare Panjam’ amount i.e. 1/5th of the pre-emptor amount was deposited by Navneet Kumar pre-emptor as contemplated by Section 22 of the Punjab Pre-emption Act. Even with regard to sale consideration cost of stamp and registration charges, there is no mention in the decree dated 27.10.1983, Exhibit P-3. As per Section 22 of the Punjab Pre-emption Act, it is incumbent upon the Court to direct the Plaintiff to deposit such sum as in the opinion of the Court does not exceed 1/5th of the probable value of the land or property or require him to give security to the satisfaction of the Court for such a sum and that too before the settlement of issues. Admittedly, no such amount was deposited by Navneet Kumar. There is also no proof on the record that any such security was furnished by him in terms of Section 22 of the Punjab Pre-emption Act. In this view of the matter, the Court, in fact, had no option but to reject the Plaint as envisaged under Section 21(4) of the Punjab Pre-emption Act. Interestingly, instead of rejecting such a Plaint, the Court in all its haste decreed the claim on the very next date of filing of the suit i.e. on 27.10.1983 ignoring the Statutory provisions. The so called decree Exhibit P-3 now set up as a shield to ward off the superior right claimed by the Plaintiff-appellants in the facts and circumstances of the case, is nothing but a paper transaction and is liable to be ignored while adjudicating the claim set up by the appellants. This decree is otherwise liable to be ignored since the suit filed by Ram Sarup (Now deceased) is earlier in time and be had no notice of the decree procured by Navneet Kumar. In any case, the defence set up by the respondents on the basis of judgment and decree has been duly considered by the Courts below. It will be worth noticing that though Navneet Kumar claimed himself to be the grandson of Babu Lal, yet under Section 15 of the Pre-emption Act had no vis-a-vis the share of Niranjan Lal, a co-vendor.
8. For the aforesaid reasons, I accept the appeal set aside the judgment and decree of the Additional District judge dated 18.7.1991, thus upholding the judgment and decree of the trial Court. In case the decretal amount Jess the ‘zare-panjam’ has been withdrawn by the appellants in view of the decision of the lower appellate Court, the Plaintiffs are granted two months time to deposit the sale consideration alongwith stamp and registration charges as determined by the trial Court on or before 5.9.1994 and thereafter claim possession according to law. No order as to costs.