High Court Punjab-Haryana High Court

Bhagwanti & Another vs Rakesh Kumar on 18 February, 2009

Punjab-Haryana High Court
Bhagwanti & Another vs Rakesh Kumar on 18 February, 2009
R.S.A. No. 3471 of 2006                                                        1




IN THE PUNJAB AND HARYANA HIGH COURT AT
              CHANDIGARH

                                 R.S.A. No. 3471 of 2006 (O&M)
                                 Date of Decision : 18.2.2009

Bhagwanti & another
                                                            .......... Appellants
                                 Versus

Rakesh Kumar
                                                             ...... Respondent

CORAM : HON'BLE MR. JUSTICE VINOD K. SHARMA

Present :    Mr. G.L. Bajaj, Advocate
             for the appellants.

                   ****

VINOD K. SHARMA, J. (ORAL)

C.M. No. 8630-C of 2006

This is an application under Section 5 of the Limitation Act for

condoning the delay of 6 days in filing the appeal.

For the reasons stated in the application, the delay of 6 days in

filing the appeal is condoned.

C.M. stands allowed.

R.S.A. No. 3471 of 2006

This regular second appeal is directed against the judgments and

decree dated 7.1.2006 and 12.5.2006 passed by the learned Courts below

vide which suit filed by the plaintiff for permanent injunction stands

dismissed.

The plaintiff brought a suit on the plea that he was co-owner in
R.S.A. No. 3471 of 2006 2

Khewat No. 12 situated at village Mehma Sarkari and that he was in

possession of 25 kanals 1 marlas of land which stands established by way of

the revenue record. It was claimed that the crops sown by the plaintiff were

standing over the disputed property and further that the defendants are

stranger to the land and have no concern with it. It was also the case of the

plaintiff that defendants being land grabbers was threatening to dispossess

the plaintiff from the suit land in illegal manner.

On notice having been issued the suit was contested by

defendants No. 1 to 3 and defendant No. 4 was proceeded ex parte.

Defendants No. 1 to 3 contested the suit by raising preliminary objection of

locus standi, want of cause of action. It was claimed that the plaintiffs were

neither owner nor in possession of the suit land, and that the plaintiff

concealed the material facts from the Court.

It was also pleaded that the name of defendant No.1 was

wrongly written as Rakesh Kumar instead of Ramesh Kumar.

On merit, it was pleaded that the suit land is owned and

possessed by defendants No.1 to 3, and the khasra-girdawari also existed in

their favour, in pursuance to the correction by the Assistant Collector

Second Grade, Bathinda, which was said to have been corrected after due

notice to the plaintiff-appellant.

The learned trial Court on appreciation of evidence brought on

record recorded a finding of fact that plaintiff appellant failed to prove

possession over Khasra No. 190/396 whereas there was no dispute with

regard to Khasra No. 108 (16-7). The issue whether the plaintiff was
R.S.A. No. 3471 of 2006 3

entitled to permanent injunction was decided against him.

The Courts below held that the suit filed by the plaintiffs was

not maintainable as they failed to avail the remedy to challenge the order of

Khasra girdawari though passed in his presence.

In appeal finding of fact stands affirmed.

The learned counsel for the appellants contends that this appeal

raises the following substantial question of law for consideration by this

Court :-

Whether non-challenge to order of A.C. IInd grade
could be fatal to suit of plaintiff?

The learned counsel for the appellants contends that the learned

Courts below erred in law in deciding the suit by placing reliance on the

order by the Assistant Collector IInd Grade, correcting khasra girdawari,

which was not binding on the civil Court.

The civil Court was required to decide the question of law on

the basis of evidence brought on record. There is no force in this contention.

It was plaintiff who was placed reliance on the revenue record to assert his

possession over the suit property, which was disputed by the defendant-

respondent.

The order of Assistant Collector IInd Grade was passed prior

to the filing of the suit by the plaintiff, but for the reasons best known to

him they chose not to challenge the said order.

The learned Courts below, therefore, rightly held that the

plaintiff has failed to prove possession over the the suit property.
R.S.A. No. 3471 of 2006 4

The appeal raises no substantial question of law.

No merit.

Dismissed in limine.

18.2.2009                                      ( VINOD K. SHARMA )
  'sp'                                              JUDGE