{"id":161570,"date":"1968-04-11T00:00:00","date_gmt":"1968-04-10T18:30:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.legalindia.com\/judgments\/mahesh-bhagat-vs-ram-baran-mahto-ors-on-11-april-1968"},"modified":"2017-06-03T05:02:58","modified_gmt":"2017-06-02T23:32:58","slug":"mahesh-bhagat-vs-ram-baran-mahto-ors-on-11-april-1968","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.legalindia.com\/judgments\/mahesh-bhagat-vs-ram-baran-mahto-ors-on-11-april-1968","title":{"rendered":"Mahesh Bhagat vs Ram Baran Mahto &amp; Ors on 11 April, 1968"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"docsource_main\">Supreme Court of India<\/div>\n<div class=\"doc_title\">Mahesh Bhagat vs Ram Baran Mahto &amp; Ors on 11 April, 1968<\/div>\n<div class=\"doc_citations\">Equivalent citations: 1968 AIR 1466, \t\t  1968 SCR  (3) 742<\/div>\n<div class=\"doc_author\">Author: R Bachawat<\/div>\n<div class=\"doc_bench\">Bench: Bachawat, R.S.<\/div>\n<pre>           PETITIONER:\nMAHESH BHAGAT\n\n\tVs.\n\nRESPONDENT:\nRAM BARAN MAHTO &amp; ORS.\n\nDATE OF JUDGMENT:\n11\/04\/1968\n\nBENCH:\nBACHAWAT, R.S.\nBENCH:\nBACHAWAT, R.S.\nHEGDE, K.S.\n\nCITATION:\n 1968 AIR 1466\t\t  1968 SCR  (3) 742\n\n\nACT:\nBihar\tTenancy\t  Act  (Act  8\tof   1885)--Sections   5(2),\n21(1)--Construction  of deed--whether lease  or\t usufructory\nmortgage Tenure-holder prohibited from executing leases\t for\nterms  extending  beyond  the term  of\tthe  tenure--Tenants\ninducted   by  tenure-holder--Whether\tacquires   occupancy\nrights.\n\n\n\nHEADNOTE:\nA,  the predecessor-in-interest of the plaintiff executed  a\nthika  patta in favour of B, in respect of a village  for  a\nterm  of  40 years from 1320 to 1959 fasli, the rent  to  be\nappropriated up to 1344 fasli towards satisfaction of  debts\nowing from A to B and others.  The patta B stipulated that B\ncould  not execute a lease in favour of any tenant  for\t any\nterm  extending beyond 1359 fasli.  B settled plots  in\t the\nvillage\t with the predecessors-interest of  the\t defendants.\nThe  first  settlement\twas for 5 years from  1347  to\t1351\nfasli.\t The second settlement was for 5 years from 1352  to\n1356  fasli.   The  tenants  were  settled  raiyats  of\t the\nvillage.   After the expiry of the term of the thika  patta,\nthe  plaintiff instituted a suit for recovery of  possession\nof  the plots.\tThe Courts below dismissed the suit.  In  an\nappeal\tto  this Court it was contended that (1)  the  thika\npatta was a mortgage and not a lease and the mortgagee B had\nno authority to induct raiyats, and (ii) that assuming\tthat\nit was a lease, B had no authority to settle raiyats  having\noccupancy  rights enuring after the expiry of the lease.  it\nwas  conceded that if the thika patta was a lease, B  was  a\ntenure-holder.\nHELD:\t  dismissing the appeal,\n(1)  The  thika\t patta\twas a lease and\t not  a\t usufructory\nmortgage.  The gist of the document was letting for the full\nterm of 40 years.  There was no express or implied grant  of\na  right  of  redemption  on repayment\tof  the\t loan.\t The\ndocument  was not intended to create relationship of  debtor\nand creditor or a security for the repayment of a debt; [744\nD]\n(2)  The  tenants  of B, having acquired the right  to\thold\nland as cultivating tenants of a tenure-holder, were raiyats\nas  defined  in\t s.  5(2) of the  Bihar\t Tenancy  Act.\t The\ntenancies  were\t lawful\t at  their  inception.\t B  was\t not\nprohibited by the thika patta from inducting raiyats on\t the\nland.  In spite of the stipulation in the patta that B would\nnot  execute  a\t lease in favour of any tenant\tfor  a\tterm\nextending beyond 1359 fasli, the tenants acquired the  right\nto  hold  the land as raiyats.\tAs settled  raiyats  of\t the\nvillage\t they got rights of occupancy in the lands under  s.\n21(1) of the Act. [745 A-B]\nThe  general  rule is that no one can confer  on  another  a\nbetter title than he himself has.  B could not make a  grant\nof  the\t right to occupy the lands after the expiry  of\t the\nlease in its favour.  But the right of occupancy is not\t the\ncreation of any grant from B. It is conferred by s. 21\t(1).\nAs  the tenants are raiyats, the law steps in  and  protects\nthem from eviction. [745 B-C]\n<a href=\"\/doc\/1122405\/\">Mahabir\t Gope  v. Harbans Narain Singh,<\/a> [1952]\tS.C.R.\t775,\ndistinguished.\nAtal  Chandra  Rishi  v. Lakhi Narain Ghose  10,  C.L.T.  55\napproved.\n\n\n\nJUDGMENT:\n<\/pre>\n<p>CIVIL APPELLATE JURISDICTION : Civil Appeal No. 394 of 1965.\n<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"hidden_text\">743<\/span><\/p>\n<p>Appeal\tby special leave from the judgment and decree  dated<br \/>\nDecember  22,  1961 of the Patna High Court in\tAppeal\tfrom<br \/>\nOriginal Decree No. 277 of 1956.\n<\/p>\n<p>Sarjoo Prasad and D. Goburdhun. for the appellant.<br \/>\nYogeshwar  Prasad and Hardev Singh, for respondents Nos.   1<br \/>\nand 13 to 18.\n<\/p>\n<p>The Judgment of the Court was delivered by<br \/>\n Bachawat, J.&#8211;On July 15, 1912 Abdul Karim the predecessor-<br \/>\nin-interest  of\t the  plaintiff executed in  favour  of\t the<br \/>\nproprietors  of an indigo concern collectively known as\t the<br \/>\nBhikhanpur Kothi a thika patta (Ex. 4) in respect of village<br \/>\nKhanjadpur  for a term of 40 years from 1320 to\t 1359  fasli<br \/>\ncorresponding to; 1913 to 1952.\t By two patta Katkenas (Exs.<br \/>\nA  and\tAl)  dated  April 25, 1940  and\t May  23,  1944\t the<br \/>\nBhikhanpur  Kothi settled plots Nos. 183 and 184 in  village<br \/>\nKhanjadpur   with   the\t predecessors-in-interest   of\t the<br \/>\ncontesting  defendants.\t The first settlement was  for\tfive<br \/>\nyears  from 1347 to 1351 fasli.\t The second  settlement\t was<br \/>\nfor  five  years from 1352 to 1356 fasli.  The term  of\t the<br \/>\nthika  patta (Ex. 4) expired in 1359 fasli.   Thereafter  on<br \/>\nApril  24,  1953  the  plaintiff  instituted  the  suit\t for<br \/>\nrecovery  of  possession of the plots.\tHe  also  asked\t for<br \/>\ncertain\t other\treliefs with which we are not  concerned  in<br \/>\nthis appeal.  The trial court found that (1) plots Nos.\t 183<br \/>\nand  184 were bakasht and not zeriat lands, (2) the  tenants<br \/>\nunder Ex.  A and Al were settled raiyats of the village, (3)<br \/>\nthe  thika  patta in favour of the Bhikhanpur  Kothi  was  a<br \/>\nlease, (4) the Kothi had the authority to induct raiyats  on<br \/>\nthe  village and (5) the tenants held the plots as  raiyats,<br \/>\nand  they  acquired occupancy rights under sec.\t 21  of\t the<br \/>\nBihar  Tenancy\tAct.   On these\t findings  the\ttrial  court<br \/>\ndisallowed the plaintiff&#8217;s claim for recovery of  possession<br \/>\nof  plots Nos. 183 and&#8217; 184.  The plaintiff filed an  appeal<br \/>\nin  the\t High  Court of Patna.\tBefore the  High  Court\t the<br \/>\nplaintiff  did not dispute the correctness of the first\t two<br \/>\nfindings of the trial court.  The High Court agreed with the<br \/>\nother findings and dismissed the appeal.  The plaintiff\t has<br \/>\nnow  filed this appeal after obtaining special\tleave,\tfrom<br \/>\nthis Court.\n<\/p>\n<p>In this Court Mr. Sarjoo Prasad contended (1) that Ex. 4 was<br \/>\na  mortgage  and not a lease and the mortgagee under  Ex.  4<br \/>\nhad&#8217; ,no authority to induct raiyats; (2) that assuming that<br \/>\nEx.  4\twas a lease, the lessee had no authority  to  settle<br \/>\nraiyats having occupancy rights enuring after the expiry  of<br \/>\nthe  lease.   We  are  unable. to  accept  either  of  these<br \/>\ncontentions.\n<\/p>\n<p>Exhibit\t 4  was\t executed by Abdul Karim in  favour  of\t the<br \/>\nBhikhanpur  Kothi on July 15, 1912.  It was styled  a  thika<br \/>\npatta.\t  It  provided\tthat  the  kothi  would\t remain\t  in<br \/>\npossession of Khanjad-\n<\/p>\n<p>8 Sup.\tCI\/68&#8211;8<br \/>\n<span class=\"hidden_text\">744<\/span><br \/>\npur village for a term of 40 years from&#8217; 1320 to 1359  fasli<br \/>\non payment of a fixed annual jama of Rs. 6,203\/4\/-.  Out  of<br \/>\nthis  jama the Kothi was to pay annually government  revenue<br \/>\nand cess amounting to Rs. 1,203\/4\/-.  It appears that on the<br \/>\nsame  day Abdul Karim took loans from the  Bhikhanpur  Kothi<br \/>\nand  two  ladies  on executing two separate  bonds.   Ex.  4<br \/>\nprovides  that\tbetween 1320 to 1331 fasli the\tbalance\t Rs.<br \/>\n5,000  of  the\tannual jama would be  paid  or\tappropriated<br \/>\ntowards\t the liquidation of the two debts and  between\t1332<br \/>\nand   1344   fasli  would  be  appropriated   towards\tfull<br \/>\nsatisfaction of the debt due to the Kothi.  The deed further<br \/>\nprovided  that\tfrom 1345 fasli until 1359 fasli  the  Kothi<br \/>\nwould  pay the entire balance of Rs. 5,000 to  Abdul  Karim.<br \/>\nIt is to be noticed that the ladies were not parties to\t Ex.\n<\/p>\n<p>4.  The\t loan was taken from the Kothi on a  separate  bond.<br \/>\nEx. 4 provided for the repayment of the loan, but the  Kothi<br \/>\nwas entitled to remain in possession for 15 years after\t the<br \/>\nloan  was fully satisfied.  The gist of the document  was  a<br \/>\nletting of the village for the full term of 40 years.  There<br \/>\nwas no express or implied grant of a right of redemption  of<br \/>\nthe village on repayment of the loan.  The document was\t not<br \/>\nintended to create a relationship of debtor and creditor  or<br \/>\na security for the repayment of a debt.\t In our opinion, the<br \/>\ntransaction was a lease and not a usufructuary mortgage.<br \/>\nThe  question then is whether the tenants of the  Bhikhanpur<br \/>\nKothi  acquired occupancy rights in plots Nos. 183 and\t184.<br \/>\nSection 21 (1) of the Bihar Tenancy Act 1885 (Act 8 of 1885)<br \/>\nreads :\n<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;S. 21 (1) Every person who is a settled raiyat of a village<br \/>\nwithin the, meaning of the last foregoing section shall have<br \/>\na right of occupancy in all land for the time being held  by<br \/>\nhim as a raiyat in that village.&#8221;\n<\/p>\n<p>A  settled  raiyat  of a village is defined in s.  20  as  a<br \/>\nperson\twho for a period of 12 years continuously held\tland<br \/>\nin  that  village  as a raiyat.\t It  is\t conceded  that\t the<br \/>\ntenants\t were settled raiyats of village  Khanjadpur  within<br \/>\nthe  meaning  of s. 20.\t The question then is  whether\tthey<br \/>\nheld  the plots as raiyats.  Under S. 5 (2) a &#8220;raiyat&#8221; is  a<br \/>\nperson\twho  has  acquired  a  right  to  hold\tland  as   a<br \/>\ncultivating tenant either of the proprietor or of the tenure<br \/>\nholder.\t  Now  the  sub-lessees under Exs.  A  and  Al\twere<br \/>\ncultivating tenants of the Bhikhanpur Kothi.  Exs.  A and Al<br \/>\nprovided that the tenants would cultivate plots 183 and 184,<br \/>\nget  the  same\tcultivated by  others  and  appropriate\t the<br \/>\nproduce thereof.  It is conceded that if Ex. 4 was a  lease,<br \/>\nthe  Bhikhanpur Kothi was a tenure holder.  However,  Ex.  4<br \/>\nstipulated  that the Bhikhanpur Kothi should not  execute  a<br \/>\nlease  patta in favour of any tenant for any term  extending<br \/>\nbeyond\t1359 fasli when the term of Ex. 4 would expire.\t  It<br \/>\n1,% argued that in view of this stipulation, the tenants  of<br \/>\nthe Bhikhanpur Kothi could not acquire the right to hold the<br \/>\nlands after 1359<br \/>\n<span class=\"hidden_text\">745<\/span><br \/>\nfasli.\t Now  the settlements under Exs.  A and Al  did\t not<br \/>\ncontravene Ex. 4. The term of the last settlement expired in<br \/>\n1356  fasli.  The tenancies were lawful at their  inception.<br \/>\nThe tenants acquired the right to hold the lands as raiyats.<br \/>\nAs  settled-raiyats  of\t the  village  they  got  rights  of<br \/>\noccupancy in the lands under s. 21 ( 1 ).\n<\/p>\n<p>The  general  rule is that no one can confer  on  another  a<br \/>\nbetter\ttitle  than he himself has.   The  Bhikhanpur  Kothi<br \/>\ncould  not  make a grant of the right to  occupy  the  lands<br \/>\nafter  the  expiry of the lease in their  favour.   But\t the<br \/>\nright  of occupancy is not the creation of any,, grant\tfrom<br \/>\nthe  Kothi.  It is conferred by s. 21 (1).  As\tthe  tenants<br \/>\nare  raiyats,  the  law\t steps in  and\tprotects  them\tfrom<br \/>\neviction.\n<\/p>\n<p>The  decision in <a href=\"\/doc\/1122405\/\">Mahabir Gope v. Harbans Narain Singh<\/a>(1)  is<br \/>\ndistinguishable.   In  that  case  the\tmortgagee  from\t the<br \/>\nproprietor  settled  the  lands\t with  an  ancestor  of\t the<br \/>\ndefendant.  The mortgage deed prohibited the mortgagee\tfrom<br \/>\ninducting tenants on the lands.\t The mortgagee was neither a<br \/>\nproprietor  nor\t a  tenure holder.  The\t tenant\t was  not  a<br \/>\nsettled\t raiyat of the village.\t In these circumstances\t the<br \/>\nCourt  held  that the defendant did  not  acquire  occupancy<br \/>\nrights\tin the land under secs. 20 and 21 and was liable  to<br \/>\nbe ejected by the proprietor on redemption of the  mortgage.<br \/>\nIn  the present case the defendants are settled\t raiyats  of<br \/>\nthe  village.  They held the lands as tenants of the  tenure<br \/>\nholder.\t  There was no prohibition in the document  creating<br \/>\nthe  tenure against inducting raiyats on the land.  In\tAtal<br \/>\nChandra\t Rishi\tv.  Lakhi  Narain  Ghose(2)  the  proprietor<br \/>\ngranted an ijara stipulating that the ijaradar would not  be<br \/>\ncompetent  to grant a sub-lease which was to continue  after<br \/>\nthe  expiry  of the ijara.  The ijaradar settled  the  lands<br \/>\nwith  a\t tenant.   The\tpossession  of\tthe  tenant  in\t its<br \/>\ninception was lawful.  The Calcutta High Court held that  in<br \/>\nspite  of the stipulation in the ijara the tenant  became  a<br \/>\nraiyat whose rights were regulated by the provisions of\t the<br \/>\nBengal Tenancy Act and he could be ejected by the proprietor<br \/>\nonly  on  one  or more of the grounds specified\t in  s.\t 44.<br \/>\nSimilarly  in  this case the tenancy in\t its  inception\t was<br \/>\nlawful.\t The tenants became raiyats and as they were settled<br \/>\nraiyats of the village they acquired rights of occupancy and<br \/>\ncould  not be ejected except on one or more of\tthe  grounds<br \/>\nmentioned in sec. 25.\n<\/p>\n<p>In   our   opinion,  the  predecessor-in-interest   of\t the<br \/>\ncontesting  defendants\tacquired occupancy rights  in  plots<br \/>\nNos. 183 and 184 and the courts below Tightly dismissed\t the<br \/>\nsuit for recovery of possession of those plots.<br \/>\nIn the result, the appeal fails and is dismissed with costs.<br \/>\nAppeal dismissed.\n<\/p>\n<p>Y.P.\n<\/p>\n<p>(1)  [1952] S. C. R. 775.\n<\/p>\n<p>(2)  10 C. L. J. 55.\n<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"hidden_text\">746<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Supreme Court of India Mahesh Bhagat vs Ram Baran Mahto &amp; Ors on 11 April, 1968 Equivalent citations: 1968 AIR 1466, 1968 SCR (3) 742 Author: R Bachawat Bench: Bachawat, R.S. PETITIONER: MAHESH BHAGAT Vs. RESPONDENT: RAM BARAN MAHTO &amp; ORS. DATE OF JUDGMENT: 11\/04\/1968 BENCH: BACHAWAT, R.S. BENCH: BACHAWAT, R.S. HEGDE, K.S. CITATION: 1968 [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[30],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-161570","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-supreme-court-of-india"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.3 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Mahesh Bhagat vs Ram Baran Mahto &amp; Ors on 11 April, 1968 - Free Judgements of Supreme Court &amp; High Court | Legal India<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.legalindia.com\/judgments\/mahesh-bhagat-vs-ram-baran-mahto-ors-on-11-april-1968\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Mahesh Bhagat vs Ram Baran Mahto &amp; 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