Gurdial Kaur and Anr. v. Gurdev Singh and Ors.
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Date of decision: 13th May, 2014
Gurdial Kaur and another
� Appellants
Versus
Gurdev Singh and others
� Respondents
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Present: Mr. Amarjit Markan, Advocate for the appellants.
Mr. H.R. Nohria, Advocate for respondents No.3 to 5, 7, 10, 11, 14 to 19, 23 to 26, 28 and 29.
Mr. Ram Bilas Gupta, Advocate for respondents No.2 and 20.
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This is plaintiffs’ second appeal challenging judgments and decrees of the Courts below whereby their suit for declaration to the effect that decree dated 13.05.1971 passed in Civil Suit No.223 of 26.04.1971 titled as ‘Gurdev Singh and others v. Bhagwan Kaur’ is illegal and ineffective qua their rights and they continued to be owners in possession to the extent of 1/3rd share in the suit land measuring 81
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Bighas 10 Biswas, as detailed in the head note of the plaint, with a further prayer to cancel the subsequent sale deeds executed by defendants No.1 and 2 with consequential relief of permanent injunction, was dismissed.
It is the case of the appellants that the suit property was owned by Narain Singh son of Pakhar Singh, father of the plaintiffs and defendants No.1 and 2. Narain Singh died intestate leaving behind the plaintiffs as well as Gurdev Kaur, defendants No.1 and 2 and Bhagwan Kaur widow as his Legal Representatives, and thus, all the LRs inherited the estate of Narain Singh to the extent of 1/6th share each. Hence, the plaintiffs inherited 1/3rd share in the estate of Narain Singh and became owners in possession of the suit land along with defendants No.1 and 2. The plaintiffs were having great confidence in their brothers, i.e. defendants No.1 and 2, but they betrayed their confidence and got suffered a collusive decree regarding their share and the share of Gurdev Kaur and their mother Bhagwan Kaur in their favour from the Court of Sub Judge 1st Class, Dhuri vide judgment and decree dated 13.05.1971 passed in Civil Suit No.223 of 26.04.1971 at their back. It is further case of the appellants that they were never served in the Suit, nor they appeared or engaged any counsel, nor any statement was suffered by them in favour of defendants No.1 and 2, and the defendants obtained the said decree by impersonation as they produced some other ladies in place of the plaintiffs. According to the appellants, they produced Jangir Kaur wife of Gurdev Singh and Bhagwan Kaur wife of Bhan Singh of village Salempur, in the Court by
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impersonating them as plaintiffs, and thus, the aforesaid decree was null, void and ineffective. It was further averred that the plaintiffs became aware of the aforesaid decree when they asked their share from defendants No.1 and 2, who had stopped making payment of ����� to them. The plaintiffs got a certified copy of the judgment and decree dated 13.05.1971 from the record room on 18.09.1997 and the sale deeds from the office of Sub Registrar, Dhuri, and thus, filed the instant suit.
The suit was contested by defendant No.1 admitting ownership of Narain Singh. However, it was denied that the plaintiffs were having any share in the suit property. It was asserted that the plaintiffs appeared in the Court and suffered a valid decree. It was further stated that the sale deed executed by defendants No.1 and 2 was legal, valid and for valuable consideration. The plaintiffs were very much aware of the sale deeds and the mutations sanctioned on the basis thereof are correct and valid. It was further stated that the plaintiffs themselves relinquished their claim in the suit property and there was no question of making payment of any �������� or ������ to them. All other averments were denied and dismissal of the suit was prayed for.
On the basis of the pleadings of the parties, the following issues were framed by the trial Court:
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illegal, null, void, ineffective qua the ownership rights of the plaintiffs a result of fraud, misrepresentation and impersonation? OPP
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are also illegal, null and void, nonest and ineffective qua the rights of the plaintiffs, hence are liable to be set aside? OPP
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To prove that the decree in question was the result of fraud and impersonation, appellant Gurdial Kaur stepped into the witness box and also produced the Handwriting and Fingerprint Expert PW@3 Navdeep Gupta. However, the trial Court after considering the evidence on record and hearing learned counsel for the parties, rejected the plea of the appellants holding that they have failed to prove their case. It was further held that the suit is barred by limitation and the vendees from defendants No.1 and 2 were the bonafide purchasers. While dismissing the suit vide judgment and decree dated 20.10.2005, the trial Court observed as under:
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Aggrieved from the aforesaid judgment and decree of the trial Court, the plaintiffs filed an appeal, which was also dismissed by
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the first appellate Court vide its judgment and decree dated 17.11.2008 reaffirming the findings of the trial Court.
Still not satisfied, the plaintiffs have filed the instant appeal submitting that the following substantial questions of law arise in this appeal:
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However, learned counsel for the appellants has confined his arguments only to the extent of challenging validity of the decree in question. It has been submitted before this Court that there is ample evidence on record to prove that the appellants never appeared before the Court to suffer the decree and the same is the result of impersonation. Learned counsel has further submitted that the report of Expert has been wrongly discarded by the Courts below for the reasons which are not sustainable.
However, it may be noticed that while discarding the evidence of the Handwriting and Fingerprint Expert, the courts below have clearly stated that the Expert has failed to examine all the four thumb impressions on the statement made before the Court and eight thumb impressions on the compromise filed in Court, and therefore, it was not possible to rely upon the report of the Expert to the extent that the questioned thumb impressions tally with the standard thumb impressions of the plaintiffs@appellants.
Not only this, learned counsel for the respondents has pointed out that though it is the specific case of the appellants in the plaint that two ladies, namely, Jangir Kaur wife of Gurdev Singh and Bhagwan Kaur wife of Bhan Singh of village Salempur have impersonated them, yet no efforts have been made to summon the aforesaid ladies to step into the witness box or to get their thumb impression compared. In view thereof, it cannot be said that the appellants discharged their burden of proving their case.
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Not only this, the appellants are the real sisters of defendants No.1 and 2. Admittedly, defendants No.1 and 2 have sold the suit land during the period with effect from 1974 to 1985 and no grievance was raised by the appellants at any point of time. It is not their case that they were not coming to the village and thus, simple statement that it came to their knowledge after 26 years of suffering the decree, is not acceptable.
No other argument has been raised.
Thus, the substantial questions of law, as raised, do not
arise at all in this appeal.
Dismissed.
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Gurdial Kaur
Gurdev Singh
As recorded by the court registry
Judgements on the same questions, provisions and authorities, from every court