Skip to main content

Partition proceedings are vitiated even if single co-sharer is not made party or is not served in accordance with law

Cause Title : Bhagwant Singh vs Financial Commissioner (Appeals) Punjab, Chandigarh, CWP-2132-2018 (O&M), High Court Of Punjab & Haryana At Chandigarh

Date of Judgment/Order : 31.08.2022

Corum : Hon’ble Mr. Justice Sudhir Mittal

Background

A large parcel of land was owned by the Nagar Panchayat. Thereafter, some of the co-sharers sold their shares to third parties including the petitioners herein. On 22.11.1995, respondents No.3 to 5 filed an application for partition of the land. The petitioners were not impleaded as parties.  On completion of proceedings, sanad was issued on 28.08.1996. Vide two separate sale deeds dated 28.05.2008 respondents No.3 and 5 sold some portion in favour of respondent No.6 and 7. These respondents sought implementation of the sanad resulting in issuance of warrants of possession dated 05.06.2008. Allegedly, it was then that the petitioners realized that joint land had been partitioned and that proceedings had been conducted behind their back. Thus, they filed CWP-12737-2008 for quashing of the sanad. The writ petition was disposed of with a direction to the petitioners therein to avail alternative remedy of revision provided by Section 16 of the Punjab Land Revenue Act, 1887. Accordingly, the revision was filed on 19.05.2009. This revision petition was, however, dismissed vide order dated 06.11.2017 resulting in filing of the present writ petition.

The petitioners has argued that as their name is in the records, they should have been impleaded in the partition application and that the partition proceedings are vitiated as all co-sharers were not made party.

One of the question before the court was whether, non-impleadment of the petitioners as parties in the partition application has resulted in vitiation of the proceedings? If so, was the defect curable by impleadment of the vendors of the petitioners?

Judgment

The court observed that the names of the petitioners are clearly recorded in the remarks column thereof as vendees. In the jamabandi for the year 1994-95, their names find mention as vendees in the column of cultivation. It is settled law that every co-sharer is owner of every inch of joint land. The petitioners had become co-sharers by virtue of the sales in their favour and were entitled to participate in proceedings for partition of the joint land and claim their right for allotment of specific khasra numbers based upon value and quality of land. Having been denied this opportunity, the partition proceedings stand vitiated as a whole. Partition proceedings are vitiated, even if, a single co-sharer is not made a party or is not served in accordance with law. Thus,  the partition proceedings stand vitiated, is answered in the affirmative.

Comments

Most viewed this month

Amendment of plaint under Order VI Rule 17 of the CPC explained

Cause Title :  Ganesh Prasad vs Rajeshwar Prasad, SLP (C) NO. 28377 OF 2018, Supreme Court Of India Date of Judgment/Order : 14/3/2023 Corum : J. B. Pardiwala, J. Citied:  Revajeetu Builders and Developers v. Narayanaswamy & Sons and Others reported in (2009) 10 SCC 84 North Eastern Railway Administration, Gorakhpur v. Bhagwan Das reported in (2008) 8 SCC 511 P.A. Jayalakshmi v. H. Saradha and Others reported in (2009) 14 SCC 525 B.K. Narayana Pillai v. Parameswaran Pillai and Another reported in (2000) 1 SCC 712 A.K. Gupta and Sons Ltd. v. Damodar Valley Corporation reported in AIR 1967 SC 96 Life Insurance Corporation of India v. Sanjeev Builders Private Limited and Another, Civil Appeal No. 5909 of 2022 dated 01.09.2022 Firm Sriniwas Ram Kumar v. Mahabir Prasad and Others reported in AIR 1951 SC 177 G. Nagamma and Another v. Siromanamma and Another reported in (1996) 2 SCC 25 Praful Manohar Rele v. Krishnabai Narayan Ghosalkar and Others reported in (2014...

Owner of vehicle is not expected to verify the genuineness of the driving license before appointing a driver

Cause Title : Rishi Pal Singh Versus New India Assurance Co. Ltd & Ors., Civil Appeal No. 4919 Of 2022, The Supreme Court Of India Date of Judgment/Order : July 26, 2022 Corum : Hemant Gupta; J., Vikram Nath; J. Background the truck owned by the appellant met with an accident. The owner deposed before the court that before employing the driver, he had taken his driving test and that he was driving the vehicle satisfactorily and  that the driver was employed with him for 3 years before the date of the accident. He produced his driving license. This was reaffirmed by the driver who deposed that the driving license was obtained from the driver and it was issued from Nagaland, but no such license was produced on record. Both the Motor Accident Claims Tribunal and the High Court have held that the owner has alleged that the driver had a driving license from Nagaland but the same was not produced and therefore, the Insurance Company is entitled to recover the awarded amount...

The recovery of vehicles by the financier not an offence - SC

Special Leave Petition (Crl.) No. 8907  of 2009 Anup Sarmah (Petitioner) Vs Bhola Nath Sharma & Ors.(Respondents) The petitioner submitted that  respondents-financer had forcibly taken away the vehicle financed by them and  illegally deprived the petitioner from its lawful possession  and  thus,  committed  a crime. The complaint filed by the petitioner had been  entertained  by  the Judicial Magistrate (Ist Class), Gauhati (Assam) in Complaint Case  No.  608 of 2009, even directing the interim custody of the vehicle (Maruti  Zen)  be given to the petitioner vide order dated  17.3.2009.  The respondent on approaching the Guwahati High  Court against this order, the hon'ble court squashed the criminal  proceedings  pending   before  the  learned Magistrate. After hearing both sides, the Hon'ble Supreme Court decided on 30th...