KANNAN (DEAD) BY LRS. AND ORS. v. V.S. PANDURANGAM (DEAD) BY LRS. AND ORS

Citation: [2007] 12 S.C.R. 591

Court: Supreme Court of India

Bench: A.K. MATHUR, MARKANDEY KATJU

Case summary

KANNAN (DEAD) BY LRS. AND ORS. v. V.S. PANDURANGAM (DEAD) BY LRS. AND ORS.pdf

Judgment text

_,, KANNAN (DEAD) BY LRS. AND ORS. v. V. S. PANDURANGAM (DEAD) BY LRS. AND ORS. NOVEMBER 27, 2007 [A. K. MATHURANDMARKANDEYKATJU,JJ. J Code ofCivil Procedure, 1908: s. 100(4) and Or. 14 r. 1-High Court deciding second appeal withoutformulating substantial question oflaw-Effect of~Suitfor declaration oftitle andfor possession-Plea ofdefendant ofacquiring title by a,dverse possession-High Court in secondappeal though not formulating any substantial question oflaw, but decreeing the suit holding that ingredients of adverse possession not satisfied by defendant-·HELD: Judgment ofHigh Court should only be set aside ongroundofnon-compliance withs. l 00(4) ifsome prejudice has been causedto the appellant before Supreme Court by notformulating such a substantial question oflaw-Ratio ofdecisions on Order 14, r. 1 will also apply when ajudgment ofHigh Court is challenged on ground that a substantial question of/aw was notformulated by High Court as required bys.

l 00(4)-0n facts, parties knew well that question of adverse possession has been pleaded by defendant and evidence was ledon the issue-Hence no prejudice has been caused to him by nonframing ofa substantial question oflaw by High Court-High Court has rightly held that defendant has not been able to establish that ingredients ofplea ofadverse possession (nee vi, nee clam, nee precario) were satisfiedby him-Tenants wouldvacate the residential premises andpossession ofpremises wouldbe handedover as directed in the judgment. Nedunuri Kameswaramma v. Sampati Subba Rao, AIR (1963) SC 884; Sayeda Akhtar v. Abdul Ahad, AIR (2003) SC 2985; Kali Prasad . ' Agarwal/aandOrs. v. Mis. BharatCokingCoalLtd andOrs. , [1989] Supp. 1 SCC 628 and Shaikh Mahamad Umarsaheb v. Kadalaskar Hasham Karimsab and Ors. , AIR (1970) SC 61, relied on. P. Lakshmi Reddyv. L. Lakshmi Reddy, AIR(1957) SC 314; Suraj Mal andAnr. v. Ram Singh andOrs.. AIR 1986SC1889 and Acha! Reddi v. Ramakrishna Reddiar and Ors.

, AIR (1990) SC 553, referred to. CIVIL APPELLATE JURISDICTION: Civil Appeal Nos. 5472- 5475 of2001. From the Judgment and Order dated 17. 8. 2000 ofthe High Court of Judicature at Madras in S. A. No. 1601-1604of1996. S. Mahendran for the Appellants. Mahabir Singh, P. B. Suresh and Vipin Nair (for MIS. Temple Law ' Firm) for the Respondents. TI1e following Order of the Court was delivered ORDER I. These appeals are directed against the impugned judgment ofthe Madras High Court dated 17. 8. 2000 in Second Appeal Nos. 1601-04/ 1986. 2. Heard learned counsel for the parties and perused the record. 3. The respondent in these appeals, Pandurangan filed a suit being Original Suit No. 807of1982 (OS No. 135of1982 at Cuddalore) which was decreed on 20. 8. 1984 by the trial court. In that suit the plaintiff ,.. alleged that he is the owner ofthe property in question, and he prayed for declaration of his title and for a decree of possession against the defendant. 4.

Against the judgment and decree ofthe trial court the appellant herein filed an appeal which was allowed by the Additional Sub-ordinate Judge, Cuddalore on 30. 12. 1985. The First Appellate Court set aside the judgment ofthe trial court and allowed the appeal and dismissed the plaintiffs suit, holding that the defendant had acquired title by adverse possession over the property in dispute. 5. Against the aforesaid decision the plaintiff(respondent herein), filed a second appeal which was allowed by the High Court by the impugned judgment dated 17. 8. 2000. 6. The High Court relying on several decisions held that the ingredients of adverse possession (nee vi, nee clam, nee preeario vide P. Lakshmi Reddy v. L. Lakshmi Reddy, AIR (1957) SC 314, Sura} Mal and Anr. v. Ram Singh and Ors. , AIR (1986) SC 1889, Aehal Reddi v. Ramakrishna Reddiar and Ors. , AIR (1990) SC 553, etc.

have not been satisfied by the defendant and hence the plaintiff's suit deserves to be decreed, since admittedly the plaintiffwas the owner ofthe property in dispute. 7. Learned counsel for the appellant has submitted that no substantial question of law was framed by the High Court as required by Section 100 (4) C. P. C. Hence he submitted that the impugned judgment ofthe High Court deserves to be set aside. 8. It is true that in this case no substantial question oflaw has been formulated by the High Court. However, in our opinion, merely because no substantial question oflaw has been formulated by the High Court that does not mean that the judgment ofthe High Court automatically becomes a nullity or that it must necessarily be set aside by this Court on that ground alone. The appellant before us must also show prejudice to him on this account. 9.

Learned counsel for the appellant has shown us several decisions of this Court where the judgments of the High Court in Second Appeal were set aside on the ground that no substantial question of law had been framed by the High Court as required by Second 100 (4) C. P. C. In our opinion these decisions cannot be said to have laid down any absolute proposition of law that whenever a second appeal is decided by the High Court without formulating a substantial question oflaw thatjudgment must necessarily be set aside. In our opinion, the judgment ofthe High Court should not be set aside on this ground alone if no prejudice had been caused to the appellant before us on this account. 10. In the present case both the parties knew that the question involved was whether the defendant (appellant) in this case had been able to prove his title by adverse possession. Hence the non-framing of a substantial question oflaw in this case did not prejudice the appellant at all before the High Court.

- 11. By a series of decisions of this Court it has been settled that omission to frame an issue as required under Order XIV Rule l C. P. C. would not vitiate the trial in a suit where the parties went to trialfully knowing the rival case and led evidence in support of their respective contentions and to refute the contentions ofthe other side vide Nedunuri Kameswaramma v. Sampati Subba Rao, AIR (1963) SC 884. 12. In Sayeda Akhtar v. Abdul Ahad, AIR (2003) SC 2985 it was held by this Court that even ifno specific issue has been framed but if the parties were aware ofthat issue and have led evidence on it, the Appellate Court should not interfere with the findings ofthe trial court. A similar view was taken in Kali PrasadAgarwalla and Ors. v. Mis Bharat Coking Coal Limited and Ors. , [1989] Supp l SCC 628 (vide paragraph 19) and in Shaikh Mahamad Umarsaheb v. Kadalaskar Hasham Karimsab and Ors. , AIR (1970) SC 61 (vide paragraph 9) as well as in several other decisions. 13.

In the present case, the parties knew well that the question of adverse possession has been pleaded by the defendant appellant and evidence was led on this issue. Hence no prejudice has been caused to the appellant by non-framing ofa substantial question oflaw by the High Court. In our opinion, the ratio ofthe decisions on Order XIV Rule l C. P. C. will also apply when ajudgment ofthe High Court is challenged on the ground that a substantial question of law was not formulated by the High Court as required by Section 100 (4) C. P. C. In our opinion, this Court should not take an over technical view ofthe matter to declare that every judgment ofthe High Court in Second Appeal would be illegal and void, merely because no substantial question oflaw was formulated by the High Court. Such an over technical view would only result in remitting the matter to the High Court for a fresh decision, and thereafter the matter may again come up before us in appeal.

The judiciary is already overburdened with heavy arrears, and we should not take a view which would add to the arrears. 14. In our opinion, the judgment ofthe High Court should only be set aside on the ground ofnon compliance with Section 100(4) if some prejudice has been caused to the appellant before us by not fonnulating such a substantial question oflaw. 15. In the present case, we agree with the view taken by the High Court that the defendant appellant has not been able to establish that the ingredients ofplea ofadverse possession (nee vi, nee clam, neepreeario) had been established by the defendant-appellant. Hence there is no force in these appeals which are accordingly dismissed. No costs. 16. Nonnally, we grant six months' time to the tenant to vacate the residential premises but looking to the fact that the appellants have been in possession ofthe suit premises for a long time, therefore, as a special case we grant to the appellants time till 31. 12.

2008 to vacate and hand over vacant physical possession of the suit premises subject to the appellants' filing the usual undertaking before this Court within a period ofeight weeks from today. RP. Appeal dismissed.