JUDGEMENT
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(1.)HEARD learned senior counsel, Mr. K.N. Bhattacharji, assisted by learned counsel, Mrs. Y. Taneja(Bhattacharji) for the appellants and
learned counsel, Mr. S. Lodh for the respondent.
(2.)THE respondent as plaintiff instituted Title Suit No.3 of 2010 seeking recovery of possession of the suit land described in the schedule of the
plaint, evicting the defendants with removal of all obstructions created
by the defendants, i.e. the appellants herein. It is not disputed that
the suit land belonged to the plaintiff. The defendant -appellants
contended that Sachindra Chandra Chanda, the predecessor of the
defendant -appellants purchased the suit land from Kishori Mohan Das, the
father of the plaintiff in the year 1978 by an unregistered deed dated
23.05.1978 on payment of a consideration of Rs.1,050/ - and the possession was handed over to the predecessor of the defendants, said Sachindra
Chandra Chanda. The plaintiff contended that the predecessor of the
defendants was allowed to reside on the suit land on condition to vacate
as and when will be asked and accordingly on permission the predecessor
of defendants was residing but when the defendants were asked to vacate
the suit land they refused, and therefore the suit was instituted. Based
on the pleadings of the parties the trial Court formulated five issues,
namely
''i. whether there is any cause of action.
ii. whether the suit land is under valued by the plaintiff and that it exceeds the pecuniary jurisdiction of this court.
iii. whether the plaintiff has got right, title and ownership over the suit land.
iv. whether the plaintiff has been dispossessed by the defendants from the suit land and is thereby entitled to get recovery of possession of the same by evicting the defendants there from.
v. to what other relief(s) the plaintiff is entitled. ''
In course of trial the plaintiff examined himself as PW1 and also
examined one more witness, namely PW2, Pramode Chandra Das and proved
four items of documents, namely -
Exhibit 1 -Certified copy of Khatian No.76 of Mouja -Uttar Ramchandraghat, Tahasil -Ramchandraghat.
Exhibit 2 series -The postal receipts and acknowledgment cards of the lawyer 's notices.
Exhibit 3 -Copy of the lawyer 's notice issued by the plaintiff(subject to objection by the Ld. Counsel for the defendants).
Exhibit 4 -The reply of the lawyer 's notice by the defendants(subject to objection by the Ld. Counsel for the defendants).
Defendant No.2 examined himself as DW1 and also examined four more witnesses and in support of their case proved two items of documents, namely -
Exhibit D1 -Certified copy of Khatian No.76 of Mouja - Uttar Ramchandraghat, Tahasil -Ramchandraghat.
Exhibit D2 -Certified copy of the previous Khatian No.76.
The trial Court decided the issues in favour of the plaintiff and
accordingly decreed the suit. The defendant -appellants preferred Title
Appeal No.1 of 2012 in the Court of Additional District Judge, Khowai and
the appeal was dismissed by judgment dated 12.04.2013. The
defendant -appellants thereafter filed the present second appeal.
Learned senior counsel, Mr. Bhattacharji with all his usual fairness has submitted that the case, perhaps, was not properly conducted in the
trial Court. He has submitted that the suit instituted by the plaintiff
was barred by limitation and a plea was taken in the written statement
but no issue to that effect was framed. He has also submitted that it is
a case of part performance and the defendants paid the consideration
money to the predecessor of the plaintiff and the predecessor the
plaintiff executed a deed in favour of the predecessor of the defendants
and possession of the suit land was handed over to the predecessor of the
defendants and in view of the provisions of Section 53A of the T.P. Act,
the case being one of the part performance, the defendants cannot be
evicted from the suit land. It is also submitted by learned senior
counsel, Mr. Bhattacharji that the defendants because of the fault of the
conducting learned counsel could not produce the evidence of part
performance by producing the documents itself and if a scope is afforded
by admitting the appeal, the defendants would be able to produce the
evidence of the part performance. If the defendants are able to prove the
part performance, they have a very good case to show that the plaintiff
is not entitled to get a decree of recovery of possession.
(3.)LEARNED counsel, Mr. Lodh has submitted that the defendants taken a plea of limitation in their written statement but there is nothing to
show as to how the suit was barred by limitation. The defendants were
permissive possessors of the suit land and when they refused to hand over
the possession of the suit land, the plaintiff filed the suit for
recovery of possession. No issue was agitated on the point of limitation
in the course of trial. It is further submitted by Mr. Lodh, learned
counsel that the doctrine of part performance is to be proved by adducing
document itself but no document was proved to show that there was a deed
executed between the plaintiff and the defendants regarding part
performance. Under such circumstances, there is no substantial question
of law to be formulated, and consequently there is no scope of affording
any opportunity to the defendants to adduce evidence in the case.
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