JUDGEMENT
Bihari, JJ. -
(1.) Binod Kumar Roy and Lakshmi
This is defendant No.1's First
Appeal against the judgment and decree dated
16.6.1981 passed by Sri A.H. Ansari, Civil
Judge, Court No. 2, Dehradun decreeing Original Suit No. 213 of 1972 filed for (i) issuing a
permanent injunction restraining it (Defendant No. 1) and its employees and agents from
interfering in any manner with the possession
of the plaintiff and defendant No. 2 over the
land known as Mohammedan's Grave Yard situated at Kanwali Road, Dehradun described at
the foot of the plaint and (ii) awarding costs.
(2.) The suit was originally filed by Wakf
Masjid Khurbara, dehradun through Its Secretary Asgar Ali and 10 others whose names were
expunged and in their place respondent No. 1
was substituted. His case in short was as follows: The land bearing Municipal No. 13,
Kanwali Road, Dehradun, measuring 18
bighas, is a Muslim Cemetery in respect of
which no land revenue is payable; it is also
exempt from assessment by the Municipality;
it is waqf property registered with Defendant
No. 2, U.P. Sunni Central Waqfs, as Waqf No.
20 Masjid Khurbura, Dehradun; defendant No.
2 constituted a Committee of Management for
managing the properties of Waqf No. 20 aforesaid under Section 48 of the U.P. Muslim Waqf
Act on 13.4.1972 for a period of three years;
the Committee was dissolved and the plaintiff
has been appointed as Honorary Administrator of Anjuman Nasrat-ul-Islam, Dehradun vide
order dated 29.9.1976 and the Anjuman is in
possession of the suit land and managing the
same through the plaintiff; the land aforesaid
is meant for burial place for the Muslims and
has always been used as such till the communal disturbances in 1947, after which the Muslims have generally shifted to three or four
specified localities; the present grave yard is
not in use, as the other burial ground is available near to the aforesaid three or four specified localities, where the Mohammedan presently reside; the said tend had always been in
possession of the Committee of Management
of the Waqf Masjid, Khuarbura and is still in
their possession; defendant No. 1 is threatening to establish a parking stand for private buses
or to construct shops over the disputed land
for shifting Sabji Mandi (vegetable market) from
its present place even though it has no right to
do so, as it is neither owner nor has any right,
title or interest over the land in question; a few
days bark, the employees of defendant No.1
came to the land in question and tried to store
bujary etc. and dumped four truck loads in a
corner of the land in suit on or about
28.7.1972 and thus the plaintiff learnt of the
intention of defendant No.l to construct either a parking stand for private buses or the
shops aforesaid; without consent of the plaintiff, defendant No. 1 has no right to enter into
possession of the land in question which cannot be used for the purposes aforementioned,
as it would injure the religious feeling of the
Mohammedan of Dehradun; forcible dispossession of the plaintiff from .the land in question and interference with their possession may
lead to serious law and order problem;
Zishanullah and Asghar Ali met the Executive
Officer of defendant No.l on 1.8. 1972 and
enquired of the reasons for collecting bujary
but did not receive any satisfactory reply from
them who told that the District Administration
has directed the defendant No. 1 to either shift
the Sabji Mandi or to provide parking stand
for private buses in the land in suit; the officials of defendant No. 1 were requested by
them not to interfere with the possession over
the land in suit and not to shift the Sabji Mandi
or the Parking stand, but they expressed their
inability to do so in view of the decision taken
by the District Traffic Advisory Committee,
which is neither a legally constituted body nor
has any right, title or interest in the land in suit
who has no right to take unilateral decision to
encroach upon the said land; any alleged decision taken by the District Traffic Advisory Committee or the District Administration is illegal,
without jurisdiction and not binding on the
defendant No.l; the employees of defendant
No. 1 have no legal right to enforce the alleged illegal and void decision of the said Committee; the employees of defendant No.l are
threatening to forcibly occupy the suit land by-
7.8.1972 even though it has not been acquired
either by defendant No.l or by the Government, which also cannot be acquired legally
for any of the aforesaid two purposes; the
employees of defendant No. 1 are intending
to occupy the said land forcibly with the help
of police force and have refused to desist from
doing illegal acts, hence this suit without obtaining signatures of defendant No. 2, the
matter being urgent and without serving a notice under Section 326 of the U.P. Municipalities Act on defendant No. 1.
(3.) Shortly put, the case of the appellant
was as follows: apart from usual denial it has
been stated, inter alia, that it is wrong to say
that the entire suit land bears municipal No.
62; the particulars given in the Schedule are
wrong and not admitted; Plaintiff No.1 or the
Waqf Committee are not juristic persons and
the plaintiff has no right to sue; at a distance
from the main Kanwali Road there are about
three or four graves in an area of 1 and bigha
and the land around the aforesaid graves was
never used as kabristan or grave yard nor had
it ever been a grave yard; the Mohammedans
of Dehradun have no right to use the same as
graveyard, which is also not in the possession
of the Committee of Management of the Waqf
Masjid Khurbura; Mahanth, Darbar Sri Guru
Ram Rai Sahib, Dehradun is the owner in possession of the land in suit; the District Magistrate is the Chairman of the District Traffic
Advisory Committee, who advised the defendant No. 1 in regard to administration of traffic
problems and the defendant No. 1, in the interest of the public safety and convenience of
free traffic on the road, intended to have the
place for parking of idle vehicles and was
granted licence by Darbar Sri Guru Ram Rai
Sahib in the last week of July, 1972 for making
arrangement for parking of idle vehicles on the
said land; it is admitted that the employees of
defendant No. 1 cleared a portion of the suit
land, which is lying waste and unproductive of
income and had removed shrubs etc. on 27th
and 28th July, 1972 and laid singal openly
with the permission of the owner, Darbar Sri
Guru Ram Rai 'Sahib, Dehradun, for parking
idle trucks and vehicles; few persons had enquired The Executive Officer of defendant No.
1 about the laying of singal, who were told
that the land was cleared and singal has been
laid for the purpose of parking idle trucks or
vehicles with the permission of the owner: it is
admitted that defendant No. 1 has not acquired
the suit land; the suit is bad for want of proper
notice under Section 326 of the Municipalities
Act; no cause of action has accrued to the plaintiff against defendant No. 1; the suit is also bad
for non joinder of State of U.P., the District
Traffic Advisory Committee and Mahanth
Darbar Sri Guru Ram Sahib, Dehradun; and
that the suit being false and vexatious is liable
to be dismissed with costs.;
Click here to view full judgement.
Copyright © Regent Computronics Pvt.Ltd.