JUDGEMENT
PRASENJIT MANDAL, J. -
(1.) This application is at the instance of the
defendant no.s 1(a), 1(b), 3 & 4 and is directed against the Order
No.67 dated February 3, 2011 passed by the learned Additional
District Judge, 10th Court, Alipore in O.S. No.12 of 2008 arising
out of Revocation Case No.112 of 1998.
One Shaligram Luthra, since deceased, was the absolute owner
of the property in suit and during his lifetime, he bequeathed or
his movable and immovable property to his wife, Smt. Shanti Devi
Luthra and appointed her as the sole executrix. Then Shaligram
Luthra died on October 16, 1984 and after his death his wife, Smt.
Shanti Devi Luthra applied for probate in respect of the
properties left by her husband before the District Delegate,
Alipore. Subsequently, she obtained a probate in respect of the
Will left by her husband.
Late Shaligram Luthra had three sons, namely, Aswini, Vinod
and Deepak, now all deceased, and one daughter, namely, Smt.
Sunita Paul / opposite party no.3 herein. Deepak Luthra predeceased
Shaligram Luthra.
(2.) Then, in May 1993, Smt. Shanti Devi executed a deed of family
settlement and appointed the petitioner no.s 3 & 4 as joint
trustees in respect of her properties. Thereafter, in 1998, the
petitioners got the notice of the institution of the revocation of
the probate filed by the opposite party no.s 1 & 2 under Section
263 of the Indian Succession Act filed before the District Judge
at Alipore and the said application for revocation had been
converted into the Revocation Case No.112 of 1998. In that
revocation case, the present petitioners and the opposite party
no.s 3 to 6 were arrayed as defendants. Since, the matter is
being contested the said revocation case had been converted into
the O.S. No.12 of 2008 and it is now pending before the learned
Additional District Judge, 10th Court, Alipore.
The petitioners entered an appearance in the said suit and
they are contesting the said suit by filing a joint written
statement controverting the material allegations raised in the
plaint.
(3.) The opposite party no.s 4 & 5 are also contesting the said
suit by filing a joint written statement and the opposite party
no.3 has also filed a separate written statement wherein he has
supported the case of the opposite party no.s 1 & 2. Ultimately,
on the prayer of the opposite party no.3, she was transposed from
the category of defendant to the category of plaintiff.
The opposite party no.3 has contended in his written
statement that the said will was a forged and fabricated one. The
petitioners filed an application for appointment of a handwriting
expert for examining the signature of late Shaligram Luthra with
five other admitted signatures appearing on different documents
and that application was rejected by the impugned order. Being
aggrieved, this application has been preferred.
Now, the question is whether the impugned order should be
sustained.;
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