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The provisions of Section 100 of the Transfer of Property Act fell for
consideration of the Supreme Court in Ahamedabad Municipal Corporation of the
City of Ahamedabad v. Haji Abdul Gafur Haji Hussenbhai [1971] 1 SCC 757. In that
case, the respondent was in arrears of property tax, due under the Bombay
Provincial Municipal Corporation Act, 1949. Consequently, the Municipal
Corporation created a charge over the property of the defaulter. However, the
property was sold in execution of a mortgage decree. When the Municipal
Corporation purported to exercise their charge over the property, the purchaser
in court auction filed a suit for a declaration that he was the owner of the
property and that the arrears of municipal taxes due by the transferor were not
recoverable from him by proceeding against the property purchased in the
auction. In the appeal before the Supreme Court, the Municipal Corporation's
main argument was that there were the local law provided for the creation of a
charge against a property for which municipal taxes were due, transferees of
such properties were imputed with constructive knowledge of any charge created
against the properties that they had purchased. This argument, was, however,
rejected. The Court held that while constructive notice was sufficient to
satisfy the notice in the proviso to Section 100 of the Transfer of Property
Act, whether the transferee had constructive notice of the charge had to be
determined on the facts and circumstances of the case. In other words, the
Supreme Court held that there could be no fixed presumption as to the transferee
having constructive notice of the charge against the property.
The principle laid down in Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation's case [1971] 1
SCC 757 has been applied in a sales tax case arising under the Karnataka Sales
Tax Act, 1957 in State of Karnataka Vs.Shreyas Papers P.Ltd [2006] 144 STC 331
(SC); [2006] 1 SCC 615. There, following the decision in Ahmedabad Municipal
Corporation's case [1971] 1 SCC 757, the Supreme Court held as follows:-