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Showing contexts for: partial dedication in Sree Sree Ishwar Sridhar Jew vs Sushila Bala Dasi And Others on 16 November, 1953Matching Fragments
The appellants filed on the 31st May, 1951, an appli- cation for leave to prefer an appeal to this court against the said judgment and decree of the High Court at Calcutta. A certificate under article 133(1) of the Constitution was granted on the 4th June, 1951, and the High Court admitted the appeal finally on the 6th August, 1951. On the 22nd November, 1951, the idol applied to the High Court for leave to file cross-objections against that part of the judgment and decree of the High Court,which dismissed its claims with regard to the premises No.40/2-A Grey Street. The High Court rejected the said application stating that there was no rule allowing cross-objections in the Supreme Court.The said cross-objections were however printed as additional record, By an order made by this court on the 24th May, 1953, the petition of the idol for filing cross-objections in this court was allowed to be treated as a petition for special leave to appeal against that part of the decree which was against it, subject to any question as to limitation. The appeal as also the petition for special leave to appeal mentioned above came on for hearing and final disposal before us. The appeal was argued but so far as the petition for special leave to appeal was concerned the parties came to an agreement whereby the idol asked for leave to withdraw the petition on certain terms recorded between the parties. The petition for special leave was therefore allowed to be withdrawn and no objection now survives in regard to the decree passed by the trial court dismissing the idol's claim to the premises, No. 40/2-A Grey Street. The appeal is concerned only with the premises No. 41-A Grey Street. It was contended on behalf of the appellants that the, dedication of the premises NO. 41 Grey Street made by Dwarka Nath under the terms of his will was a. partial dedication, and that his sons Rajendra and jogendra and his widow Golap Sundari, who were appointed sevayats of the idol were competent to deal with premises No. 41 Grey Street after making the due provision for the idol as they purported to do by the terms of settlement, dated the 24th November, 1910. It was further contended that Nagendra, by -virtue of the award dated the 12th October, 1920, claimed to be absolutely entitled to the premises No. 41-A Grey Street and that his possession of the said premises thereafter became adverse which adverse possession continued for upwards of 12 years extinguishing the right of the idol to the said premises.
It is quite true,that a dedication may be either absolute or partial. The property may be given out and out to the idol, or it may be subjected to a charge in favour of the idol. "The question whether the idol itself shall be considered the true beneficiary, subject to a charge in favour of the heirs or specified relatives of the testator for their upkeep, or that, on the other hand, these heirs shall be considered the true beneficiaries of the property, subject to a charge for the upkeep, worship and expenses of the idol, is a question which can only be settled by a conspectus of the entire provisions of the will": Pande Har Narayan v. Surja Kunwari(1). What we find here in clause 3 of the will is an absolute dedication of the premises No. 41 Grey Street to the idol as its permanent habitation with only the right given to the sevayats to reside in the said premises for the purposes of carrying on the daily and periodical seva and the festivals, etc., of the deity. The said premises are expressly declared as dedicated to the deity. They are to be registered in the municipal records in the name of the deity, the municipal bills have got to be taken also in his name and none of the (1) [1921] L. R. 48 I. A. 143, 145, 146., testator's representatives, heirs, successors, executors, administrators or assigns is to have any manner of interest in or right to the said premises or is to be competent to give away or effect sale, mortgage, etc., of the said premises. There is thus a clear indication of the intention of the testator to absolutely dedicate the said premises to the deity and it is impossible to urge that there was a partial dedication of the premises to the deity. The only thing which was urged by Shri N. C. Chatterjee in support of his contention was that the right to reside in the premises was given to the sevayats and that according to him detracted from the absolute character of the dedication. This argument however cannot avail the appellants. It was observed by Lord Buckmaster in delivering the judgment of the Privy Council in Gnanendra Nath Das v. Surendra Nath Das (1):