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Showing contexts for: projection of roof in Chapsibhai Dhanjibhai vs Purshottam Motilal on 4 March, 1964Matching Fragments
1. These two appeals can be disposed of by common judgment for the sake of convenience since they involve some facts which are common to both the cases. Second Appeal No. 217 of 1961 has arisen out of a suit filed by Chapsibhai Dhanjibhai Jain against Purusnottam son of Motilal Jhunjhunwala. Second Appeal No. 218 of 1961 has arisen out of a suit filed by Purushotlam Motilal Jhunjhunwala against Chapsibhai Dhanjibhai Jain. Throughout the judgment, Chapsibhai will be referred to as the plaintiff and Purushottam will be referred to as the defendant The fact underlying this litigation may be briefly stated as follows: There is an open piece of land belonging to the predecessors-in-title of the defendant at Khamgaon, on 5-5-1906 the plaintiffs father took the easternmost portion of this land, measuring 26 feet east-west and 225 feet north-south on lease and passed a kabuliyat in 5-5-1906 in respect of the same. In 1906 the plaintiff's father constructed a building which he started using as a shop in the northernmost portion of the plot taken on lease by him. Again, in 1909 he built a godown in the southern-most portion. In 1921, the plaintiff's father put up a three storied structure in the middle of the plot, that is to say, between the two buildings already constructed by him and started residing therein. There was a well situate to the west of the northernmost strip of the plot leased to the plaintiff's father. The portion to the west of the plot given on lease to the plaintiffs father was lying vacant for a long time. It appears that the defendant's father put up a small structure in the northernmost portion of the land belonging to him to the west of the well, but the year or the construction has not come on record. It is, however, in evidence that in about the year 1954 the defendant had installed a printing Press in the building. Even after the construction of the aforesaid building, the remaining portion to the south of the defendant's plot continued to remain vacant and unoccupied. It is the case for the plaintiff that he used a four feet strip lying to the west or the plot given to him on lease as a passage. The plaintiff has opened six windows on the ground floor and three windows on the first floor of his residential building which have an opening to the west. It appears that, in about 1929, the entire land was measured and the portion leased out to the plaintiff was given plot No. 94 whereas the portion remaining with the defendant was given plot No. 93. The measurement appears to have been based en-the area mentioned in the lease deed. The plaintiff has alleged that, in 1954, the defendant started constructing a building as a result of which five of the windows on the ground-floor and three on the first floor of his building have been blocked. According to the plaintiff, he has acquired a right in the nature of easement of taking light and air through these windows by user for over the statutory period. It is further his case that the roof of his building projects to a distance of about 2 1/2 feet towards the west and that the rain water falls on plot No. 93 from the eaves of the roof. It is also his case that the has put up a 'pakka' gutter from point N to O, and that further to the south he has put up a 'kaccha' drain for the passage of rain water, as also the water used by the residents of the building. According to the plaintiff, the defendant's building almost touches the western wall of his own building and, in that way, not only obstructs the free access of light and air to the windows but also affects the drain. The plaintiff has appended a map along with the plaint. He has described the four feet strip lying to the west of his house by the letters PNHORSTMP. According to the case originally made out in the plaint, the plaintiff claimed a right to this strip by accession to his leasehold property. Later on, he amended the plaint and stated that this strip is a part of the property given to him on lease. The plaintiff contended that the defendant has encroached upon this strip and has spoiled the gutter in parts. The plaintiff has further stated that the defendant has put up an Oil Mill in the newly constructed building, and the noise created by the working of the Mill, the bad odour, emitted by the oil-cakes and the dumping, have created a nuisance for the residents of the building. The plaintiff had also alleged that the vibrations caused by the working of the Mill, had affected the safety of his building; but this aspect of the case is not pressed before me in this appeal by the plaintiff's counsel and need not, therefore, detain us. The plaintiff, therefore, claimed the following reliefs :
At paragraph 4, the plaintiff states:
"The roof of the entire building of the plaintiff has a projection of a width of 24 feet and on the western side.
This projection of the roof extends over the area of the Nazul plot No. 93 but within the width of the strip of (and of which possession is claimed by the plaintilf as detailed in paragraph 2 above. As a consequence of this projection, the rain water from the roof must necessarily fall within the area of the said strip of land. Besides on the first and second floors there are openings in the western wall for the passage of rain water falling on the terraces."