Document Fragment View
Fragment Information
Showing contexts for: 73aa in Subhashbhai Bhikhubhai Patel & vs Bimal Ramakant Halpati & ... on 14 July, 2015Matching Fragments
The present petitioners initially claimed to have also received the same land under a Will dated 07.12.2011 of 3 of 11 C/CRA/196/2014 JUDGMENT Naranbhai but later on, claimed that after Naranbhai's demise they had purchased the land from his legal heirs with proper sanction from the competent authority. Initially, these petitioners were not parties to the suit proceedings. At their instance, they were joined as defendants No. 14 and 15. On the premise that a tribal cannot transfer his immovable property through a Will in view of the restrictions contained in Section 73AA of the Gujarat Land Revenue Code, they moved application Exhibit 34 before the Trial Court seeking rejection of the plaint under Order 7 Rule 11 Clause D. On such application the Trial Court passed the impugned order inter alia observing that if the Will in favour of the plaintiffs is in breach of Section 73AA of the Gujarat Land Revenue Code, one claimed by the defendants No. 14 and 15 would also be hit by the same provision. The Court also observed that there was breach of Section 73AA insofar as the transaction in favour of the plaintiffs is concerned, however, the question of forcible dispossession of the plaintiffs would still survive and that therefore, the suit cannot be dismissed. It is this order which the defendants No. 14 and 15 have challenged in this revision application.
3. Learned counsel Mr. Adil Mirza for the petitioners contended that the Trial Court committed a serious error 4 of 11 C/CRA/196/2014 JUDGMENT in rejecting the application of the petitioners that too with a finding that there was a breach of Section 73AA of the Gujarat Land Revenue Code. He relied on the decision of the Division Bench of this Court in case of Shamjibhai Keshavjibhai Kansagra (Patel) & Ors. vs. Principal Secretary, Revenue Dept (Appeals) and ors. reported in AIR 2011 Gujarat 55. He also relied on the decision in case of Rajenbhai Baldevbhai Shah vs. Baijiben Kabhaibhai Patanvadia reported in 2009 2 GLR 1784.
4. On the other hand, learned counsel Mr. Rao for the original plaintiffs, the present respondents No. 1 and 2 vehemently contended that the defendant Nos. 14 and 15 have been taking inconsistent stand. They also claimed to have received the same land through a Will on which basis they were allowed to be joined as defendants in the suit. In any case, the plaintiffs themselves are tribal. The question whether by virtue of the Will the transfer of the property would be hit by Section 73AA of the Gujarat Land Revenue Code would require further consideration. The Court, therefore, committed no error in dismissing the application for rejection of the plaint.
8. In view of these judicial pronouncements, the conclusion of the Trial Court that the transaction in favour of the plaintiffs was definitely hit by Section 73AA of the Gujarat Land Revenue Code gets confirmed. Despite such findings, the Trial Court refused to dismiss the plaint only on the ground that the question of forcible dispossession of the plaintiffs' was yet to be decided. In my view, this was a clear error. Even the plaintiffs have not voiced any apprehension of illegal or forcible dispossession in the suit. It is not even the case of the plaintiffs that the defendants were likely to take law in their hands and evict them out of the said property. Merely therefore to survive the suit on this basis, would be to give artificial life to a litigation which is a dead cause. Order 7 Rule 11 of the Code of Civil Procedure would require the Court to reject the plaint inter alia when it does not disclose the cause of action or where the suit appears from the statement of the plaint to be barred by any law. When the very basis of the plaintiffs' claim to the suit property namely, the Will made by the Tribal is hit by a statutory restriction, the suit could be stated to have been lacking in disclosure of any cause of action. Learned counsel Mr. Rao however drew my attention to subsection (3) of Section 73AA of the Gujarat Land Revenue Code and 9 of 11 C/CRA/196/2014 JUDGMENT contended that since the plaintiffs are also tribal, within two years, the transferor tribals would have to make an application for restoration of the possession of the suit land failing which the transfer would continue to operate. However, this contention ignores the provision of Section 73AC of the Gujarat Land Revenue Code, Sub section (1) whereof which provide that no civil court shall have jurisdiction to settle, decide or deal with any question which is by or under Section 73A or Section 73AA or Section 73AB required to be settled, decided or dealt with by the Collector nor shall the Civil Court have jurisdiction to entertain any suit or application for grant of injunction in relation to such question.