Ram Prakash v. Mohammad Ali Khan (Dead) through L.R.'s

8 # c **D** E F _G_ **H** 893 RAMPRAKASH _v._ MOHAMMAD ALI KHAN (DEAD) THROUGH L.R'S _April_ 4, 1973 (J. M. SHELAT, ACTING C.J., S. N. DWIVEDI AND Y. V. CHANDRACHUD, JJ.J _U._ _P._ _Zamindari AbolitiOfl and_ _Land_ _Reforms Act_ 19SO, _s._ 18(1}_.Land_ _held_ _by_ _an_ _Intermediary_ _as_ _an Intermediary's grove_ 011 _the_ _date_ _immediately preceding the_ _date_ _of_ _vesting deemed to_ _be_ _settled by_ _th•_ _State Government with such intermediary-Eorlkr_ _right•_ _are_ _extinguith._ _ed-Res_ _Judicat<>-No_ _res_ _judicata_ _when_ _issue_ _in earlier decision_ _w""_ _different._ In February 1946, H lea<:ed his share in a grove iJi Uttar Pradesh to the appellant and sold to him the trees standing thereon. Similarly A, a widow, leased her share and that of her minor children in the grove and sold the standing trees to the· appellant. Subseqllllntly the proprietary right of some other co-sharers in the grove was sold to one M. The appellal>t instituted a suit sometime in 1946 against M and others for injunction and alternatively for possession over the grove. Sometime in 1947 M and others also instiu.ted a rival suit for caiu:ellation of the aforesaid leases on the contention that under s. 246 of · the U. P. Tenancy Ac:t the executiOID of a lease by some of the cosharers •only, was invalid. The trial coort dismissed the appellanfs suit and >decreed M's suit. The lower appellate court granted a decree in fuvour of the appellant for ·joint possession over the share of H and A in the grove land. It was held that the lea•e executed by A ao guardian of the minors was invalid. M filed two appeals in the Allahabad High Court. Duritog the peodency of the appeals M died and his legal representatives were brought on record. The appeal filed by M ·in his own suit was dismissed by a Single Judge of the High Court. The appeal filed by M in .the appellant's suit was heard by another single Judge, and was allowed with respect to the lease of grove land and dis· missed as regards the sale of the trees, It was held that ofter the commencement of the U. P. Zamindari Abolition and Land Reforms Act the appellant had no subsisting interest in the land. The appellant was granted special leave to appeal to this Court. Dismissing the appeal, HELD : (i) As the grove in dispute was an intermediary's grove M **and** **others** **who** **were** **intermediaries** **on the** **relevant** **date** **becJame** **its** bhumidars. 1be lessee of an intermediary's grove land is· not an intermediary because he does not fall within the cletinitiOID of the word ·'.interme~iary', _No oth~r provision of the Act gives him any kind of mterest ID the rntermedrary's grove land. 1be appellant got no right in :the grove land in dispute. [895EJ _f!ana_ _Sheo Ambar Singh_ v, _Allal!Gbad_ _Bank Ltd, Allahabad,_ {1962] 2 S.C.R. 441 and _lamshed lahan Begam and others_ v. _Lakhan_ _Lal and_ _others,_ [1970] 2 S.C.R, 566, relied on. (ii) Tiie dismissat of M's other appeal by the High Coun coo1d not operate as _rer_ _judicata_ in the present appeal because the questions at issue in the two appeals were different. [8950] 894 SUPREME COURT REPORTS [1973] 3 S.C.R. C!v1L APPELLATE JURISDICTION : Civil Appeal No. 1860 of 1967. Appeal by special leave from the judgment and order dated Augmt 8, 1967 of the Allahabad High Court in Special Appeal ]\;~_ ::350 of 1953. _IC._ _P._ _Gupta,_ for the appellant. _J.P._ _Gopal_ and _Sobhag Mal_ _Jain,_ for respondents Nos. 1 to 7. The Judgment of the Court was delivered by Dw1vEDI, J.-In this appeal the bone of contention is a certain zamindari grove. The grove belonged to a number of co-sharers. But in a partition it fell to the share of one Sakhawat Ali and one Hafiz Ali. On Femruary 16, 1946 Hafiz Ali executed a composite document of lease and sale in favour of the appellant, Ram Praknsh. He let out his share in the grove land and sold his share in the standing trees to Ram Prakash. On the same day another similar document was executed in favour of the appellant by Smt. Abbj'.lsi, widow of Sakhawat Ali. She executed the document for self and as guardian of her minor son,s and daughters. The document was in respect of her share and her childrens share. Subsequent to the execution of those documents the proprietary right of some other co-sharers (presuma~y some successors of Sakhawat Ali) in the grove land was sold to one Mohammad Ali. The ~ppellant instiluted a suit some time in 1946 against Mohammad Ali and others for injunc<tion and alternatively for possession over the grove. Some time in 194 7 Mohammad Ali and others also ;nstituted a rival suit for cancellation of the aforesaid leases. Their ~ase was that the leases were invalid as section 246 of the U.P. Tenancy Act prohibited the execution of a lease by some of 1he co-sharers only. The two suits were tried together. The trial court dismissed the suit of the appellant and decreed the other suit. Two appeals were preferred against the· decree of the trial court. The lower appellate court granted a decree in favour of the appellant for joint possession over the share of Hafiz Ali .and Smt. Abbasi in the grove land. It was held that the lease executed by Smt. Abbasi as guardian of the minors was invalid. So no decree was passed in respect of their shares. The other appeal was disposed of on the same terms. Mohammad Ali then filed two second appeals in the Allahabad High Court. They were numbered 2350 and 2351 of 1953. Second appeal No. 2350 of 1953 was filed against the decree passed in the appellant's suit; second arpeal Xo. 2351 of 1953 was filed against the decree in his own suit. During the pendency of the appeals, Mohammad Ali died and his legal representatives were brought on record. Second appeal No. 2351 of 1953 was dismissed by a learned Judge of the· lUgh Court . Second Appeal No. 2350 of 1953 came up for A B ### _c_ _y_ A B # c D E F G H RAM PRAKASH _V._ M.A. KHAN _(Dwivedi,_ _!.)_ 895 hearing before another learned Judge. The appeal was allowed with respect to the lease of grove land and' dismissed ss regards the sale 0£ trees. Hence this appeal b!Y special leave. We agree with the learned Judge that after the commencement of the U.P. Zamindari Abolition and Land Refonns Act (hereinafter referred to as the Act), the appellant has no subsisting interest in the grove land. Section l!f(l) of the Act provides that all lands in possession or held or deemed to be held by ·an intermediary as an intermediary's grove on the date immediately preceding the date of vesting shall be deemed to be settled by the State Government with such intermediary. Section 2( 12) of the Act defines an intem1ediary as "a proprietor, under-proprietor, sub-proprietor, thekedar, permanent lessee in Avadh, permanent tenure-holder of an estate or part thereof." Section 2 ( 13) defines "intermediary's grove" as grove land held or occupied by an intermediary as such. As the grove in dispute was an intermediary's grove Mohammad Ali and others, who were intennediaries on the relevant date, became its bhumidars. The lessee of an intermediary's grove land is not an inermediary because he does not fall within the definition of the word "intermediary". Ni;> other provision of the Act gives him ·any kind of interest in the intermediary's grove land. Accord' i.j)gly, the appellant gets no right in the grove land in dispute. The scheme of the Act is to createl new rights .in place of old rights. The old rights are dead and gone after the commencement of the Act. (vide _Rana Shea Ambar Singh_ v. _Allahabad Bank_ _Ltd., Allahabad(1)_ and _Jamshed Jahan Begam and others_ _v._ _Lakhan Lal and others(_ _[2]_ _)._ The decision of the High Court in second appeal No. 2351 of 1953 cannot operate as _res_ _judicata_ in this appeal. Second appeal No. 2351 of 1953 arose out of the suit instituted by Mohammad Ali and others. That suit was for cancellation of the leases on the ground that they were made in contravention of the provisions of s. 246 of the U.P. Tenancy Act. The question whether the Zamindari Abolition and Land Reforms Act gave any rights to the appellant in the grove land in dispute could not be and was in fact not considered in that appeal. In that appeal the material (1) [1962] 2 S. C. R. 441. (2) [1970] 2 S. C. R. 566. 896 SUPREME COURT REPORTS [1973] 3 s.c.a.. issue was whether the le.ases were void. The argument on 'behalf of Mohammad Ali and others in second appeal No. 2350 of 1953 now is thalt assuming that the leases are valid, the lessee has no subsisting right in the grove land after the enforcement of the Act. As the grove is land covered by the Act; it will be governed by the provisions of the Act and not by the provisions of the Transfer of Property Act. We have already held that the appellant's lessee rights came to an end on die commencement of the Act. And the Act conferred on him no new rights. In the result, there is no force in this appeal. It is dismissed with costs. G.C. _Appeal dismissed._ A B ## c