MALKllAN SINGH v. SOllAN SINGH & ORS.

SEPTEMBER 2, 1985

B

Uttar Pradesh Consolidation of Holdings Act (as it stood before the Amendment Act of 1963) section 49 - Bar to civil jurisdiction and/or applicability of the principle of res judicata, when there is ·no provision for the adjudication of rights and title after the statements of proposals had become final under section 23 of the Act and if in the mutation proceed- ings the issue of adoptions is found against.

Kishan Singh, Natha Singh and Guman Singh were three brothers. Kishan Singh had no issue while Natha Singh had three sons: Chajju, Rambir and Malkhan Singh; Guman Singh had two sons: Solian Singh and Rohan Singh. Kishan Singh was possessed of some agricultural land and also a house. The village, where the agricultural plots of Kishan Singh were situate was brought under Consolidation of Holdings Act, the rights and title of Kishan Singh were determined in these proceedings and eventually chak No. 14 was allotted to him. Although the notification under section 52 had not been issued bringing to an end the consolida- E tion proceedings, the statement of proposals (allotment of chak) had ~ confirmed under section 23 of the Act.

1Copy pinpoint1. At this stage Kishan Singh died and a dispute arose about his heirship. There were. two sets of competitive claimants. Malkhan Singh son of Natha Singh claimed to be adopted son of F Kishan Singh while the two other sons of Natha Singh and the sons of Guman Singh formed the other set and claimed to succeed Kishan Singh alongwith Malkhan Singh jointly as nephew denying the factum of adoption of Malkhan Singh by Kishan Singh. The consolidation authorities found that Malkhan Singh was not the adopted son. G

2Copy pinpoint2. When the village was denotified under section 52 of the Act and the consolidation proceedings came to an end, Malkhan Singh filed a suit· claiming to .be the adopted son . of the deceased. The claim was resisted by the defendants. They denied the factum of adoption set up by the ·plaintiff and they also H

p. 748 Copy page pinpoint

A pleaded the bar of section 42 of the Specific Relief Act and section 49 of the Consolidation Act. The bar of section 49 set up in the written statement was, however, given up. The trial Court disniissed the suit holding that Malkhan Singh was not the adopted son. On appeal the civil and Sessions Judge reversed the B finding ot the trial court and decreed the suit holding that Malkhan Singh was the adopted son of Kishan Singh and that he was given in adoption by his mother after the death of her husband. Feeling aggrieved, the respondents took up the matter to the High Court in second appeal and the High Court in its turn allowed the appeal and dismissed the suit on a short ground that the suit giving rise to appeal was barred by the principles of res judi- c csta as the question of adoption had already been determined by the consolidation authorities during consolidation proceedings and that decision could not be upset by any other court as provi- ded by section 49 of the said Act and the earlier decision of the consolidation authorities would operate · as res judicsta on general principles. In the view that the High Court took it did not decide.the question of adoption. Hence the appeal by special leave. D

Allowing the appeal, the Court,

HKLD: 1.1 The decision of the consolidation authorities may operate as a bar on the principles of res judicsta as correctly laid down in Raj I-akplwd Dasi's case. In the instant case there has been no adjudication of the rights and title of Malkhan Singh. Under the Consolidation Act as prevailing at that time there was no provision for the adjudication of rights and title after the statement of proposals had become final. The consolidation authorities, thereafter, were oilly required to maintain the record and in so doing they could also entertain an application for IDlltation. The application filed by Malkhan Singh to succeed Kishan Singh was virtually an application for 1D11tation and the decision of the consolidation authorities that Malkhan Singh was not an adopted son of Kishan Singh would not amount to a decision.of the title and interest of Malkhan Singh. [751 G-11, G 752 A-<:] 1.2 It is well settled that the 1D11tation proceedings do not decide the rights and title of the parties and it is always open to a party aggrieved to get its rights adjudicated upon by a competent court despite the order in 1D11tation proceedings. If the consolidation authorities had decided the title of Malkhan Singh II in consolidation proceedings then certainly a subsequent suit for the same would be barred by the principles of res judicata. [752 C-DJ

MALK11AN SINGH v. SOHAN SINGH [MISRA, J.] 749

1.3 Whether the bar is created by the principles of rea judicata or by section 49 of the Act the results remains the same. If once it is accepted that the decision of the consolida- tion authorities after the final · allotment of chak to Kishsn Singh that the appellant was not the adopted son of Kishsn Singh amounts to an order under 1D11tation proceedings and there was no adjudication of rights and title of the appellant in the earlier proceedings, there is no question of the suit being ·barred by res judicata or by the principles of res judicata. The position after the •mendw>nt of the Consolidation Act in 1963, however, materially changed. Section 12 of the Act brought in by the amendment gives power to the consolidation authorities to decide matters relating to_ changes and transactions affecting rights· or c interest recorded in the revis.id records even after the statement of proposals had become final provided that the no.tification under section 52 had not been issued, the provisions of section 7 to 11 have been made applicable to the proceedings under section

12. The adjudication of the fresh cause of action will therefore amount to the adjudication of right and title.[755 A-D,G-H,756 Aj o Sid:• lfatbo & Aor. y, Board of 11.eveuue, U,P, Al1ababad & Ors., 1966 A.L.J. 563 <>pproved.

Suba SiDgh v. Mahmw!ra Singh & Ors., A.I.R. 1974 S.C. 1657 followed.

CIVIL APPELLATE JURISDICTION Civil Appeal No. 650 of 1972.

nom the Judgment and Order dated the 28th October, 1971 of the Allahabad High Court in Second Appeal No. 94 of 1965. F J.P. Goyal and S.K. Jain for the Appellant.

M.v. Goswami for the Respondent.

The Judgment of the Court was deuvered by G MISRA, J. The present appeal by special leave is directea / against the judgment of the High Court of Allahabad dated 28th October, 1971. ·

One Ganga Singh had three sons, Kishan Singh, Natha Singh and Gtunan Singh. Kishan Singh had no issue while Natha _Singh had H three sons, Chajju, Rambir and Malkhan Singh. Guman Singh

p. 750 Copy page pinpoint

A had two sons, Sohan Singh and Rohan Singh. Kishan Singh was possessed of some agricultural land and also a house. It appears that the village where the agricultural plots of Kishan Singh were" situate was brought under Consolidation operations and the rights and title of Kishan Singh were determined in those .b proceedings and eventually chak No. 14 was allotted to him. The consolidation proceedings start with a notification under s. 4 of the u.p. Consolidation of Holdings Act and comes to an end with a "denotification under s. 52 of the Act. Although the notification under s. 52 had not been issued but the statement of proposals (allotment of chak) had been confirmed under s. 23 of the Act.

C Kishan Singh at this stage died without leaving any issue and a dispute arose about his heirship. Malkhan Singh son" of Natha Singh claimed to be an adopted son of Kishan Singh and on that basis claimed to inherit the interest of Kishan Singh while Sohan Singh and Rohan Singh claimed to inherit the interest of Kishan Singh along with Chajju, Rsmbir and Malkhan Singh. The consolidation authorities after taking evidence, both oral and documentary came to the conclusion that Malkhan Singh was not the adopted son.

When the village was denotified under s. 52 of the Act and the consolidation operations came to an end, Malkhan Singh filed a suit in respect of the agricultural plots as well as the house left by Kishan Singh alleging that he was given in adoption by his mother, wife of Nathu Singh to Kishan Singh and Kishan Singh took him in adoption on 9th June 1946 with all the formalities of giving and "taking and datta-homa. He also executed a deed of adoption on 29th November, 1948 in proof of adoption. The suit was contested only by defendants Nos. 1 and 2, Sohan Singh and F Rohan Singh. The other defendants Rsmbir Singh and Chajju, sons of Nathu Singh did not contest. Their defence in the main was that the plaintiff was not the adopted son of Kishan Singh, that the court had no jurisdiction to try the suit and that the suit was barred by s. 49 of the Act and and also by s. 42 of the Specific Relief Act. The plea of jurisdiction and bar of s. 49 of G the Consolidation Act were not pressed by the defendants. The issue of adoption was decided against the plaintiff. The bar of \ s. 42 of the Specific Relief Act was also negatived. On these findings the plaintiff's suit was dismissed by the trial Court. On an appeal the Civil and Sessions Judge reversed the finding of the trial court and decreed the suit holding that Malkhan Singh 1! was the adopted son of Kishan• Singh and that he was given in adoption by his mother afte~ the death of her husband. Feeling

MALKHAJ;. SINGH v. SOHAN ,SINGH [MISRA, J.] 751

A .aggrieved the defendants took up the matter to the High Court in second appeal and the High Court in its turn allowed the appeal and dismissed the suit on a short ground that the suit giving rise to appeal was barred by the principles of res judicata as the question of adoption had already been determined by the consolidation authorities during consolidation proceedings and that decision could not be upset by any other court as provided B by s. 49 of tl\e said Act and the earlier decision of the consoli- dation authorities would Operate as res judicata on general principles. In the view that the High Court took it did not decide the question of adoption. The plaintiff has now come to this Court by special leave as stated earlier. G Shri J.P. Goyal appearing for the appellant contended that the High Court had carved out a new case for the defendants which was not their case in the written statement. Elaborating the argument the counsel urged that the plea of jurisdiction and bar. of s. 49 had been taken at one stage but at· a later stage the two pleas were given up and we're not pressed, and that the bar of res D judicata had never been set up. This contention was raised even before the High Court but the same was repelled on the ground that the application of the general principles of res judicata as a bar to the suit did not require much evidence and all that was necessary to prove was that the earlier court or. authority had the jurisdiction to decide the question of title. E Shri M.V. Goswami appearing for the respondents has tried to support the judgment on the ground that the suit may not be barred by s. 11 of the Code of Civil Procedure as the consolida- tion authotities had no jurisdiction to decide the rights and title in respect of the house property, but all .the same the principles of res judicata would be applicable if the question of F adoption had been decided by the consolidation authorities wl1ich had the exclusive jurisdiction to decide the rights and title during the pendency of the consolidation proceedings. In support of his contention he relied upon Baj Lakshmi Dasi & Ors. v. Banmna11 Sen & Ors. tl953] s.c.R. 154. G There is no quarrel with the proposition of law laid down in RaJ Lakshmi Dasi's case (supra) that the. decision of the consolidation a~thorities may operate as a bar on the principles. of res judicata. But the question in the instant case is whether there has _b~en an adjudication of the rights and title of Malkhan Singh. As stated earlier the rights and title of Kishan Singh had l! already been deternlined and that, is no more in dispute.· It was

p. 752 Copy page pinpoint

A only when Kishan Singh died before denotification of the village under s. 52 of the Act and after the statement of proposals had become final that the question cropP."d up about the heirship of Kishan Singh deceased. Under the Consolidation Act as prevailing at that time there was no provision for the adjudication of rights and title after the stateii.ent of proposals h«<1 become B final. The coWiolidation authorities thtreafter ware only required to maintain the record and in so doir.g they could alao entertain an application for mutation. The a~pl1Cdtion filed by Malkhan Singh to succeed Kishan Singh was vittually an a~plica­ tion for mutation and the decision of the consolidation autho- rities that Malkhan Singh was not an adopted son of Kishan Singh would, not amount to a decision of the title and interest of c Malkhan Singh. It is well settled that the mutation proceedings do not decide the rights and title of the parties and it ts alwys open to a party aggrieved to get its rights adjudicated upon by a competent court despite the order in mutation proceed- ings. If the consolidation authorities had decided the title of Malkhan Singh in consolidation proceedings then certainly a subsequent suit for the same would be barred by the principles of res judicata.

The contention of Shri J.P. Goyal is that tha decision by the consolidation authorities that Malk.'>an Singh was not the ' adopted son of Kishan Singh amo~nts to an order passed by the mutation court ' in mutation proce~dings. In support of llis contention he has relied upon two decisions: ·Soot. Natho &Anr. v. lloard of Kevenue, o.P. Al.lahabad & Ors., 1906 A.L.J. 563 and Suba S1ngb v. llahendra Singh & Ors., A.I.R. 1974 S.C. 1657. In both these cases the ·bat of s. 49 of the U.P. Consolidation of Holdings Act had been pleaded. It li'ill be pertinent to read s. 49:

"49, Bar to civil juriliCliction. Notwithstanding any- thing contained in any other law for the time being in force, the declaration and adjudication of rights of tenure holders in respect ot land lying in an area, for ll.1lich a notification has been issued under sub- G section (2) of Section 4 or adjudkatioa of' any other right arising out of consolidation proceedings aud in regard to which a proceeding could or ought to have been taken u11der this Act, shall be do~e 'in accordance with the provisions of chis Act aad no civil or revenue co:urt &hall eutertaia any suit or p~~occ.edings H

MAI.KHAN SINGH v. SOHAN SINGH [MISRA, J • ] 753

A <tith respect to rights in such land or with respect to any other matters for which a proceeding could or ought to have been taken under this Act."

In the instant case as stated in the earlier part of the judgment, the defendants had given up' the plea .of jurisdictiorr B and bar of s. 49 of the Act. They, however, banked upon the bar of principles of res judicata although no such specific plea had been taken by them in the written statement. As the High Court has allO\red the defendants to take up this plea, we propose to decide the question of bar of principles of res judicata. Whether the bar is created by the prirtciples of res judicata or by s. 49 c of the Act the result remains the same. While considering the applicability of s. 49 of the Act the Allahabad High. Court in Smt. Natho's case (supra) observed:

"Consequently, Sec. 49 will only come into play if either th,ere had been proceedings relating to declara- D tion and adjudication of rights of tenure-holders in respect of the disputed land or if a proceeding for such declaration or adjudication of rights of tenure- holders in respect of the land could or ought to have been taken under the Consolidation of Holdings Act. In the present case, the. proceedings that were taken before the consolidation authorities on the death of E Bakhtawar were admittedly fpr Iillltation of names in the revenue records. We need not cite any ruling for the well settled principle that proceedings for nrutation of names in revenue courts do not decide any rights or title of tenure-holders, so that those nrutation proceedings were not proceedings in which there could be any declaration or adjudication of rights of these parties by the consolidation authorities. All that the consolidation authorities could do was to enter the name of the person found entitled in place of Bakhtawar without adjudicating upon or declaring the rights of any of the parties to the land to which the proceedings for mutation related. At the stage at which Bakhtawar died, no proceeding could have been taken before the consolidation authorities for the purposes of having the rights declared or adjudicated upon. The powers of consolidation authorities to adjudicate upon rights of tenure-holders are confined to proceedings taken under section 9 or section 20 of

754 SUPREME COURT REPORTS [1985] SUPP.2 s:c.R.

A the Consolidation of Holdings Act or subsequent proceedings arising out of those proceedings itself, such as appeals or revisions. Once the proceedings up to the stage of Sec. 23 of the Consolidation of Hold- ings Act have been completed and the statement of B proposals under Sec. 23 have been confirmed, the statement of proposals becomes final and the effect of finality is that all adjudications already made upto that date became final. The further ·effect is that, thereafter there is no provision empowering the conso- lidation authorities to go into new questions of title or rights, which may arise as a result of new causes c of action which may arise after the statement of proposals have been confirmed."

In Suba Sillgb's case (supra) a chak had been allotted to the original tenure holder and the same had become final under s.23. The tenure holder thereafter died but before his death the possession over the chak allotted to him had been given to him and nothing substantial remained to be done in the shape of consolidation operations so far as his parcel of land was concerned. Title, conglomeration, allotment and occupation - practically the whole gamut of consolidation stages was thus covered. This Court held that the present case was neither covered by the first clause or by the second clause of s.49 of the Act inasmuch as after the death of the chak holder the question of his heirship arose which could not be decided by the consolidation authorities after the statement of proposals had become final. It observed:

"Section 27(1) requires the Director of Consolidation F to cause soon after the consolidation scheme has come into force, the preparation of the record of rights and other revenue records, but this, in terms of that sub-section, is to be done in accordance with the provisions of the u.p. Land Revenue Act, 1901. Accord- ing to sub-section 27(3), after the records have been so prepared, their further maintenance will be the responsibility of the Collector, and this, too, is to be done under Section 33 of the U.P. Land Revenue Act,

1901. It was thus abundantly clear that an application for mutation on the basis of inheritance when the cause of action arose, after- the finalisation and publication of the scheme under Section 23, is not a

· MAI.KHAN SINGH v, SOHAN SINGH [MISRA, J. J 755

A matter in regard to which an application could be filed under the provisions of this Act within the meaning of clause 2 of Section 49."

If once it is accepted that the decision of the consolidation authorities after the final allotment of chak to B !Cishan Singh that the appellant was not the adopted son of Kishan Singh amounts to an order under mutation proceedings and there was no adjudication of rights and title of the appellant in the earlier proceedings, there is no question of the suit being barred by res judicata or by the principles of res judicata. The High Court in our opinion had committed a manifest error in C holding that the suit giving rise to the present· appeal was barred by the principles of res judicata or by s. 49 of the Consolidation of Holdings Act.

Before we close the judgment we would like to make it clear that after the amendment of the U.P; Consolidation of Holdings D Act in 1963 the p0sition has materially changed. Section 12 of the Act brought in by the amendment deals with the decision of matters relating to changes and transac.tions affecting rights or interests recorded in revised records. It reads:

"12.(1) All matters relating .to changes and transfers E affecting any of the rights or interests recorded in the revised records published under sub-section (1) of Section 10 for which a cause of action had not arisen when proceedings under Section 7 to 9 were started or were in progress, may be raised before the Assistant Consolidation Officer as and when they arise, but not later than the date of notification under Section 52, F or under sub-section (1) of Section 6.

(2) The provisions of ·sections 7 to 11 shall mtatis 1111tandis, apply to the hearing and decision of any matter raised under sub-section (1) as if it were a ma.tter raised under the aforesaid sections." G Sections 7 to 11 of the Act ·deal with the rights and title of the tenure holder and by the application of those provisions to the proceedings under s. 12 in matters for which cause of action had arisen subsequently will make the decision a decision of title. But the position prior to the amendment of 1963 was different and there was no provision for the adjudication of the H

756 SUPREME COURT REPORTS [1985] SUPP.2 s.c.R.

rights and title of a tenure holder once the title and interest A -Of the -Original. tenure holder had been finally determined and chak had been allotted.

The inevitable result is that the judgment and order of the High C-Ourt cannot be sustained and i·t must be set aside. ·The &ppeal is .&ecordingly allowed, the impugned judgment and order .of the High Court "re set as:i.<le ood the case is sent back to it ·for decidtng the .quesHon of adoption according to law. There is, however, no order as 1to .cost ..

S.R. Appeal allowed.