VIRINDER AGGARWAL, J
1. These ten Regular Second Appeals collectively challenge a labyrinthine
litigation over agricultural land in village Alipura, District Kapurthala, Punjab,
originally owned by Kala Singh (deceased). The appeals involve common
questions of fact and law, pertain to bifurcated portions of the same property,
and are between substantially the same parties, including Bhagwan Singh
(claiming under a purported Will dated 08.10.1947), collaterals/legal
heirs/Cognates like Mukhtiar Singh, Mangal Singh, Joginder Singh, Shingara
Singh (Shangara Singh), and others (asserting inheritance rights), and the State
of Punjab (defending escheat). Since the disputes stem from the same cause of
and 9 other connected RSAs 4 / 55
action that Kala Singh’s died issueless leading to property escheated to state
under Section 29 of the Hindu Succession Act, 1956. These appeals are being
disposed of by this common judgment for judicial economy and to avoid
multiplicity. Since all the appeals relate to the same corpus of agricultural land
and involve overlapping issues pertaining to testamentary succession, collateral
inheritance, possession, and the controversy, the evidence, the legal issues and
the findings are interwoven, they are being disposed of by this common
judgment. For the sake of convenience, the facts are primarily taken from RSA
No. 2862 of 2002, with references to the connected matters where necessary.
BACKGROUND FACTS