Ramesh vs Smt.Radhabai (Died) on 1 May, 2026

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    Chattisgarh High Court

    Ramesh vs Smt.Radhabai (Died) on 1 May, 2026

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                                                                         2026:CGHC:20351
    
    
    
    
    RAHUL                                                                                 NAFR
    JHA
    Digitally signed by
    RAHUL JHA
    Date: 2026.05.01
                               HIGH COURT OF CHHATTISGARH AT BILASPUR
    13:13:15 +0530
    
    
                                         Judgment Reserved on 21/04/2026
                                         Judgment Delivered on01/05/2026
    
                                                 SA No. 510 of 2005
    
                     Ramesh S/o. Nandlal, Aged About 30 Years R/o. Chandeni (Dehandih), Thana
                     Sahaspur- Lohara, Tahsil Kawardha, District Kabirdham Chhattisgarh,
                     District : Kawardha (Kabirdham), Chhattisgarh
                                                                                  .Appellant(s)
    
    
                                                       Versus
    
    
                     1 - Smt.Radhabai (Died) Through Legal Heirs-
                     1.1 - (A) Janrail Singh S/o Ghanshyam, Aged About 45 Years R/o Village
                     Udiya, Thana Sahaspur Lohara, District Kabirdham Chhattisgarh.
                     1.2 - (B) Mansingh, S/o Ghanshyam Aged About 43 Years R/o Village Udiya,
                     Thana Sahaspur Lohara, District Kabirdham Chhattisgarh.
                     1.3 - (C) Virendra S/o Ghanshyam Aged About 33 Years R/o Village Udiya,
                     Thana Sahaspur Lohara, District Kabirdham Chhattisgarh.
                     1.4 - (D) Narayan S/o Ghanshyam Aged About 28 Years R/o Village Udiya,
                     Thana Sahaspur Lohara, District Kabirdham Chhattisgarh.
                     2 - Janrel Singh, S/o Ghanshyam, Aged About 30 Years R/o Odia Thana,
                     Sahaspur Lohara, Tahsil Kawardha, District Kabirdham Chhattisgarh.
                     3 - Virendra Kumar, S/o Ghanshyam Singh Aged About 26 Years R/o Odia
                     Thana, Sahaspur Lohara, Tahsil Kawardha, District Kabirdham Chhattisgarh.
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    4 - Narayan, S/o Ghanshyam Singh, Aged About 19 Years R/o Odia Thana,
    Sahaspur Lohara, Tahsil Kawardha, District Kabirdham Chhattisgarh.
    5 - State Of Chhattisgarh Through Collector District Kabirdham Chhattisgarh,
    District : Kawardha (Kabirdham), Chhattisgarh
                                                                       Respondent(s)

    (Cause-title taken from Case Information System)
    For Appellant(s) : Mr. Ajit Singh, Advocate

    For Resp No. 1 to 4 : Mr. H.B. Agrawal, Senior Advocate along with Ms.
    A. Sandhya Rao, Advocate

    SPONSORED

    For Resp. No.5 : Mr. Anand Gupta, Dy. GA
    Hon’ble Shri Bibhu Datta Guru, J
    C A V Judgment

    1. By the present appeal under Section 100 of the CPC, the

    appellant/defendant has assailed the judgment and decree dated

    25/10/2005 passed by the learned District Judge, Kabirdham (C.G.) in

    Civil Appeal No. 8-A/2005 (Smt. Radhabai & Others v. Ramesh &

    Another), whereby the first appellate Court allowed the appeal preferred

    by the plaintiffs/respondents and reversed the judgment and decree dated

    24/03/2005 passed by the II Civil Judge, Class-I, Kawardha in Civil Suit

    No. 94-A/2003 {Ghanshyam (since deceased) through LRs Smt.

    Radhabai & Others v. Ramesh & Another}, thereby setting aside the

    dismissal of the suit filed by the plaintiffs/respondents.

    2. For the sake of convenience, the parties would be referred as per their

    status before the learned trial Court.

    3. The instant Second appeal was admitted on 07/03/2006 for hearing on

    the following substantial question of law?

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    “Whether the Lower Appellate Court failed to evaluate the
    material evidence while reversing the judgment and decree
    passed by the trial Court?”

    4. (a) The facts of the case, in brief, are that the original plaintiff

    Ghanshyam instituted a civil suit against the defendants in respect of the

    disputed land bearing Khasra No. 230, admeasuring 2.00 acres, situated

    at Village Lohara, Tahsil Kawardha, District Kabirdham. The suit was

    filed seeking recovery of possession of the suit land, permanent

    injunction restraining the defendants from interfering with the plaintiffs’

    possession, declaration that the sale deed dated 01/05/1973 is valid and

    binding upon defendant No. 1, and further declaration that the orders

    dated 22/10/2001, 23/10/2001 passed in Revenue Case No. A/70/2001

    and order dated 31/05/2002 passed in Case No. 254/2001 are not binding

    upon the plaintiffs.

    (b) It is an admitted position between the parties that the suit land

    bearing Khasra No. 230, admeasuring 2.00 acres, is recorded in the

    revenue records in the names of the plaintiffs. It is also not in dispute

    that defendant No. 1 is in possession of the said land. Earlier, a dispute

    arose between the plaintiffs and defendant No. 1, which led to

    proceedings under Sections 145 and 146 of the Code of Criminal

    Procedure, wherein, by order dated 31/05/2002 passed in Case No.

    254/2001, possession of defendant No. 1 over the suit land was

    recognized. It is further pleaded that deceased Ghanshyam (original

    plaintiff) had also filed an application under Section 250 of the

    Chhattisgarh Land Revenue Code before the Nayab Tahsildar, Lohara.
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    (c) According to the plaintiffs, the suit land was originally purchased by

    deceased Ghanshyam vide Ex.P/1 by way of a registered sale deed dated

    01/05/1973 from Nandram and others for a consideration of ₹1,000/-.

    After purchase, the name of the deceased Ghanshyam was duly recorded

    in the revenue records. Upon his death, the names of the plaintiffs, being

    his legal heirs, were mutated in the revenue records. It is further pleaded

    that the suit land was being cultivated through sharecropping (Adhiya)

    and defendant No. 1 was working as an Adhiyadar under the deceased.

    However, taking undue advantage of the situation, defendant No. 1

    started asserting his own rights over the suit land and refused to hand

    over possession to the plaintiffs. Disputes arose between the parties,

    culminating in proceedings under Sections 145 and 146 CrPC, wherein

    possession was declared in favour of defendant No. 1. Aggrieved

    thereby, the plaintiffs instituted the present suit.

    (d) Defendant No. 1 filed a written statement denying the plaint

    averments and also preferred a counter-claim claiming ownership over

    the suit land on the basis of adverse possession. It was contended that the

    land was not sold but was mortgaged by Nandlal Yadav for a sum of

    ₹1,000/-, with possession delivered to defendant No. 1, and that the

    plaintiffs, by playing fraud, got the sale deed executed instead of a

    mortgage deed and managed to get their names recorded in the revenue

    records. It was further pleaded that defendant No. 1 has been in

    continuous, peaceful possession of the suit land for the last 20-25 years

    to the knowledge of the plaintiffs and has thus perfected his title by

    adverse possession. The defendant denied any forcible dispossession or
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    interference. He also stated that the order passed by the revenue

    authorities has attained finality because the plaintiff has not challenged

    the same before the appropriate authority and hence the suit itself is not

    maintainable.

    (e) The plaintiffs filed a reply to the counter-claim denying the

    allegations and contended that, in absence of any objection at the time of

    mutation of the name of deceased Ghanshyam in the revenue records,

    the counter-claim is barred by limitation and is liable to be rejected. It

    was further pleaded that the original plaintiff, Late Ghanshyam, had

    acquired title over the suit land by virtue of a registered sale deed dated

    01/05/1973 executed by Nandram and others for a consideration of Rs.

    1,000/-, which is binding upon defendant No. 1. In this regard, an

    application under Order VI Rule 17 of the Code of Civil Procedure was

    also filed seeking amendment of the plaint to incorporate the said facts

    along with consequential pleadings relating to court.

    (f) Defendant No. 2 remained absent despite service of notice and was

    proceeded ex parte. No written statement was filed on his behalf.

    5. On the basis of pleadings and evidence, the Trial Court dismissed the suit

    holding that the plaintiffs failed to prove due execution and validity of

    the sale deed dated 01/05/1973, as neither any attesting witness nor any

    executant of the document was examined in accordance with law,

    particularly in view of denial of execution by the vendor himself. The

    Trial Court further held that the evidence on record established that the

    transaction in question was not a sale but a mortgage (rehan), as

    consistently deposed by the defendant and the executant of the
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    document. It was also found that the plaintiffs failed to prove their

    possession over the suit land, whereas the defendant No. 1 was in settled

    possession for a considerable period. The Court further held that

    defendant No. 1 successfully established his claim of adverse possession.

    Consequently, it was held that the plaintiffs were not entitled to

    declaration of title, recovery of possession, or permanent injunction. The

    counter-claim preferred by defendant No. 1 was accordingly allowed,

    declaring him to have acquired title over the suit property by adverse

    possession, and the suit of the plaintiffs was dismissed with costs.

    6. Aggrieved by the said judgment and decree, the plaintiff preferred a first

    appeal before the Appellate Court, which allowed the appeal holding that

    the Trial Court had erred in disbelieving the registered sale deed dated

    01/05/1973 (Ex.P-1), which was a duly executed and registered

    document clearly evidencing transfer of the suit property in favour of the

    plaintiffs’ predecessor, Ghanshyam. The Appellate Court found that the

    executant of the document, namely Nandram, had himself admitted

    execution of the sale deed, and his subsequent plea that the transaction

    was a mortgage was inconsistent and unreliable. It was further held that

    the contents of a registered document cannot be contradicted by oral

    evidence in absence of any cogent proof, and the document, being more

    than 30 years old and produced from proper custody, carried a

    presumption of due execution. The Appellate Court also held that the

    defendant had no locus to challenge the sale deed, not being a party

    thereto. On appreciation of evidence, it was concluded that the plaintiffs

    had validly acquired title and possession over the suit land, and that the
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    defendant had failed to establish continuous and adverse possession so

    as to perfect title by adverse possession. Consequently, the judgment and

    decree of the Trial Court were set aside, and the suit of the plaintiffs was

    decreed by granting recovery of possession and permanent injunction in

    their favour. Thus, this appeal by the defendant.

    7. (i) Learned counsel for the appellant/defendant submits that the

    impugned judgment and decree passed by the First Appellate Court are

    unsustainable in law, as they reverse the well-reasoned findings of the

    Trial Court without proper appreciation of evidence and settled legal

    principles. It is contended that the Appellate Court erred in treating the

    document dated 01/05/1973 as a sale deed, ignoring the surrounding

    circumstances which clearly indicate that the transaction was, in

    substance, a mortgage. The intention of the parties, being determinative,

    has not been properly examined, and the provisions of Sections 54 and

    58 of the Transfer of Property Act have been misapplied by relying

    solely on the recitals of the document rather than its true nature. It is

    further submitted that the Appellate Court failed to consider the

    appellant’s long, continuous, and settled possession of the suit land, as

    reflected in revenue proceedings, and erred in directing dispossession

    without due process. The evidentiary value of such proceedings and

    material documents has not been properly appreciated.

    (ii) It is also urged that the findings of the First Appellate Court are

    perverse, having been recorded without proper evaluation of oral and

    documentary evidence on each and every points and by ignoring

    material contradictions and admissions. The plea of limitation and
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    maintainability of the suit has also not been adequately addressed. The

    reversal of the Trial Court’s judgment is thus based on misreading and

    non-consideration of material evidence and incorrect application of law.

    Accordingly, it is prayed that the substantial questions of law be

    answered in favour of the appellant/defendant and the impugned

    judgment be set aside.

    (iii) Learned counsel for the appellant further submits that the

    plaintiff’s claim is based on an alleged sale deed dated 01.05.1973;

    however, the record, particularly the Tehsildar’s order dated 16.07.1996,

    establishes that the plaintiff was never in possession of the suit land. The

    suit, instituted in 2002, is hopelessly barred by limitation, a vital issue

    overlooked by the Appellate Court. The Trial Court rightly held that the

    transaction was in the nature of a mortgage and that the defendants have

    remained in continuous, open, and uninterrupted possession since 1973.

    (iv) It is further submitted that the long delay of nearly 37 years,

    coupled with consistent revenue records from 1994 to 2002, reinforces

    the defendants’ plea of limitation and settled possession. The First

    Appellate Court, however, reversed the Trial Court’s judgment without

    proper appreciation of evidence and recorded perverse findings.

    (v) It is also contended that mere execution of a sale deed does not

    confer valid title unless the essential requirements under Section 54 of

    the TP Act namely intention to transfer ownership and delivery of

    possession are satisfied. In the present case, absence of possession and

    surrounding circumstances negate an absolute sale. The Appellate Court

    has further failed to correctly apply Sections 54 and 58 of the Act and
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    the principles of adverse possession, despite long and hostile possession

    of the appellant.

    (vi) Learned counsel for the appellant would further submit that the

    impugned judgment and decree by which the learned First Appellate

    Court has reversed the well reasoned judgment and decree passed by the

    learned Trial Court is not a reasoned judgment. According to him, at the

    most the learned Appellate court ought to have remanded the matter to

    the Trial Court for fresh adjudication. He would submit that the

    impugned judgment and decree has been passed by the learned First

    Appellate Court without appreciating the each and every issue involved

    in the case that too without considering the provisions of the Section

    58(c) of the TP Act, which categorically provides that no transactions

    shall be deemed to be a mortgage unless the condition is embodied in the

    document which effect or purports to affect the sale.

    (vii) It is submitted that the learned First Appellate Court has failed to

    deal with each and every material aspect of the matter and has not

    undertaken a comprehensive reappreciation of the oral and documentary

    evidence on record. Without addressing the findings of the Trial Court

    on crucial issues, including the nature of the transaction, possession,

    limitation, and evidentiary value of revenue records, the Appellate Court

    has mechanically reversed the well-reasoned and cogent judgment of the

    Trial Court. Such reversal, without proper analysis and independent

    reasoning, renders the impugned judgment unsustainable in law. The

    direction of dispossession is thus unsustainable. It is, therefore, prayed

    that the impugned judgment be set aside and that of the Trial Court be
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    restored. To support his contention, reliance has been place on the

    decision renderred by the Supreme Court in the matters of Shakir

    Hussain v Administrator, Nagar Palika, Mandsaur, (1998) 9 SCC 613,

    Santosh Hazari v. Purushottam Tiwai (Dead) By Lrs. (2001) 3 SCC

    179, Janak Dulari Devi and Another v. Kapil Deo Rai and Another,

    (2011) 6 SCC 555, Vinod Kumar v. Gangadhar, 2015 (1) SCC 391, C.

    Venkata Swamy v. H.N. Shivanna (Dead) by Legal Representative and

    Another, (2018) 1 SCC 604, Ravinder Kaur Grewal and Others v.

    Manjit Kaur and Others, (2019) 8 SCC 729 and Lucknow Nagar

    Nigam & Others v. Kohli Brothers Colour Lab Private Limited &

    Others, (2025) 6 SCC 628.

    8. (A) Learned counsel for the respondents/plaintiffs, ex adverso,

    submits that the impugned judgment and decree passed by the learned

    First Appellate Court are well-reasoned, based on proper appreciation of

    evidence, and do not suffer from any illegality or perversity warranting

    interference under Section 100 of the Code of Civil Procedure. It is

    contended that the suit was instituted for declaration and permanent

    injunction challenging the order dated 31/05/2002 passed by the Sub-

    Divisional Officer under Section 145 CrPC, and the same was filed well

    within limitation as prescribed under Article 100 of the Limitation Act. It

    is further submitted that the plaintiffs have successfully established their

    title over the suit property on the basis of a duly executed and registered

    sale deed dated 01/05/1973, which has neither been challenged by the

    executants nor set aside in accordance with law. The executant himself,

    examined as a witness, has admitted execution of the said document, and
    11

    therefore, the plea of the defendant that the transaction was a mortgage is

    wholly untenable and has rightly been rejected by the First Appellate

    Court, particularly in absence of any stipulation as required under

    Section 58(c) of the TP Act.

    (B) It is further contended that the First Appellate Court has rightly

    held that the nature and contents of a registered document cannot be

    contradicted by oral evidence in view of Section 92 of the Evidence Act,

    and therefore, the defence sought to be raised by the defendant was

    legally impermissible. Learned counsel submits that the defendant, not

    being a party to the sale deed, had no locus to challenge its validity, and

    no independent proceedings were ever initiated to declare the document

    void or voidable. It is also submitted that the plea of adverse possession

    raised by the defendant has been rightly rejected, as there is no cogent

    evidence to establish continuous, open, and hostile possession for the

    statutory period to the knowledge of the true owner. Mere possession,

    particularly when originating as permissive possession in the capacity of

    an Adhiyara, cannot ripen into adverse possession in absence of clear

    and unequivocal hostile assertion of title.

    (C) It is further submitted that reliance placed on proceedings under

    Section 145 CrPC is misconceived, as such proceedings are limited to

    determination of possession for maintaining law and order and do not

    confer or extinguish title. The learned First Appellate Court, being the

    final Court of fact, has re-appreciated the entire evidence on record and

    has assigned cogent and legally sustainable reasons while reversing the

    judgment of the Trial Court, which had failed to properly appreciate the
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    documentary evidence, particularly the registered sale deed. No

    perversity, misreading of evidence, or non-consideration of material

    documents has been demonstrated by the appellant so as to warrant

    interference in second appeal. The issues raised are purely factual in

    nature and amount to seeking re-appreciation of evidence, which is

    impermissible in exercise of jurisdiction under Section 100 CPC. Hence,

    it is submitted that the present appeal, being devoid of merit, deserves to

    be dismissed.

    9. I have heard learned counsel for the appellant at length and have

    carefully perused the pleadings, oral and documentary evidence as well

    as the judgments and decrees passed by the Courts.

    10. Since the present appeal arises under Section 100 of the Code of Civil

    Procedure, the scope of interference by this Court is confined only to

    substantial questions of law, and it is well settled that concurrent

    findings of fact or findings based on proper appreciation of evidence

    cannot be interfered with unless the same are shown to be perverse or

    based on misapplication of law.

    11. The principal controversy in the present case revolves around the nature,

    validity and evidentiary value of the document dated 01/05/1973 (Ex.P-

    1), and whether the learned First Appellate Court was justified in

    reversing the finding of the Trial Court by holding the same to be a valid

    sale deed. Upon careful scrutiny, it is evident that the said document is a

    registered instrument, containing clear recitals of sale, consideration,

    description of property and transfer of rights in favour of the original

    plaintiff Ghanshyam. The executant of the document, namely Nandram,
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    though examined on behalf of the defendant, has admitted execution of

    the document. His subsequent attempt to characterize the transaction as a

    mortgage is not only inconsistent but also unsupported by the contents of

    the document itself.

    12. In this regard, the learned First Appellate Court has rightly applied the

    settled principles of law that where the terms of a written and registered

    document are clear and unambiguous, the same cannot be contradicted

    or varied by oral evidence, in view of Section 92 of the Evidence Act.

    Further, in absence of any condition as contemplated under Section 58(c)

    of the TP Act, the transaction cannot be treated as a mortgage by

    conditional sale. The Trial Court, in discarding the document on the

    ground of non-examination of attesting witnesses, has overlooked the

    material aspect that the executant himself admitted its execution, thereby

    satisfying the requirement of proof. Thus, the finding of the First

    Appellate Court that Ex.P-1 is a valid sale deed is based on correct

    appreciation of law and evidence and does not call for interference.

    13. As regards the contention relating to misinterpretation of Sections 54 and

    58 of the TP Act, this Court finds that the learned First Appellate Court

    has correctly interpreted the said provisions. Section 54 clearly provides

    that a sale of immovable property of value exceeding ₹100 can be

    effected only by a registered instrument, and once such a document is

    executed and registered, it operates as a transfer of ownership. On the

    other hand, for a transaction to qualify as a mortgage by conditional sale

    under Section 58(c), the essential condition must be embodied in the

    document itself. In the present case, no such condition exists in Ex.P-1.
    14

    Therefore, the conclusion of the First Appellate Court that the document

    is an out-and-out sale and not a mortgage is legally sound.

    14. The next issue pertains to the plea of adverse possession raised by the

    appellant/defendant. It is trite law that adverse possession must be

    established by cogent and convincing evidence showing continuous,

    open, hostile and uninterrupted possession to the knowledge of the true

    owner for the statutory period. In the present case, the evidence on

    record does not establish the exact period from which the possession of

    the defendant became hostile. On the contrary, the case of the plaintiffs

    that the defendant was inducted as an Adhiyara (sharecropper)

    probabilizes the initial possession to be permissive in nature. Permissive

    possession, by its very nature, cannot mature into adverse possession

    unless there is a clear and unequivocal assertion of hostile title, which

    has not been proved in the present case.

    15. In the case at hand, the plaintiff witness namely; Radha Bai (PW-1), who

    is the wife of the original plaintiff, categorically stated in her affidavit

    under Order 18 Rule 4 of the CPC that her husband purchased the land

    in question after selling her ornaments. The said land was never put on

    mortgage and as such the contention of the defendant Ramesh that the

    land was put on mortgage is not true. This witness further stated that

    since the original plaintiff used to go outside for business purpose, the

    land in question was given to the defendant on Adhiya under their

    supervision. However, the defendant by taking undue advantage of the

    same used to create hurdle in respect of the ownership. Another

    plaintiff witness namely; Dhur Singh (PW-2) also stated in his affidavit
    15

    that the Adhiyara namely; Ramesh (defendant) used to quarrel with the

    plaintiffs in respect of the land in question since last six years and was

    not giving the fruits of the crop to the plaintiffs. From the evidence of

    these witnesses, it manifest that the land in question was actually in

    possession of the plaintiffs whereas they gave it to the defendant only on

    Adhiya.

    16. The reliance placed by the appellant on proceedings under Sections 145

    and 146 of the Code of Criminal Procedure is also misconceived. It is

    well settled that such proceedings are summary in nature and are

    confined only to determination of actual possession for the purpose of

    maintaining law and order. They do not confer any title nor do they

    decide rights of the parties finally. Therefore, the finding recorded in

    such proceedings recognizing possession of the defendant cannot be

    construed as proof of lawful possession or title, much less adverse

    possession.

    17. The contention regarding improper appreciation of evidence by the First

    Appellate Court also does not merit acceptance. Being the final Court of

    fact, the First Appellate Court is duty bound to re-appreciate the entire

    evidence on record, and in the present case, it has done so in a

    comprehensive manner. The reasons assigned by the First Appellate

    Court for reversing the judgment of the Trial Court are cogent, well-

    founded and in consonance with settled legal principles. No material

    evidence has been shown to have been ignored, nor any irrelevant

    material has been taken into consideration so as to render the findings

    perverse.

    16

    18. So far as the plea of limitation is concerned, the suit was instituted

    challenging the order dated 31/05/2002 passed by the Sub-Divisional

    Officer and seeking consequential reliefs. The suit having been filed

    within a few months thereof is clearly within limitation, as rightly held

    by the First Appellate Court. No error, much less a substantial error of

    law, has been demonstrated in this regard.

    19. The contention of the learned counsel for the appellant that the learned

    First Appellate Court failed to deal with each and every material aspect

    of the case and mechanically reversed the well-reasoned judgment of the

    Trial Court is also found to be devoid of merit. A careful perusal of the

    impugned judgment shows that the First Appellate Court has

    independently re-appreciated the entire oral and documentary evidence

    on record and has recorded specific findings on the core issues, namely

    the nature of the transaction embodied in Ex.P-1, the validity of the sale

    deed, the plea of adverse possession, and the effect of revenue

    proceedings. Merely because the Appellate Court has not discussed each

    piece of evidence or every finding of the Trial Court in detail would not

    render its judgment infirm, so long as the essential issues arising for

    determination have been duly considered and decided with cogent

    reasons. The judgment of the First Appellate Court reflects due

    application of mind and cannot be said to be cryptic or perverse.

    Therefore, the submission that the reversal is mechanical or without

    proper analysis is liable to be rejected.

    20. The decision of Shakir Hussain (supra) relied upon by defendant No. 1,

    wherein the Supreme Court held that a plaintiff cannot succeed unless he
    17

    establishes both his title to the suit property and possession thereof,

    shall not be applicable to the facts of the present case, as from the entire

    material available on record and the evidence adduced by the witnesses,

    it is abundantly clear that the plaintiff is the owner of the disputed land

    and had given the same to defendant No. 1 only for the purpose of

    Adhiya.

    21. Since the learned First Appellate Court, upon due appreciation of the

    entire material available on record in its proper perspective, has rightly

    reversed the findings of the learned Trial Court, it cannot be said that

    such reversal has been made in a cryptic manner. Accordingly, the

    reliance placed by defendant No. 1 on the decision of the Supreme Court

    in Santosh Hazari (Supra) is distinguishable from the facts of the

    present case.

    22. It is pertinent to mention here that the decision rendered by the Supreme

    Court in Vinod Kumar (supra) is also not applicable to the facts of the

    present case, as the learned First Appellate Court has decided the civil

    appeal after duly considering all aspects of the matter in their proper

    perspective. Hence, it cannot be said that any prejudice has been caused

    to defendant No. 1, nor that any valuable right of his has been adversely

    affected so as to deprive him of an opportunity of being heard in the civil

    appeal in accordance with law.

    23. Before parting, it is also apposite to observe that the First Appellate

    Court, being the final Court of fact, has not only considered the

    documentary evidence, particularly the registered sale deed (Ex.P-1), in

    its proper perspective, but has also dealt with the oral evidence and
    18

    surrounding circumstances in a comprehensive manner. The conclusions

    arrived at are neither perverse nor contrary to law. The learned First

    Appellate Court reversed the finding of the learned Trial Court by

    evaluating and examining the evidence available on record. There is no

    illegality or irregularity in the reversal judgment rendered by the First

    Appellate Court. Thus, the question of law framed by this Court on

    07/03/2006 is answered accordingly.

    24. In view of the foregoing analysis and applying the well settled principles

    of law to the facts of the present case, this Court is of the considered

    opinion that the findings recorded by the learned First Appellate Court

    are based on proper appreciation of evidence and correct application of

    law. The substantial questions of law framed in the present appeal are

    answered against the appellant/defendant No.1 and in favour of the

    respondents/ plaintiffs. The substantial question of law is answered in

    the negative, as no failure of consideration of material evidence by the

    First Appellate Court is made out.

    25. Consequently, the present second appeal, being devoid of merit, deserves

    to be and is hereby dismissed. The judgment and decree dated

    25/10/2005 passed by the learned First Appellate Court are affirmed.

    There shall be no order as to costs.

    26. Decree be drawn accordingly.

    Sd/-

    (Bibhu Datta Guru)
    Judge
    Rahul/Gowri



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