Maroti
& Ors Vs. Devrao & Ors [1998] INSC 543 (17 November 1998)
Sujata
V. Manohar, G.B. Pattanaik.
ACT:
HEAD NOTE:
O R D
E R By an earlier judgment & order of this Court dated llth March 1969 in
Civil Appeal No .306 of 1966 between the original appellant and the original
respondents in the same proceedings. this Court gave the following directions:
"The
order passed by the High Court is set aside, and the proceeding stands,
remanded to the Tahsildar with the direction that he do determine determine
whether Dadarao continued to remain a protected tenant till tile date on which
he claimed to exercise his right to purchase the land and whether Nivrutti
acquired the rights or a protected tenant and if so, whether he was entitled to
exercise the right to purchase the land, and if both Dadarao and Nivrutti were
entitled to purchase the land or any part thereof the extent to which each of
them was entitled and to what extent. The Tribunal will decide the question
with the least practical delay and dispose of the right and obligations of the
parties according to law. No order as to costs." These directions were
given because there was a dispute between the original appellant Nivrutti and
the original respondent Dadarao in respect of the right to claim protected tenancy
under the Hyderabad Tenancy & Agricultural Lands Act, 1950 and the benefit
under Section 38 flowing therefrom.
The
dispute related to 10 acres and 34 gunthas of land in Survey No. 73. Sutardara
in village Pathan Mandwa Taluka Mominabad, District Bihar. The original
respondent claimed to be a protected tenant in respect of the said land. He
relied upon Revenue entries in his favour as a protected tenant since 1950-51.
He had made an application for correction of revenue entries of subsequent
year.
Ultimately,
the entries were corrected and a certificate as a protected tenant under
Section 34 of the said Act was granted by the Deputy Collector or, 19.12.56.
The
original appellant claimed to be in possession of the said land on 12.3.66 when
Section 37A was introduced in the said Act. He has obtained a certificate as a
protected tenant under Section 37A in respect of 6 acres and 16 gunthas of land
on 7th of September, 1957. According to the appellant, the rights of the
respondent are extinguished by virtue of the proviso to Section 37A of the said
Act.
After
remand it has been found that the appellant Nivrutti was in possession of the
said land on 12.3.56 as a tenant. The respondent Dadarao is a protected tenant
under Section 34. We have to examine whether under the proviso to Section 37A
(1) as it then stood, the rights of the respondent as a protected tenant have
been extinguished.
Section
37A, at the relevant time, was as fellows:
37-A
(1) Notwithstanding anything contained in this Act, every person who at the
commencement of the Hyderabad Tenancy and Agricultural Lands (Amendment) Act,
1955 holds as tenant any land in respect of which he is not deemed to be a
protected tenant under this Act, shall be deemed to be a protected tenant if
the total area of the land owned by the land-holder including the land under
the cultivation of his tenants is more than three times the area of a family
holding for the local area concerned;
Provided
that nothing in this section shall affect the rights of any other person who already
holds a protected tenancy certificate in respect of such land or whose rights
as protected tenant are under investigation before a competent authority, if
such other person applies to the Tribunal for safeguarding his rights within a
period of six months from the commencement of the Hyderabad Tenancy and
Agricultural Lands (Amendment) Act. 1955" This section was introduced by
reason of the Hyderabad Tenancy and Agricultural Land (Amendment) Act. 1955 which came
into force on 12.3.56. Under the newly added Section 37A a person holding any
land as a tenant on 12.3.56 though not deemed to be a protected tenant prior to
the said Amendment Act, shall on and from 12th of March, 1956 be deemed to be a
protected tenant of the land. The proviso to Section 37A(1), however, makes it
clear that Section 37A(1) shall not affect the rights of any person who already
holds a certificate as a protected tenant in respect of the said land or whose
rights as a protected tenant under the unamended Act are under investigation
before a competent authority. Thus the existing right as a protected tenant and
the existing right to be declared a protected tenant is preserved if such a
person applies to the Tribunal for safeguarding his rights within six months of
12.3.56.
The
High Court has come to the conclusion that the right of the respondent whose
claim as a protected tenant was under investigation when Section 37A came into
force, is not extinguished by virtue of the proviso to Section 37A(1).
The
respondents' claim as a protected tenant was. during the relevant period from
12.3.56 and for six months thereafter, being investigated before the same
Tribunal to which an application for safeguarding his rights by such a person
is contemplated under the proviso to Section 37A(1).
His
application was. in effect an application to safeguard his rights.
'Tribunal'
is defined under Section 2(W) of the said Act as "Agricultural Lands
Tribunal" constituted under sub-section (1) of Section 87 for the area
concerned. Where no such Tribunal has been constituted under Section 2(W)(ii)
by the Deputy Collector or other officer authorised under sub-section (4) of
Section 87 will be the "Tribunal". The proviso to Section 37A
contemplates an application to the "Tribunal" so defined. In the
present case since the claim of the respondent to be a protected tenant was
being investigated by the Deputy Collector, who was also the Tribunal for the
purposes of the proviso Section 37A. the High Court has held that a separate
application was not necessary and the pursuit by the reappointing of the
proceedings claiming protected tenancy, in these circumstances, can be
considered as also an application to the Tribunal for safeguarding his rights
under the Proviso to Section 37A. This is entirely because the authority before
whom the application was pending is the same authority as the Tribunal under
the proviso. The same Tribunal has ultimately granted to the respondent the
certificate of protected tenant on 19.12.56. The rights which are granted under
this certificate cannot be held as extinguished in these circumstances.
It was
submitted by the appellant that the Tribunal under the proviso to Section 37A(1)
was the Tahsildar and not the Deputy Collector. Therefore, the respondent does
not fulfil the requirements of the proviso to Section 37A.
The
High Court, however, in its impugned judgment has pointed out that the
authority to whom an application is to be made under the proviso to Section 37A
was designated to be the Tahsildar only by Notification of 11.10.56. At the
material time, in the absence of any Notification. Section 2(W)(ii) would be
applicable, as rightly held by the High Court. The Tribunal at the material time,
was the Deputy Collector.
In the
premises the High Court has rightly upheld the claim of the original
respondent. The appeal is, therefore dismissed. There will however, be no order
as to costs.
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