Sachchidanand Singh vs State of U.P. and Another

M.C. Jain, J.—This criminal revision arises out of the judgment and order dated 6.5.1988 passed by Sri Umesh Chandra Misra, learned Additional Sessions Judge, Ballia, in Criminal Revision No. 193 of 1986 which had been filed by the present Respondent No. 2 against the judgment and order dated 17.5.1985 passed by S.D.M., Ballia, in proceedings u/s 145, Code of Criminal Procedure in Case No. 47 of 1984.

The dispute related to a piece of land situated in the east of the house of the present revisionist Sachchidanand Singh and to the south of the present Respondent No. 2 Both of them claimed their possession thereon. Apprehension of breach of peace was reported about the possession in respect of the said piece of land by the police and the learned Magistrate drew preliminary order u/s 145(1), Code of Criminal Procedure on 14.5.1982. Both the parties adduced evidence in respect of their respective claim regarding possession after filing their written statements. The revisionist before this Court was first party before the learned Magistrate. He contended that the disputed land was the part of his old house. As his house had got damaged, he constructed a new portion in the western side and the disputed land was still in his possession. He claimed that the debris of the old house was still lying on the disputed land. Besides examining himself, two other witnesses Raghunandan Kunwar and Jai Narain Singh were examined who supported his claim of possession.

The present Respondent No. 2 Satya Deo Singh figured as second party before the Magistrate and contended that the disputed land lying towards south of his house was part of his house and the debris thereon was of his old house. He also claimed that there existed an opening of his house towards the disputed land. He examined himself and two other witnesses Laxman Singh and Satya Narain in support of his alleged possession. On weighing the respective evidence of the parties, the learned Magistrate decided the question of possession in favour of the first party Sachchidanand Singh. Second party, namely, Satya Deo Singh was restrained from interfering with the lawful possession of the first party unless the revisionist was evicted therefrom in due course of law.

The second party Satya Deo Singh preferred revision before the Sessions Judge, Ballia, which came to be decided by the impugned judgment and order dated 6.5.1988 passed by the learned Additional Sessions Judge, Ballia.

The learned Additional Sessions Judge reappraised the evidence and set aside the finding of possession recorded by the Magistrate in favour of the first party Sachchidanand. He remanded the matter to the Magistrate for decision afresh in the light of the observations made in the body of the judgment. It was also directed that in case of necessity, the Magistrate could himself inspect the spot. Feeling aggrieved, the revisionist has preferred the instant revision before this Court against the judgment and order of the learned Additional Sessions Judge.

I have heard Learned Counsel for revisionist, learned A.G.A. for O.P. No. 1 and Learned Counsel for O.P. No. 2 who was second party in proceedings before the learned Magistrate. It has been argued by Learned Counsel for the revisionist that the learned Additional Sessions Judge exceeded his jurisdiction by entering into reappraisal of the evidence to upset the finding of possession recorded by the learned Magistrate. It is pertinent to observe that proceedings of Section 145, Code of Criminal Procedure are of summary nature meant to prevent the breaking of heads on the question of possession of certain property between rival parties till their rights are decided in relation thereto by a competent Court. It is the established position by a catena of decisions of this Court that finding about possession in proceedings u/s 145, Code of Criminal Procedure recorded by the Magistrate is a finding of fact and the High Court in revision cannot interfere with the decision of the trial Court on the fact of possession so long as there is evidence in support of the finding. There are very few contingencies in which the High Court interferes, such as where the Magistrate�s finding of fact regarding possession is perverse and contrary to a mass of un-rebutted evidence. The revisional Court should not interfere only on the ground that a different view is possible. Ordinarily, the revisional Court ought not to reappraise the evidence and substitute its own finding in place of those of trial Court out of proceedings u/s 145, Code of Criminal Procedure The reasons are that the aggrieved party can obtain full and adequate relief in the civil Court of competent jurisdiction. Moreover, an order u/s 145(4), Code of Criminal Procedure is just an interim arrangement to avoid breach of peace till rival parties get their rights, title and interest determined by a civil Court. That apart, the proceedings u/s 145, Code of Criminal Procedure relate to dispute where there is likelihood of breach of peace. The proceedings have positive nexus with public tranquillity. Reference may be made to the case of Ata Mohammad v. Tulli and Ors. 1986 A LJ 357 and Fateh Mohd. and Anr. v. State of U.P. and Anr. 1986 A LJ 1519.

The Apex Court has also laid down in the case of Banshi Lal and Ors. v. Laxman Singh 1986 SCC 342 , that unless the view of the trial Court is illegal or perverse, High Court cannot interfere with that view merely because it prefers a different view. The revisional power of the High Court is much more restricted in its scope. It was again reiterated by the Apex Court in the case of Pathumma and Another Vs. Muhammad, , that the High Court is not justified in substituting its own view for that of the Magistrate on the question of fact.

Needless to say, the revisional powers exercised by the Sessions Judge u/s 397, Code of Criminal Procedure are akin to those of High Court u/s 401, Code of Criminal Procedure Therefore, what has been ruled about the revisional powers of the High Court in the authorities referred to above, would be applicable to the revisional powers of the Sessions Judge with equal force.

In the present case, it is found that the learned Additional Sessions Judge went beyond the scope of his revisional powers by making reappraisal of the evidence adduced by the parties before the learned Magistrate on the question of possession over the disputed land and substituting his own view to set aside the order of the learned Magistrate. It was admitted by the witnesses of the second party in their cross-examination that the house of the first party Sachchidanand Singh was there to the east of his existing house and that there was a lane to the south of the new house of the second party Satya Deo Singh. The lane being intervening between the new house of Satya Deo Singh and the disputed land, the inference drawn by the learned Magistrate that the disputed land could not be the part of the old house of the second party, could not be termed as perverse. The second party Satya Deo Singh himself admitted in his cross-examination that the old house of the first party Sachchidanand Singh existed to the east of his existing house and to the west of the house of Kumar Kurmi. As such, the admission was indicative of the disputed land being the land of the old house of the first party Sachchidanand Singh. Laxman Singh examined as a witness by the second party Satya Deo Singh also admitted that to the east of the new house of the first party Sachchidanand Singh existed some portion of land belonging to him. His Anr. witness Satya Narain also admitted in his cross-examination that the land to the east of new house of Sachchidanand belonged to him and was the part of his old house. The point of the matter is that the conclusion drawn by the learned Magistrate with regard to possession over the disputed land in favour of the first party Sachchidanand could not be termed to be contrary to the weight of evidence on record. Learned Additional Sessions Judge could not have interfered simply because he preferred a different view.

It is also noted that the learned Additional Sessions Judge based his judgment on certain other factors which are not at all borne out from the record. He observed that there had been interpolation or forgery in respect of the testimony of second parties� witness Satya Narain recorded before the learned Magistrate. The first party Sachchidanand Singh (present revisionist) has categorically averred in the revision petition that no such ground was even taken in the memorandum of revision before the learned Sessions Judge that had been preferred by the second party Satya Deo Singh. Learned Additional Sessions Judge has also remarked that the learned Magistrate had inspected the site but there was no spot inspection report on the record. The revisionist has averred this also in the revision petition that the application for local inspection made by Satya Deo Singh was rejected by the trial Court. That apart, learned Additional Sessions Judge sought to draw conclusion on the basis of the boundaries described in a sale deed executed by a neighbour Kumar Kurmi on 14.10.1974 in favour of a lady, without affording an opportunity to the first party to rebut it.

It is obvious that the learned Additional Sessions Judge was swayed by extraneous factors in addition of the fact that he travelled beyond his scope by reappraising the evidence adduced before the learned Magistrate by the parties on the question of possession. He could not have done so in setting aside the finding recorded by the learned Magistrate in favour of the first party Sachchidanand Singh on the question of possession over the disputed land. The judgment passed by him, suffers from this patent impropriety.

The revision is, therefore, allowed. The judgment and order dated 6.5.1988 passed by the learned Additional Sessions Judge, Ballia, are set aside and the order of the Magistrate dated 17.5.1985 are hereby restored which shall be given effect to. Interim stay order dated 19.5.1988 stands vacated.