LAWS(KAR)-1999-9-68

MALLAPPA Vs. ASSISTANT COMMISSIONER AND LAND ACQUISITION OFFICER

Decided On September 28, 1999
MALLAPPA Appellant
V/S
ASSISTANT COMMISSIONER AND LAND ACQUISITION OFFICER Respondents

JUDGEMENT

(1.) THE short question of law, which is placed before us for determination on a reference made by A.J. Sadashiva, J. and on which the decision of this revision rests, is :

(2.) THE undisputed acts which have lead to filing of the revision by the petitioners may be stated as under : Three petitioners herein are the wife and sons of the first decree-holder Mallappa, since deceased, in Execution No. 359/1992 on the file of the Court below. The execution petition in the said Execution No. 359/1992 was filed by him and two other decree-holders on 5.12.1992 under Order 21 Rule 11 of the C.P.C. for recovery of decretal amount shown therein from the respondent L.A.O. ('the L.A.O.' for short) for recovery of the enhanced compensation that was granted for their acquired land in L.A.C. No. 1141/1977 by the court below on receiving a reference under Section 18 of the Land Acquisition Act. Admittedly, decree-holders 2 and 3 were already dead and they were represented by their respective legal heirs. During the pendency of the execution proceedings, the said decree-holder-1 Mallappa also died on 9.1.1993 leaving behind the petitioners as his legal heirs. Therefore, an application i.e., I.A. No. 2, was made on their behalf in Ex. No. 359/1992 before the executing Court for its permission to come on record in place of the deceased decree-holder Mallappa, as his L.Rs. That application was opposed by the judgment debtor L.A.O. on the ground that they are not entitled to come on record without production of succession certificate in respect of the said decree amount. Thereupon, the Court below following the decision of this court in the case of Kariyamma (supra) found the objection of the judgment-debtor acceptable and passed the impugned order with its operative portion in the following terms :

(3.) WE deem it just and proper to recast the said question in the context of the relevant provision in Section 214 of the Indian Succession Act as follows :