RAJINDER Vs. MOORTI SHRI RADHA KRISHAN JI

JUDGEMENT

(1.) FACTS leading to the present Regular Second Appeal are as under :

(2.) RESPONDENT No. 1-plaintiff through its devotee and next friend Shri Maman Chand son of Mool Chand filed suit for possession against appellant -defendant No. 1 and respondent Nos. 7 to 11-defendant Nos. 2 to 6 for possession of the property in dispute. Plea has been taken that plaintiff Nos. 2 to 4 through whom suit has been filed on behalf of Moorti Shri Radha Krishan Ji Maharaj Brajman Mandir Shri Radha Krishan and defendant Nos. 3 to 6 are Makboozadars in possession of plot of land bearing Khewat No. 16 khata No. 42, Khasra No. 473(1K-2M) situated in the revenue estate of Hidayatpur Chhaoni, Tehsil and District Gurgaon, as per jamabandi for the year 1972-73. On the northern portion of the said plot of land, there exists a temple, which is private temple of plaintiff Nos. 2 to 4 and defendant Nos. 3 to 6. Moorti Shri Radha Krishan Ji Maharaj is the presiding Deity in the said temple. In the site plan filed with the plaint, the temple was described by letters 'ABCDEF' and the boundaries of the temple have been given as under :-

(3.) APPELLANT -defendant No. 1 and defendant No. 2 filed written statement contesting the suit of plaintiffs, inter alia, on the ground that the temple is not a private temple and that the same is a public temple and that plaintiff-defendant Nos. 3 to 6 are not the owners of the temple. It is also denied that status of makboozadars is akin to status of proprietor. It is also denied that defendants had taken forcible possession of the Mandir. Rather specific plea has been taken that they are in possession of the temple as Pujari since the time of their forefathers and that earlier their forefathers were pujaris of the temple and that as per the custom pujari cannot be removed from the temple, as defendants and earlier their forefathers had been serving in the temple as pujaris, as a matter of right. Hence, it is contended that plaintiffs are having no right to take possession of the temple.