DEO SARAN SINGH Vs. BARHU SINGH

JUDGEMENT

(1.) THE plaintiffs, who are the appellants in this appeal, sued for redemption in respect of four mortgage bonds relating to plots Nos. 296, 831, 850 and 858 of khata No. 109 situate in village Harpur Akauna.

(2.) THE case of the plaintiffs is that the khata in question was their raiyati kasht land, and from time to time their family being in need of money borrowed from the defendants various sums of money under the bonds in suit. THE first bond (Ex. 1-c) is dated the 16th of July 1927, under which a sum of Rs. 200/- was borrowed from the defendant No. 1. THE next (Ex. 1-b) is dated the 10th of August, 1928, under which a similar sum of money was borrowed from Doman Das, the husband of defendant No. 9. THE third (Ex. 1) is dated the 2nd of June 1930, in favour of defendants 11 to 14 for a sum of Rs. 190, and the last one (Ex. 1-a) is dated the 14th of July, 1930 for Rs. 200/-from the defendant No. 15. THE total area given in rehan covered almost the enure khata except for a small area of 2 1/2 kathas of land which is said to have remained in possession of the mortgagors. THE plaintiffs alleged that when they wanted to redeem the mortgage, the defendants refused to accept the mortgage dues on the ground that the entire holding had been sold in execution of a rent decree. THE plaintiffs learnt that the said 'purchase was by the defendants-mortgagees themselves in the name of their relations, and that the ex parts rent decree in execution of which the sale had taken place was a fraudulent and collusive decree at the instance of the defendants who had suppressed the processes and got the lands sold in execution with a view to purchase the same. THE plaintiffs further stated that the mortgagees in spite of the fraudulent decree and sale continued to be in possession of the property, and their character as mortgagees had never changed, the plaintiffs as such being entitled to redemption. It was also stated by the plaintiffs that under the mortgage deeds in question the mortgagees were liable to pay rent to the landlord and they could not take advantage of their default in paying the rent to the detriment of the plaintiffs in getting the ex parte decree passed and purchasing the property themselves in execution of such a decree with a dishonest, intention of wiping out the mortgage.

(3.) THE Courts below have concurrently found after a careful consideration of the evidence on record that it had been" established that the lands in suit had been purchased by the rehandars themselves. In fact, the finding of the trial Court that the auction-purchases were made by the rehandars themselves was not even challenged before the Court of appeal below. THE learned Munsif held that the documents (Exs. 1 to 1-b) showed that the mortgagees were liable to pay rent in respect of the lands mortgaged to them, but so far as Ex. 1-C, is concerned, namely, the earliest bond in favour of the defendant No. 1 Barhu Singh, there was nothing to show that the mortgagee under the terms of the bond undertook to pay the liability, and the plaintiffs' evidence that there was some oral agreement between the parties under which all the mortgagees undertook to pay the rent irrespective of the terms of the bond was not accepted. THE learned Munsif accordingly held that besides the said mortgagees themselves, the plaintiffs were liable to pay rent in respect of 2 1/2 kathas of the holding in question which remained in possession of the plaintiffs' family and also in respect of the land given in mortgage to defendant No. 1, and as such, there was default on the part of the plaintiffs as well in not paying rent to the landlord. He also found that there was no fraud or coliusion so far as the rent decree and execution was concerned, and consequently the plaintiffs were not entitled to redeem the mortgage bonds and to take advantage of their own default resulting in the sale of the disputed lands.