MUSAMMAT BAKHTI KUAR Vs. PANDIT GANGA PRASAD

JUDGEMENT

(1.) THIS is an appeal by the defendants in a suit for ejectment. The land in suit was at one time grove land situated in the neighbourhood of the city of Cawnpore. It is now waste land which, according to the finding of the learned District Judge, has wholly lost the character of a grove. THIS Ending does not seem to be challenged in the memorandum of appeal before us, but in any case it is obviously correct. On the pleadings it was admitted that the plaintiff was the Zemindar of the land and that the defendants entered into possession as tenants of the plaintiff. The possession of the defendant, therefore, was that of grove-holders. They have been cutting down the trees and building houses. The suit in ejectment is brought on the ground that a cause of action for the ejeetment of the defendants accrued to the plaintiff when the land entirely lost the character of a grove, The learned District Judge has held that this happened well within twelve years of the institution of the suit, so that there is no bar of limitation in the plaintiff s way, The defendants have raised various pleas in their memorandum of appeal, but in substance their pleas amount to this: That one house at least upon the land in suit was built wore than twelve years prior to the institution of the suit and that the building of this house alone would set limitation running against the plaintiff. We agree with the learned District Judge that the building of one house would not necessarily in itself, and in the absence of further evidence as to the terms of the contraet between the parties, cause the land to lose its character of a grove, or give the plaintiff a cause of action for a suit in ejectment. We, therefore, overrule this plea and dismiss this appeal with costs, including fees on the higher scale.