RANJIT MISSIR Vs. RAMUDAR SINGH

JUDGEMENT

(1.) This appeal is directed against an order of the Court of Appeal below modifying, in favour of the plaintiffs- respondents, an order of the primary Court by which mesne profits were assessed in execution of a decree. The defendant- appellant assails the order as made without jurisdiction, because, it is contended, the only Court competent to hear an appeal against the order of the Subordinate Judge, was this Court. This view has been controverted on behalf of the plaintiffs-respondents, and it has further been urged that, if it be taken to be well founded, the present appeal itself must be deemed incompetent. To appreciate the full effect of these conflicting arguments, it is necessary to refer for a moment to the previous history of this litigation.

(2.) The plaintiffs sued the defendant in ejectment and for recovery of mesne profits. The claim was valued at Rs. 2,100, viz., Rs. 1,725 for the value of the land and Rs. 375 as the approximate value of the mesne profits for three years antecedent to the suit. The Subordinate Judge decreed the claim on the 16th September 1905, and on appeal, his decision was affirmed by the District Judge on the 22nd June 1906. The plaintiffs subsequently executed the decree and obtained delivery of possession of the land. Later, on the 3rd July 1908, they applied to the Court for assessment of mesne profits, and valued their claim at Rs. 7,549. A Commissioner was appointed to lake the accounts, and he reported that the plaintiffs were entitled to recover Rs. 3,690 as mesne profits. The Subordinate Judge heard the objections of the parties and made a decree for only Rs. 962. The plaintiffs appealed against this decision to the District Judge and valued their appeal at Rs. 2,728, i.e., the difference between the sum assessed by the Commissioner and the sum allowed by the Subordinate Judge. The substance of the matter, therefore, was that although the plaintiffs had in their application valued the claim at Rs. 7,549, they reduced it to Rs. 3,690. The defendant filed a cross-appeal and valued it at Rs. 962, the sum awarded by the Subordinate Judge; in other words, he practically denied his liability to pay mesne profits. The District Judge heard the matter on the merits, allowed the appeal in fall, and dismissed the cross-appeal. The result thus was that the plaintiffs obtained a decree for Rs. 3,690, the sum assessed by the Commissioner. They have paid ad valorem Court-fees upon the full amount as required by the statute, and a decree has been drawn up in their favour. The defendant has now appealed to this Court, and on his behalf, it has been contended that the appeal to the District Judge was incompetent as the true value of the suit exceeded Rs. 5,000. This contention is clearly well founded. The suit was, no doubt, originally valued at Rs. 2,100, inclusive of a sum of Rs. 375 as the estimated value of the mesne profits antecedent to the suit. This amount, however, was subsequently altered at the instance of the plaintiffs to Rs. 7,549 and ultimately reduced to Rs. 3,690. The real value of the suit, therefore, was Rs. 5,415, and an appeal against the decree of the Subordinate Judge assessing the mesne profits could thus be entertained only by this Court. This view is supported by the decision of the Full Bench in Ijjatulla v. Chandra Mohan 6 C.L.J. 255 : 34 C. 954 : 11 C.W.N. 1133. As pointed out by the Full Bench, the forum of appeal cannot be determined by reference to the arbitrary valuation initially put forward by the plaintiffs; it must be regulated by the real valuation as ultimately settled at their instance. This view is well founded on principle, as explained in the cases of Golap Singh v. Indra Coomar 9 C.L.J. 367 : 13 C.W.N. 493 : 5 M.L.T. 360 1 Ind. Cas. 86 and Bhupendra Kumur v. Puma Chandra 13 C.L.J. 132 : 8 Ind. Cas. 34 : 15 C.W.N. 506 to which we adhere, notwithstanding the contrary view of the Allahabad High Court in Sudarshan Das Shastri v. Ram Pershad 33 A. 97 : 7 Ind. Cas. 34 : 15 C.W.N. 963 and Sudarshan Das v. Ram Prashad 10 Ind. Cas. 402. The case of Kali Kamal v. Fuzlur Rahman 15 C.W.N. 454 : 7 Ind. Cas. 778 is clearly distinguishable, as there the plaintiffs did not take any steps to increase the valuation tentatively put forward by application and payment of Court-fees in the original Court; but they tried to raise the valuation on appeal. This, it was held, could not confer a right of second appeal contrary to the express prohibition in the statute, and it may be pointed out that this view accords with that taken in the cases of Madho Das v. Ramji 16 A. 286 A.W.N. (1894) 84 and Goswami Sri Raman v. Desraj 32 A. 222 : 7 A.L.J. 203 : 5 Ind. Cas. 875. The inference is irresistible that the appeal presented against the order of the Subordinate Judge lay to this Court, and not to the Court of the District Judge, The contention of the appellants must, therefore, be upheld.

(3.) Two questions now require consideration, viz., first, whether the appellant has waived the objection to the jurisdiction of the District Judge now urged before this Court, and, secondly, whether the present appeal is, incompetent by reason of the fact that the order of the District Judge was made without jurisdiction.