‘in
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‘SMT. RAJ RANI
Vv.
_. CHIEF SETTLEMENT .COMMISSIONER DELHI AND ORS.
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May 3, 1984
[D A. Desal, "AMARENDRA NATH SEN AND R.B Misra JJ]
Evidence Act—S. 35—Scope of. Whether certificate of death. given by respectable persons of the place where deceared once resided admissible in evidence. Held no. . . .
, Nenak Chand, ‘father of the appellant, a displiced ‘person from West Pakistan and having a verified claim in fiis name for .some land, disappeared some time in December 1954, A report about his. disappearance was
_ lodged by the appellant’s brother, Dewan Chand, Respondent No. 2, with
_ the local police in Punjab. The police made an enquiry in the matter and
- ultimately gave out that Nanak Chand could not be traced. In response to a notice issued jn the year 1956 in suo moto revision in regard to the verified claim, in the absence of Nanak Chard, Dewan Chand appeared and alleged
, bat Nanak Chand. had died Jeaving behind three sons including him as the only legal heirs. Dewan Chand produced a certificate to the effect that Nanak -Chand had died one year and 10 months prior to 25th October, 1956. The certificate was issued on his request by some respectable persons of the place where the family once resided. The * Additional Settlement Commissioner, Delhi, by his order dated 27th October, 1956 allowed the application for substitution’ and directed the three sons to be brought on record as legal representatives of the deceased Nanak Chand although Nanak Chand had left behind three sons, three daughters including
- the-appellant and his widow. The appellant, in an attempt to have her name substituteds: filed a revision application against the order -of the vs Additional Settlement Commissioner before the Chief Settlement Commis- sioner under. s 5,of the Displaced Persons (Claims) Supplementary Act, 1954.. By his order dated 25th September, 1965, the Chief Settlement
-Commissioner ccnfirmed the order of the Additional Settlement Commissioner dated 27th October, 1956 and dismissed the revision appli- . _cation of -the appellant without affording an ‘opportunity of being heard to the :ppellant: The High Coyrt dismissed the appellant’s writ petition and Leiters Patent Appeal against the order of the Chief Settlement Commis¢ioner. The High Court observed. that the Additional Settlement Commissioner
’ acted rightly in rel$ing upon the death certificate produced by“Dewas Chand and substituting the sons of Nanak Chand as heirs of the deceased of his verified claim. Hence this appeal. —
“Allowing the appeal, -
>
HELD: A cértificate given by respectable persons of ‘the place
_where the deceased once resided,. to say the least, is not admissible in evidence, Sec. 35 of theeviderce Act provides that anentry in any public or other official book, register, or record, stating a fact in issue or
‘relevant fdet, and mede by a public scrvant in the discharge of his official duty, or by apy other person in performance. of a duty, ~ specially enjoined by the Jaw of the country in which such book, register or record is kept, is itself a relevant fact. [769B-C]
In the instant case a certificate by certain respectable person of the place where the family once resided doés'not satisfy the requirements of
' s.35 of the evidence Act. There is mo. proof that any statutory duty was .
-cast upon the person issuing the certificate to keep a record of birth and death and therefore, the certificate of ‘death has-no evidentiary value. It is very easy for.a person to obtain a death certificate from the socalled respectable persons in order to grab the property.’ If according to Dewan’ Chand, Nanak Chand had died hetmust also indicate where did he die and it is the place. of his death which will be relevant and not the place of his birth or residence, The certificate obviously is not of the place where
-Nanak Chand died. The authorities have gravely-erred in relying upon the certificate of death which was inadmissible in. evidence. [769D-E]
To see whether daughters would be entitled to interest in the property left by Nanak Chand will depend upon the death of Nanak ‘Chand before.or after the enforcement of Hindu Suctession Act’ and to decide as to when’ Nanak Chand died it wag absolutely essential that an: opportunity should have been offered to the appellant in accordance with the Principles _ of natural justice. [769H; 770A]
Civ APPELLATE Jurispiction : Civil Appeal No, 485 of 1971. ot oo
From the Judgment..and Order dated the 29th January, 1970 of the Delhi High Court in Let ers Patent Appeal No, 8/70.
D.D. Thakur, E.C. Agarwela and V.K. Penditia for the Appellant. , -
. Chaman Lal Itrora for the Respondent. “The Judgment of the Court was delivered by
Misra, J. The present appeal by ‘certificate is directed against the judgment of the High Court of Delhi dated 29th January, 1970 ° in letters patint appeel ccnfirming the judgment and order- of the " Ioarned Single jadee of the High Court dated 7th Yanuary, 1970,
SUPREME COURT REPORTS A384 3S.CR, | ay re
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RAJ RANI. ¥. SETTLEMENT COMMR. (Misra, J.)
Nanak Chard, father of the appellant was a displaced person .
from West Pakistan where he had left agricultural lands ‘in village Chhota Bhukh Autar, tehsil Bahawal ,Nagar, district Bahawalpur. After the partition of the country his claim beating Index No. B/BP- 3/259 was verified in his name for 26 standard acres 12% units. Nanak
' Chand disappeared sometime in December, 1954 anda report about ‘his disappearance was lodged. by the appellant’s brother Dewan
Chand, arrayed in this appeal as respondent No. 2, on 25th December, 1954 with the local police, Malhout, district Ferozepur,
. Punjab. An enquiry was made by the police in the matter and ’ ultimately the police gave out that Nanak Chand could not be traced.
In the year 1956 a notice was issued i in suo moto revision in. regard to. the verified claim referred to above, .by the Additional Settlement Commissioner, Delhito Nannk Chand, claimant. As Nanak Chand could not and did not appear in compliance. with the notice, the eldest brother of the appellant, namely, Dewan Chand, appeared before the Additional Settlement Commissioner, Delhi on October 25, 1956 and alleged that Nanak Chand had ‘died leaving behind three sons, namely, Dewan Chand, Prabhu Dayal and Ashok
Kumar (minor) as the only legal heirs of the deceased..
The learned Additional Settlement’ Commissioner by his order | dated 27th October, .1956 allowed the application for. substitution and directed Dewan Chand, Prabhu Dayal and Ashok Kumar alone
_to be brought on the record as legal repres¢ ntatives of ‘the déceased
Nanak Chand, although Nanak Chand had left behind the aforesaid three sons, thtee daughters, namely, Satnat” Devi, Lajwanti and
Smt. Raj Rani, and his widow Smt. Chandan Bai. |
Prabhu Dayal; « one of .the three sons of Nanak Chand died in 196] leaving behind his daughter Santosh Kumari. His widow Smt.
’ Lajwanti applied:for being substituted as an heir of the deceased alongwith her minor daughter Santosh Kumari... In 1964 the mother of the appellant also gpplied to the Settlement Officer that she and her ‘three daughters may also be substituted as heirs and legal repre- ‘sentatives of Nanak Chand: deceased regarding payment of :compén-— gation in respect of the verified claim They also prayed for condonation of delay in filing the application for substitution and ' for initiating proceedings under s.9 of the Displaced’ Persons. ‘(Compensation and Rehabilitation Act, 1954. The Settlement.
DB.
’ i
SUPREME COURT REPORTS " . [1984] 3 scr.
Officer cocerned recommended for condonation of delay in his report dated 24th March, 1964 to the Regional Settlement Commissioner,. Rajasthan with the delegated powers of Chief Settlement Commis-
. sioner, Rajasthan, who by his order dated 6th April, 1964 condoned the delay and directed that. the case niay: be processed and finalised according to rules. s
When the relevant record was received by the M.O,/S.O. Rajasthan, the appellant’s mother alleged that the previous order of substitution of heirs of Nanak Chand, deceasad, had been.obtained by fraud and mis-representation practised by her sons inasmuch as
. they did not disclose in their application for substitution the exis- tence of the appellant, her mother and sisters.. The M.O.-cum-S.0O. by his order dated November 16, 1964, dismissed the application of the mother of the appellant on the ground that the ‘previous order dated 27th October, 1956 passed by the Additional Settlement Commissiner declaring only three sons of Nanak Chand deceased as his heirs, to the exclusion of deceased’s widow and daughters-was never challenged by way of an appeal or revision, so the said order had assumed finality. He, therefore, declined to’ interfere and refused to grant redress. The nother of the appellant on “hes own behalfand on behalf of -her three daughters, including ‘the appellant,. filed an appeal ia the Court of the Regional Settlement Commissioner which came up before Shri S.S. Govilla, S.O. with delegated powers.of Regional Settlement Commissioner (Rajasthan) ©
‘and he by his order dated 22nd December, 1964 dismissed the same,
The mother of the appellant undaunted by the failures, filed a révision petition before the Chief Settlement Commissioner, which came up for hearing before Shri D.N. Vohra, Settlement Commissioner with delegated powers of Chief Settlement Commissioner, and he also took the view that the order dated 1gth December,
_ 1954 passed by the Additional Settlement Commissioner had become final and he had no jurisdiction to revise or amend the said order, and accordingly he dismissed the revision’ Thereafter the mother moved the Central Government under $. 33 of the Displaced Persoris (Compensation and Rehabilitation) Act, 1954 on her own behalf as well as on behalf of the appellant but the application was dismissed by the Central Government, Ministry of Rehabilitiation. On 30th August, 1965 the appellant also filed a revision against the order of .
_ the Additional Settlement Commissioner before the Chief Settlement
Commissioner under s. 5 of the Displaced Persons (Supplementary)
~*~
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Ray RANI p. SETTLEMENT COMMR. (Misra, J.) .
Verification of Claims Act, 954, but this also met with the same fate on 25th September, i965.without affording an opportunity of being heared to the appellant.
The appellant eventually filed a writ petition before the High
‘Court. of Dzthi giving rise to the present appeal against the orders dated 25th September, 1965, passed by the Chief Settlement Commissioner, Delhi whereby he confirmed the order,dated 27th October, 1956 passed by the Additional Settlement Commissioner, refusing to substitute the appellant as legal heir of Nanak Chand, deceased. The writ petition was dism'ssod by an order dated 7th January, 1970.
The-appellant unsuccessfully filed a letters patent appeal which was dismissed on 29th January, 1970. Feeling aggrieved the appellant applied for a certificate under Art. 133 of the Constitution, which was granted. This is how the appellant has come to this Court. .
It, is contended for the’ appellant that on 27th October, 1956 she was a minor when the order was. obtained by fraud and mis-
' represzntation by Dewan Chand, without disclosing: the names of
-other heirs viz. the appellant and her mother and two sisters. The appellant filed revision petition under s. 5 of Claims (Supplementary) .
Act (12 of 1954) on 27th of November, 1964 before the learned ~
Chief Settlement Commissioner, who without hearing the appellant
_ and without affording her any opportuaity to substantiate’ her pleas, dismissed the revision petition on 25th September, 1965. This was in Violation of the principle of natural justice.
The High Court chose to rely on the deposition of Dewan
Chand, respondent: No. 2, to the effect that his father had been.
murdered and he produced a certificate of death before the Chief Settlement Commissioner certifying that Nanak Chand died one year ten months prior to 25th October, 1956 and this certificate is alleged to have been given-on the application filed by Dewan Chand before the Président of the Municipal Committee, Abohar. The learned Single Judge of the High Court observed that the Additional Settlement Commissioner acted rightly in relying upon the cirtificate and substituting the sons of Nanak Chand as heirs of the deceased to his verified claim, on the ground that as Nanak Chand had died
‘prior to the enforcement of the Hindu Succession Act his daughters.
would not be heirs and conld not succeed to the property of their
* . father.
SUPREME COURT REPORTS — [1984] 3s.c.k
Shri Thakur, learned counsel for the appellant strenuously contended ‘that if he had been given an opportunity by the Chief
‘Settlement Commissioner he would have been able to produce the evidence before him that on the own admission of ‘Dewan Chard, Nanak Chand had disappeared sometime in December, 1954 and axeport about his disappearance was lodged by Dewan Chand .on
‘25th December, 1954 with the local police; Malhout, district _ Ferozepur .and asa result of- an enquiry. the police gave out that
_. Nanak Chand could not bé traced..- This evidence could not be produced before. the Chief Settlement Commissioner because the appellant was not heard, °
The decision of this case hinges on the question whether . Nanak Chand had died. before or after the enforcement of the Hindu
Succession Act. Ifhe died before the enforcement of the Hindu
~ Succession Act obviously the daughters could not get any share in _ the property left by Nanak Chand. Ifon the other hand he died — after the enforcement of the Hindu Succession Act, the daughters would be equally entitied to .a share in the property left by Nanak Chand. In any case the widow of Nanak Chand would be entitled toa share inthe property ‘irrespective of the fact whether Nanak Chand died before or after the Hindu Succession Act. This aspect of the case has been completely lost sight of by the High Court.
° “If Nanak Chand disappeared in December, 1954 on the report of
D:wan Chand himself and has not been heard of for seven years by
- ‘those who would naturaily have heard of him if he has been alive, there could be raised. a presumption of death when: the question arises. But in the instant case no presumption arises as the question
_ arose just two years after the date of ‘disappearance,
As regards the actual date of. death the High Court calng with:
the death certificate 0 obstrved as . follows + .
“As an administrative officer doing quasi-Judicial work, os the Additional Setilement Commissioner was entitled to give ;
- eredence to the death. certificate. He was bound’ only to. - make a preliminary enquiry as to who were the heirs of.
’ Nanak Chand. He did not hove to. decide that question finally. For a preliminary enquiry the death certificate singed by the respectable persons -of the place where the — family resided was sufficient. Therefore, the Additional Settlement Commissioner was satisfied that the substitution we dence. Sec. 35 of the evidence Act provides that‘an entry in any
RA? RANI v. SETTLEMENT COMMR. (Misra, J.)
of the sons of Nanak Chand in place of the deceased would _ not prejudicially affect his daughter. It was not, therefore, _ necessary for him to have given an opportunity to the ' daughter of being heard under sub-section (2).of section 5 of *the Displaced , Petsons (Claims) Supplementary. Act, 1954.”
Ac certi ificate given. by: cespectable persons of the place where the deceased once resided, to say the least, is not admissible in evi- public or other official ‘book, register, or tecord, stating a fact in issue or relevant’ fact, and made by a public servant in the discharge.
of his official duty, or by any other person in performance of a duty
- specially enjoinzd by th: law of.the country.in which such book, _ register ox record is kept, is itself a relevant fact.
_ death has no evidentiary value. It is very easy for a person to obtain
In the instant case a certificate ‘by certain respectable person of the place where the family once resided does not satisfy the requirments of s. 35 of the evidence Act. There is n> proof that any statutory duty was castupon the person issuing the certificate to keep a record of birth and death and therefore, the certificate of death. certificate from the socalled respectable persons in order to
‘grab the property.. If according to D2wan Chand, Nanak Chand .. bad died he must also indicate where did he die and itis the place .. of his death which will be relevant -and not the place of his birth or residence. The. certificate obviously is not of the place where
_Nanak Chand died. We.are of the view the authorities have gravely
.etred in relying upon the certificate of death which was indmissible _ 10 evidence... oo
?
_ “The High Court repelled the contention raised on behalf of the - _ appellant that opportunity should have been given to the appellant under s. 5 (2) of the Displaced Persons (Claim) Supplementary Act,
1954 merely on the assumption that Nanak Chand. had died much ¢
- before the enforcement of the Hindu Succession Act and, therefore,
_ no, prejudice has been caused to the daughters as they would not be’ . an heir. . It is simply begging’ the’ question. Whether - daughers would be entitled.to an interest in the property left by Nanak Chand will depend upon the. death of Nanak Chand -before or after the enforcement of Hindu Succession Act. It was an important question, therefore, to decide whether Nanak Chand died’ before the enforce.
769.
L
"SUPREME COURT REPORTS [1984] 3 S.c.R.
ment of Hindu Succession Act or not.. For that it was absolutely essential that an opportuaity should have been afforded to the appellant in accordance with the principle: of natural justice. As observed earlier , if an opportunity had been given to the appellant she would have produced the admission of Dewan’ Chand that his father Nanak Chand disappeared sometim: in December, [054 and
-asaresult of-an enquiry by-the police, no trace of him could be
' the Hindu. Succession Act, based on the death certificate, cannot be .
found out.
' The find: ng that Nanak Chand died before the enforcement of sustained for a moment as itis based on an inadmissible piece of evidence. Ifthat finding is set aside, there is no escape from the conclusion that Nanak Chand died not before but after the enforcement of the Hindu Succession Acf, that-is, after 25th October, 1956.
.
‘There is no dispute that Nanak Chand died leaving behind. — his widow,. three sons and three daughters. D:wan Chand fraudu- lently obtained on order alleging that Nanak Chand died leaving behind only three sons, If Nanak Chand died after the —— enforcement of the. Hindu Succession Act, as found earlier, obviously, his widow, three sons and three daughters would succeed _ to his interest in equal shares, which would work out to 1/7th. Now the question arises what was the. interest of Nanak Chand - at the tine of his death. As ths’ property in question was - Mitakshaia coparcenery property, his interest would be determined in accordance with the provisions of Explanation I of s. 6 of the Hindu Succession Act. It would be. appropriate at this stage to read s. 6 _insofar as
- it is material for the Purpose of this case :
“6, When a male Hindu dies after the commencement of this Act, having at the time of his death'an interest in a Mitakshara coparcenery property, his interest in the pro-
' petty, shall devolve by survivorship upon the suftviving members of the coparcenery and not in accordance with this Act : ; .
Provided that, if the deceased had left him. survivinga - .
' female relative specified in Class I of the Schedule or a male relative, specified in that class who claims, through such . female relative, the interest of the deceased in the Mitak- .
shara coparcenery property shall devolve by testamentary
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RAJ RANI y, SETTLEMENT Coma. (Misra, J.)
of intestate succession, as the cas? may be, under this Act and. not by survivorship. - ‘Explanation I. —For the purposes of this section, the interest of a Hindu Mitakshara coparcenery shall be deemed to be the share in the property that wotld have been. allotted to him ifa partition’ of the property had taken . place immediately before his death, “irrespective of whether he was entitled fo claim partition: or not.”’
The interest of Nanak Chand shall be ‘deeméd to be the share in the. property that would have been allotted to him if a partition .
of the property had taken place immediately before his death irrespective of whether he’ was entitled to claim partition or not. In
> view of Explanation I of's. 6, Nanak Chand would have got 1/5th .
interest on partition -b2tween him -and his wife aud three sons. If Once the interest of Nanak Chand is determined to be I/5th before his death, his interest would devolve upon his widow, three. sons - and three daughters equally and thus the share of each one of them would be 1/5 X1/7, that is, 1/35th each. The. claim of these heirs.
cannot be denied merely because some of them have not advanced the claim. . When the question of.determination of share among the
TT heirs crops up before the Court, the Court has to see that.every heir -
. getshis duc. Shri Itrora appzaring for the respondents could not
‘successfully meet the point raised on behalf of the appellant.
. For the foregoing discussion the appeal must succeed and it “ is accordingly allowed ard the judgment of the High Court as well, as of the authorities below are setjaside and shares of the chree sons, three daughters and the widow are determined as follows: Each of the three sons—1/35; éach of the hréee daughters—1/35; the widow— 1/35+1/5. As the widow has inherited the interest of her husband after his death her share would be augmented by 1/5. Therefore, * her share would come to 1/35+ 1/5= 8/35.
In the circumstances of the case we direct the parties to bear _ their own costs.
AS K. Appeal allowed.