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PETITIONER: STATE OF GUJARAT

       Vs.

RESPONDENT: NARGES K. PANTHAKY

DATE OF JUDGMENT02/11/1995

BENCH: RAMASWAMY, K. BENCH: RAMASWAMY, K. HANSARIA B.L. (J)

CITATION:  1996 AIR  739            1996 SCC  (1) 298  JT 1995 (9)   294        1995 SCALE  (6)602

ACT:

HEADNOTE:

JUDGMENT:                          O R D E R      Leave granted.      The  proceedings   were  initiated  under  the  Gujarat Agricultural Lands  Ceiling Act, 1960 [for short, "the Act"] to determine  the ceiling  area and  the surplus  area.  The respondent claimed that under an agreement dated October 14, 1969, thirty acres of land had been transferred in favour of the  respondent’s   mother  which  was  duly  recognised  by mutation  proceedings   dated  15.9.1971.  The  question  is whether it  is to  defeat the  provisions of  the Act.  Sub- section (1) of Section 8 of the Act reads thus :      "8. Transfere  or partitions  made after      15th    January    1959    but    before      commencement of  this Act.  - (1)  Where      after 15th  day  of  January,  1959  but      before the  commencement of  this Act or      after 24th  day of  January,  1971,  but      before the  specified date,  any  person      has transferred  whether by  sale, gift,      mortgage,  with   possession,   exchange      lease,   surrender   or   otherwise   or      partitioned any  land held  by him, then      notwithstanding  anything  contained  in      any law for the time being in force such      transfer or  partition shall,  unless it      is proved  to the contrary, be deemed to      have been  made in anticipation in order      to defeat  the object of this Act. Where      such  transfer  or  partition  was  made      after  15th  day  of  January  1959  but      before the  commencement of  this Act or      in order  to defeat  the object  of  the      Amending Act of 1972 where such transfer      was made after 24th day of January, 1971      but before the specified date."

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    A  reading   thereof  would   clearly   indicate   that notwithstanding anything  contained in  any law for the time being in  force such  transfer or partition shall, unless it is proved  to the  contrary, be  deemed to have been made in anticipation in  order to  defeat the object of the Act. The question is  whether this agreement is a transfer. Shri R.P. Bhatt, learned  senior counsel appearing for the respondent, has taken  us through  the agreement  which had specifically stated that  right, title  and  interest  of  the  land  was conferred for  the first  time in  favour of  the respondent under that  document. Thereby, the right, title and interest held by  the owner of the land is sought to be extinguished. In turn  it is  sought to  be conferred  in  favour  of  the respondent  for  the  first  time  under  the  document.  By operation of  Section 17  of the  Registration Act,  it is a compulsorily registerable  document. Since  it has  not been registered, the  owner has  not been  divested of the right, title and  interest in the land and thus continued to be the owner of the land under the Act.      The  authorities   and  the   High   Court   have   not appropriately  considered   this  question.  The  appeal  is allowed accordingly  and  the  matter  is  remitted  to  the ceiling authority  to compute  the ceiling  area keeping  in view what has been held in this order. The authorities would take further action according to law. No costs.