10 January 1969
Supreme Court
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VALLABHAI NATHABHAI Vs BAI JIVI & ORS.

Case number: Appeal (civil) 104 of 1966


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PETITIONER: VALLABHAI NATHABHAI

       Vs.

RESPONDENT: BAI JIVI & ORS.

DATE OF JUDGMENT: 10/01/1969

BENCH: SHELAT, J.M. BENCH: SHELAT, J.M. BHARGAVA, VISHISHTHA VAIDYIALINGAM, C.A.

CITATION:  1969 AIR 1190            1969 SCR  (3) 309  1969 SCC  (1) 392  CITATOR INFO :  RF         1975 SC1665  (8)

ACT: Bombay  Tenancy and Agricultural Lands Act 57 of  1948,  ss. 2R(1)  and  84-Nature  of  remedies  under-Remedies  whether alternative.

HEADNOTE: Respondent No. 1 was owner of two survey numbers situate  in the  district of Panchmahals in Gujarat to which the  Bombay Tenancy   and  agricultural  Lands  Act  57  of   1948   was applicable.   On  May  15, 1956  the  appellant  voluntarily handed  over possession of the said lands to  respondent  1. The surrender was not, however, in writing and the procedure of inquiryand  verification  required by s. 15  of  the aforesaid Act was notthrough.   Respondent 1  thereafter personally  cultivated the said lands.  On January 16,  1961 the appellant applied to the Deputy collector under a. 84 of the  Act for summary eviction, of respondent 1.  the  Deputy Collector  dismissed  the  application  holding  that   the- tenant’s remedy lay under s. 29(1) of the Act.  The  Gujarat Revenue Tribunal, however, in, a revision by the tenant held that  s. 84 and not s. 29(1) applied.  The High Court  in  a petition under s. 227 of the Constitution it aside the Tribunal’s  order  holding  that s. 84 did  not  apply.   In appeal, by     special  leave,  the question was as  to  the nature of the remedies under 3.    29(1) and 84 and  whether a tenant who had remedy under s. 29(1) could still apply  to the Collector under s. 84. HELD:The appeal must be dismissed. (i)  In  the  case of a surrender which  is  not  valid  and binding  on the tenant there is no termination  of  tenancy, and  therefore , the landlord is not entitled to retain  the land even though possession thereof has been handed over  to him  or has been voluntarily taken by him.  The  position  a such  a case is that the tenant has a right to apply to  the Mamlatdar or restoration of possession to him claiming  that there  has  been  no  termination.  of  tenancy,  that   his possession  continues to be protected by the  provisions  of the  Act  and  that  therefore,  the  possession  should  be

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restored  to him.  Such an application lies under  s.  29(1) and,  when  so ’made, it becomes the duty of  the  Mamlatdar under s. 70, cl. (n) read with s. 29(1) to put the tenant in possession of the land in question "under the Act".  In such a   case  the  tenant  is  claiming  possession  under   the provisions  of  the Act and not on the strength of  his  own title   as  when  he  applies  for  possession   against   a trespasser. [314 E-G] (ii)The  words  "any  person  unauthorisedly  occupying  or wrongfully  an possession of any land’ in s. 84,  no  doubt, are-words of wide import and would include a landlord who is in   unauthorised   occupation  or   is   wrongfully      in possession. But  then s. 84 in express terms  limits  its Application to  three types of cases only, namely, of  a person unauthorisedly         occupying or    wrongfully in possession  of the land (a) the transfer or  acquisition  of which its.is   invalid  under  the  Act,  or  (b)   the management if which has been assumed  under the Act,  or (e)  to the use and occupation of which he is  not  entitled under  the provisions of the Act and the aid  provisions  do notprovide for the eviction of such person. [314 H-315B] In the present casecl. (b) obviously could not apply as  as the   land in question was not one,, the management of which was  assumed  under the provisions of the Act.   Clause  (a) applies only to transfers or acquisitions 310 which are in breach of provisions of Ch. v and possession or occupation  whereof  has been obtained  under  such  invalid transfers  and acquisitions.  That being the  position,  the instant case would fall only under cl. (c) and therefore the condition  that s. 84 would only apply to case,,  for  which there is no other remedy under any of the provisions of  the Act  must apply to the present case.  This  condition  shows that  while giving drastic powers of summary eviction to  an administrative  officer the Feature was careful to  restrict this  power, firstly, because the result otherwise would  be to  deprive the person evicted under s. 84 of his remedy  of appeal  before  the Collector- which he would  have  if  the order  were  to  be passed under  s.  29(1)  _and  secondly, because  it  would  enable a tenant to  by-pass  a  judicial enquiry by the Mamlatdar udder s. 29(1) by directly applying to the Collector under s. 84.  Such a result could not  have been intended by the legislature.  Therefore, the contention that  as.  29(1) and 84 provide alternative remedies  and  a choice  to the tenant cannot possibility be correct.  [315D- 316B] Shankar Raoji v. Mahdu Govind, 57 Bom.  L.R. 65 Durgaben  v. Bavla, 58 Bom.  L. R. 451, Trambaklal v. Shankerbhai 62 Bom. L.  R. 261, Shankerlal v. Haria-Vagha, Spl.  C.A. No.  8/61, decided  by High Court of Gujarat on 22-8 1961  and  Krishna Mahar  v. Hussain Miya Spl.  C.A. No. 207/1956,  decided  by Shah  &  Vyas, JJ. in the High Court of Bombay on  June  19, 1956, considered.

JUDGMENT: CIVIL APPELLATE JURISDICTION : Civil Appeal No. 104 of 1966. Appeal  by special leave from the judgment and order  dated, July  3, 8, 1964 of the Gujarat High Court in Special  Civil Application No. 330 of 1962. M.   C. Bhandare, Anjali K. Verma, J. B. Dadachanji and O.   C. Mathur, for the appellant. S.T. Desai, M. N. Shroff for I. N. Shroff, for respondent No. 1.

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The Judgment of the Court was delivered by Shelat,  J. The facts relevant to this appeal are short  and no  longer in dispute.  Respondent 1 is the owner of  Survey Nos.  974/2  and  975/4  situate in  the  village  Delol  in districts Panchmahals and the appellant at the material time was  the  tenant  thereof  On May  15,  1956  the  appellant voluntarily  handed  over possession of the  said  lands  to respondent 1. It is, however, an admitted fact that the  sad surrender  was not in-writing and the procedure  of  inquiry and  verification  required by s. 15 of the  Bombay  Tenancy and- Agricultural Lands Act, 57 of 1948 (hereinafter  called the  Act)    was  not gone  through.   The  surrender  though voluntary  thus  was  not  in  accordance  with  S.  15  and therefore  was not, valid and binding on the appellant.   It is not in dispute that respondent I thereafter personally  , cultivated  the  Said  lands.   On  January  16,  1961   the appellant applied to the Deputy Collector under s. 84 of the Act  for  summary  eviction of  respondent,  1.  The  Deputy Collector   dismissed  the  application  holding  that   the tenant’s remedy lay under S. 29(1)                             311 of  the  Act. The Gujarat Revenue Tribunal.  however,  in  a revision by the tenant set aside that order holding that  s. 84 and not s. 29(1) applied.  Respondent. 1 thereupon  filed a, writ petition under Art. 227 in the High Court of Gujarat and the  High Court held, on interpretation of ss. 29(1) and 84, that s.-84 did not apply in such cases and set aside the Tribunals  order.  What is the scope of s. 84 of the Act  is the  question,  therefore, arising in this appeal  which  is filed by the tenant after obtaining special leave from  this Court. On behalf of the appellant Mr. Bhandare raised the following contentions :               1.that a surrender of tenancy contrary  to               s.  1 5 is an invalid surrender and does  not               terminate the tenancy;               2.that  on such invalid surrender, if  the               landlord  takes possession such possession  is               wrongful  and unauthorised and  therefore  the               land  must  be  said  to  be  in  unauthorised               occupation  and  wrongful  possession  of  the               landlord;               3.that   when   the   ten-ant   on    such               dispossession  files an application his  right               does not arise under any of the provisions  of               the  Act  as  he has given  up  possession  in               breach of his right and-title;               4.that in such a situation the tenant does               not seek to enforce a right arising under  the               provisions  of the Act but  claims  possession               relying on his title as a tenant;               5.    that such an application therefore falls               under s.   84 and not under s. 29(1); and               6.that s. 84 directed against a person who               is  in  unauthorised occupation  and  wrongful               possession  and therefore there is no  warrant               for   any  distinction  between   unauthorised               occupation  or  wrongful  possession   arising               under  an invalid surrender and  that  arising               under an invalid sale or transfer. Mr.  Desai for the respondents, on the other hand  the  High Court’s  judgment high Courts of Bombay and Gujarat  on  the interpretation of ss. 29 (1 ) and 8 4 of the Act.  Before we proceed  to examine these contentions it is necessary  first to read the relevant sections.

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Section, 15 reads as under               "A tenant may terminate the tenancy in respect               of  any land at any time by  surrendering  his               interest  therein in favour of  the  landlord;               and relied on certain decisions of the               312               Provided that such surrender shall be       in               writing  verified before the Mamlatdar in  the               prescribed               The    relevant  part  of  s.  29  (1)   reads               as under               "A tenant-entitled to possession of any  land-               under  any of the provisions of this  Act  may               apply  in writing for such possession  to  the               Mamlatdar." Sub-section  2  of  s. 29 provides that  no  landlord  shall obtain Possession of any land held by a tenant except  under an order of the Mamlatdar.  Section 84 reads as under               "Any person unauthorisedly occupying or wrong-               fully in possession of any land-               (a)   the  transfer  or acquisition  of  which               either  by  the  act  of  parties  or  by  the               operation   of  law  is  invalid   under   the               provisions of this Act,               (b)   the management of which has been assumed               under the said provisions, or               (c)   to the use and occupation of which he is               not entitled under the said provisions and the               said  provisions  do  not  provide  for,   the               eviction  of  such persons, may  be  summarily               evicted by the Collector." Section  15 ( 1 ) was inserted in the Act by s.11 of  Bombay Act  1 3 of 1956.  Even before 1956 there was in the Act  s. 5(3) the proviso of which required a surrender of tenancy by a  tenant  to be in writing and verified by  the  Mamlatdar. There  is, however no dispute before us that the proviso  to s. 15(1) applies to the present case and, that the surrender under which respondent I obtained possession of the land  in question  was  neither in writing nor was: verified  in  any inquiry before the Mamlatdar. Under s. 15(1) a tenant, as defined by s. 2(18) of the  Act, ,can terminate the tenancy in respect of the land held b him as  a tenant by surrendering his interest in favour  of  his landlords and as provided by subsection 2 on such surrender, of the tenancy the landlord becomes en-titled to retain  the land so surrendered by the tenant in the same manner as when the  tenancy is terminated under ss. 31 and 31A of the  Act. The tenancy on such surrender comes to an end and  thereupon the relationship between them of a landlord and a tenant and the  rights arising out of that relationship terminate’  The legislature,  however,  was  aware  of  the  possibility  of landlords  taking advantage over the tenants  and  therefore to safeguard the tenants against such a possibility it  laid down through the proviso that a 31 3 surrender by a tenant could only be valid and binding on him if  it  was in writing and was verified  by  the  Mamlatdar. Before the Mamlatdar would verify such surrender it would be his  duty to ascertain whether the surrender  was  voluntary and  was  not  under  pressure or  undue  influence  of  the landlord.   But  once  the  surrender  satisfied  these  two conditions  it  has the same effect as  the  termination  of tenancy the tenancy comes to an end and the landlord becomes entitled to retain the land of which possession is delivered to  him by the tenant surrendering his interest as a  tenant

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therein.   In  cases, however, where the surrender  has  not satisfied the two conditions, even if it is voluntary, it is no  surrender  and  therefore there  is  no  termination  of relationship  of a landlord and tenant.  Consequently,  even if the tenant has voluntarily surrendered possession and the landlord  has  taken  it  over,  since  the  tenancy   still continues  the  tenant  obviously  is  entitled  to   retain possession   and  therefore  to  its  restoration.   Though, therefore,  s. 15 does not in so many words provide that  in such  a  case  the  tenant is  entitled  to  restoration  of possession,  there  being no valid surrender where  the  two conditions are not satisfied, the tenancy continues and  the tenant can claim possession from the landlord ’as the tenant of the land in question, such claim being based on his right as  such  tenant to be in possession of such  land  and  the landlord’s  disability  to terminate the tenancy  under  the provisions  of  the Act.  It is true that  s.  37  expressly provides for restoration of possession to the tenants in the eventuality  provided  therein  while  s.  15  does  not  so provide.   But the right to restoration had to  be  provided for in s. 37 as there would be termination of tenancy  which becomes  revived and on revival thereof the  tenant  becomes entitled  to restoration of possession.  In a case under  s. 15,  however,  if  the  surrender is  not  valid  it  is  no surrender at all and there is no question of termination  of tenancy.  The tenant continues to be entitled to  possession and  therefore  there is no  question of the  section having to   provide  for  restoration  of  possession,  under   is, therefore, no force in the contention that in the case of an invalid  surrender the tenant is to entitled  to  possession under the provisions of the Act.  He is in fact entitled  to claim back  possession under s. 15 itself for  under  sub- section  2  of the landlord becomes entitled to  retain  the land  only  if  the surrender is  in  accordance with  the provisions of s. 15. Section  29(1) confers a right on a tenant to apply  to  the Mamlatdar  for  possession and s. 29(2) gives a right  to  a landlord  to  apply to the Mamlatdar to obtaini on  of  land hold  by a tenant.  In both the cases it is the duty of  the Mamlatdar  to  restore possession to the tenant  or  to  the landlord  as the be It will be noticed that  whereas    sub- section  2 is confirmed to an application by a landlord  for possession from his tenant 314 sub-section 1 is not so confined and therefore a tenant  tan for  possession against any one including the landlord.  But for such an application the condition is that he must be one who  is  ,entitled to possession of the land in  question  " under  any  of the provisions of this Act".   Thus,  in  all cases where a tenant is entitled to possession of land under any of the provisions If the Act he, has a right under S. 29 (1) to apply  to the Mamlatdar for restoration of possession against any one including the landlord and it is the duty of the  mamlatdar, if satisfied that the tenant is entitled  to such  possession under any of the provisions of the Act,  to restore  possession  to him  ClS. (b) and (n) of S.  70  lay down  the  duties  and functions of  the  Mamlatdar  in  the following words               (b)to  decide whether a person is a  tenant               or   a   protected  tenant  or   a   permanent               tenant.,,,               "(n)  to take measures for putting the  tenant               or  landlord-into the possession of the  land-               under this Act. Section  74 provides for an appeal to the Collector  against

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the orders of the Mamlatdar in cases therein set  out  and cl.  (m) provides such an appeal against an order passed  by the Mamlatdar  under S. 29.  In  the case of a surrender which is not valid and  binding on  the  tenant there is, as aforesaid,  no  termination  of tenancy,  and  therefore, the landlord is  not  entitled  to retain  the  land even though possession  thereof  has  been handed  over  to him or has been voluntarily taken  by  him. The  position in such a case is that the tenant has a  right to apply to the Mamlatdar for restoration of possession 1 to him claiming that there has been no termination of  tenancy, that  his  possession  continues  to  be  protected  by  the provisions of the Act and that, therefore, possession should be restored to him.  Such an application lies under S. 29(1) and,  when  so made; it becomes the duty  of  the  Mamlatdar under s. 70, Cl. (n) read with S. 29(1) to put the tenant in possession  of  the land in question "under this  Ace’.   In such  a case the ten-ant is ,claiming possession  under  the provisions  of  the Act and not on the strength of  his  own title,   as  when  he  applies  for  possession  against   a trespasser.   ’Mat clearly being the position,  propositions 3, 4 and 5 of Mr. Bhandare cannot be sustained.  The  question  then is whether a tenant who  has  a  remedy under S. 29(1) can still apply to the Collector under S. 84. In  other  words,  whether  the  legislature  has  provided, alternative  remedies  under  both the sections  to  such  a tenant?   The words "any person unauthorisedly occupying  or wrongfully  in possession of any land" in S. 84,  no  doubt, are words of wide import and would include a landlord who is in unauthorised occupation or is 315 wrongfully  in possession  A landlord who under  an  invalid surrender  is  in possession of the, land is,  no  doubt,  a person  in  unauthorised  occupation  or  is  wrongfully  in possession.   But, then s. 84 in express terms  limits,  its application  to  three  types of cases Only,  namely,  of  a person unauthorisedly occupying or wrongfully, in possession of  the 1-and (a) the transfer or acquisition of which  etc. is invalid under the Act, or (b) the management of which has been assumed under the Act, or (c) to the use and occupation of which he is not entitled under the provisions of the  Act and the said provisions do not provide’ for the eviction  of such person. Mr. Bhandare’s argument, however, was that the present falls under  cls. (a) and (c) of s. 84, that the condition of  the other  provisions of the Act providing for eviction  applies only to cases falling under cl.(c) and not to those falling under cl. (a).  We do not have to decide in the whether  the said  condition   of there being no the  Act  providing  for eviction of a person in unauthorised occupation or  wrongful possession applies only at cases falling under cl. (c) or to all  cases under cls.(a),(b) or (c) as in our   opinion  the present  case is clearly one falling  under not cls. (a)  or (b) of s. 84.  Clause (b) obviously cannot  of such a person present  case  other provision in cl. (c) and apply  as  the land  in question was not one, the management of  which  was assumed under the provisions of the Act, namely, ss. 44,  45 and 61.  So far as cl. (a) is concerned, it applies to cases in respect of the land, the transfer or acquisition of which either  by  the  act of parties or by operation  of  law  is invalid under the Provisions of the Act.  Clause (a) clearly refers  to  Ch.   V  of the  Act  which  lays  down  certain restrictions   on  transfers  of  agricultural   lands   and acquisition of estates and lands.  Sections 63, 64 and 65 in that chapter prohibit transfers of agricultural land to non-

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agriculturists  and recognize only sales to persons  and  at prices  of Ch.  V and possession or Occupation  whereof  has been obtained under such invalid transfers or  acquisitions. That  being  the position the instant case would  fall  only under  cl.  (c) and not under cl. (a) as  contended  by  Mr. Bhandare, and therefore the condition that s. 84 would  only to  to cases for which there is no other remedy under any of the  Provisions of the Act must apply to the  present  case. This  condition  shows that while giving drastic  powers  of summary eviction to an administrative officer the legislature was careful to restrict this power firstly because the result otherwise would be to deprive the person evicted under s. 84 of his remedy of Appeal before the Collector which he  would have  if  the  order were to be passed under  s.  29(1)  and secondly,  because  it would enable a tenant to  by  pass  a judicial 316 inquiry by the Mamlatdar under S. 29(1) by directly applying to the Collector under s. 84.  Such a result could not  have intended by the legislature.  Therefore, the contention that ss.  29(1) and 84 provide alternative remedies and a  choice to the tenant cannot possibly be correct. we  now  turn to the decisions to which our  ’attention  was drawn by counsel.  In Shankar Raoji v. Mahadu Govind(1)  the High Court ’of Bombay observed that S. 29(1) gave a right to the  tenant  to obtain possession through the  mamlatdar  in every case where he was entitled to Possession under any  of the  provisions of the Act and that the clear object  of  s. 29(1)  was  that  if the Mamlatdar was  satisfied  that  the tenant was entitled to possession by, reason of his  tenancy it was his duty to Protect that possession and order any one who  had  dispossessed  him to restore  possession  to  him. Section  29(1)  thus  assumed that  the  tenant  must  claim possession  as  such under the provisions of  the  Act.   In Durgaben  v. Bavla(2) the landlord obtained possession  from the ’tenant under s. 29(2) on die ground that the tenant had surrendered  the  lease.   The tenant applied  under  s.  84 alleging  that  notwithstanding the order of  the  Mamlatdar under  s. 29(2), he ’had continued’ in possession. and  that the  landlord  had forcibly dispossessed him.  It  was  held that the Collector had no jurisdiction under s. 84 and  that the remedy if any, of the tenant was under s, 29(1). In holding so, the High Court observed that it was only in  the absence  of  a  provision  in the Act  for  eviction  of  an unauthorised  person  that the  Collector  had  jurisdiction under s. 84 to order summary eviction.  The high Court  held that ss. 29 (1) a 84 did not provide alternative remedies to the  tenant for under s.29(1) he could claim  possession  on the  title as a tenant under the provisions of the  Act  and not  under S. 84. The High Court also further observed  that if  it  were  to :construe the  two  sections  as  providing alternative remedies, such a construction would result in  a curious consequence, viz., that in a    case     where     a landlord has obtained possession after obtaining an    order from   the   Mamlatdar         such       possession   would obviously  be  under a tide.  If the tenant in such  a  case were   to   allege  that  the  landlord’s   possession   was unauthorised or wrongful and were to apply under s. 84,  the Collector  would  have to decide the  question  whether  the landlord’s possession was wrongful or unauthorised   or not. But in that case the Collector would decide it and set aside the  Mamlatdars order under his original jurisdiction  under S. 84 and not under his appellate jurisdiction under s. 74 and S. 74 would thus be rendered superfluous.  In Trambaklal v.  Shankerbhai(3) the High Court of Bombay  held  that  ’in

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order that there may be a ’valid                         (2) 58 Bom.  L.R. 451. (1)  57 Bom.  L.R. 65. (3) 62 Bom.  L.R 261. 317 transfer  or acquisition through surrender,  such  surrender must  be  a  lawful  one And made  in  accordance  with  the provisions of the Act.  IV such a surrender was not verified and  recognised under s. 15 there would be no  cessation  of tenancy  right  and therefore if the landlord  had  obtained possession  under  such  an  invalid  surrender  the  tenant retained  the right to restoration of possession  under  the Act.   It  is  clear that these decisions do  not  lay  down anything  contrarY to what we have said above and  therefore would not assist the- appellant. There  are two unreported decisions, one by the High   Court of  Gujarat  ’and the other by the High Court of  Bombay  to which also Our attention was drawn.  In Shankerlal v.  Haria Vagha(1) the facts  were as  follows : One Chandrasingh  and his brothers owned survey nos. 23/2, 23/3and  26/5.   In 1956-57  opponent 2 surrendered these lands to  Chandrasingh who personally cultivated them.      Until 1955-56  opponent 1  cultivated  Survey No. 26/5.  He  thereafter  surrendered thatSurvey  number  to chandrasingh and  his  brothers  who personally cultivated it thereafter The Mamlatdar admittedly had held no inquiry in respect of these surrenders under  s. 15.On January 28, 1959 Chandrasingh and his brothers  sold these   lands  to  the  petitioners  and   the   petitioners thereafter cultivated them in 1959-60.  In 1959 opponents  1 and 2 applied to the Collector under s. 84 and the Collector ordered  restoration of possession to opponent 1 and 2.  The Gujarat  Revenue’ Tribunal rejected a  revision  application filed by the petitioners against the said-order.  In a  writ petition   under  Art.  227  the  petitioners   raised   two contentions  before the High Court : (1) that they were  not in  unauthorised occupation or wrongfully in  possession  as they  derive  title from the owner, their vendors,  and  (2) that in any event the opponents had a remedy under s.  19(1) and therefore could not have recourse to s. 84.  As  regards the first contention the high Court held that the surrenders by  opponents 1 and 2, not being in writing and  unverified, were  not  binding on them, the relationship of  tenant  and landlord had not, therefore, terminated and opponents 1  and 2  were  entitled at posession of the lands.  That  was  the position   which   obtained  on  January   28,   1959   when Chandrasingh and his brother purported  to sell the lands to the   petitioners.   The  petitioners,  therefore  were   in unauthorised:  possession as Chandrasingh and  his  brothers were  not  entitled to, possession and  could  not  transfer possession to the petitioners. The High Court also  held that  the  said sale was contrary to s.  64  and  therefore, invalid and did not create any rights as toownership    or possession in favour of the petitioners.  The possession  of the  petitioners, therefore, was unauthorised  and  wrongful and s. 84 applied and the first contention (1) Spl.  C.A 8 of 1961, decd. by the High Court of  Gujarat on August 22,  1961. L8 Sup.  CI/69-2 318 failed.   As to the second contention, the High  Court  held that  under S. 29 (1) a tenant could apply to the  Mamlatdar for possession but. that required that the right to on  must arise "under the provisions of the Act".  If the tenant  did not  seek  to  enforce  a right arising  under  any  of  the provision of the Act but claimed possession on his own title as  a tenant, s. 29(1) would not apply and his remedy  would

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be under S. 84 Only.  The High Court held that when a tenant claimed  possession  not relying upon any  incident  of  his contract  of tenancy nor on ax provisions of the Act but  on his  own  title  to  possession, that  is,  to  protect  his possession as a tenant against a trespasser s. 84 and not s. 29(1)  would  apply even though the land the  possession  of which  he claimed was the land of which he was a tenant  and the trespasser was his landlord.  What the tenant in such  a case  was  seeking to do was not to enforce his right  as  a tenant under the provisions of the Act but he was  enforcing his right against third parties, namely, the petitioners  in that  case who were in wrongful occupation.  The tenant  was claiming possession not under the provisions of the Act  but on  his own title, albeit as a tenant, against a person  who had  no  tide  to ownership or possession in  the  land  and therefore   s.  29(1)  did  not  apply  to  such   a   case. Consequently,  s. 29(1) was not another provision  providing for  eviction  which opponents 1 and 2 could avail  of.   In Krishna  Mahar  v.. Hussan Miya(1) the  respondent  was  the owner of the land in question.  He applied under s. 29(2) to the Mamlatdar.  The Mamlatdar passed an order directing  the petitioner,  the  tenant,  to  hand  over  possession.   The petitioner appealed to the Collector under s. 74 of the  Act who  set  aside  the  Mamlatdar’s  order.   But  before  the Collector passed his said order the respondent executed  the Mamlatdar’s  order and obtained possession.  The  petitioner then  obtained  possession in pursuance of  the  Collector’s said order but the respondent forcibly dispossessed him land thereupon  on January 10, 1952 the petitioner complained  to the  Mamlatdar.   The Mamlatdar expressed his  inability  to assist  him  and  thereupon the petitioner  applied  to  the Collector  under  s.  84.   The  Collector  held  that   the respondent was in wrongful possession and passed an order of eviction. The Revenue Tribunal however, set aside that order holding  that  the  petitions  application  was  barred   by limitation.   An  application for condonation of  delay  was also  rejected.  The petitioner, thereupon filed a  petition under Art. 227.  The High Court held that there was a  clear distinction between an, application under, s. 29(1). and one under s. 84, for, under S. 29(1) whereas the tenant would be claiming  the right to possession under the  provisions’  of the Act, under s.   84  he  would be claiming the  right  to possession not under any (1)  Spl.  C.A. No. 207 of 1956, decd. by Shah and Vyas, JJ. in the High Court of Bombay on June 19, 1956. 319 of  the  provisions  of  the Act but on  his  own  title  to possession  as a tenant.  Such an application could be  even Against  a  person  who was his landlord  qua  the  land  in question if such landlord was in unauthorised occupation  or wrongful  possession.  These two decisions again do not  lay down anything inconsistent to what we have said above on the scope  and interpretation of s. 29(1) and s. 84.  We do  not therefore  see  how  either of these two  decisions  can  be availed of by Mr. Bhandare in support of his contentions. In our view the High Court was correct in its interpretation of  the two sections and the conclusion which it arrived  at in  holding  on  the  facts of the  present  case  that  the Collector  had no jurisdiction under s. 84 to entertain  the tenant’s  application.  The result is that the appeal  fails and is dismissed with costs. G.C.                          Appeal dismissed. 323

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