* IN THE HIGH COURT OF DELHI AT NEW DELHI
+ RFA Nos. 677/2018 & 678/2018
% 21st August, 2018
RFA No. 677/2018 & CM No.33501/2018 (Stay)
LOKESH GUPTA & ORS. ..... Appellants
Through: Mr. Trideep Pais and Mr.
Shivam Sharma, Advocates.
(9717456124
versus
SUKESH CHAND GUPTA ..... Respondent
RFA No. 678/2018 & CM No.33509/2018 (Stay) LOKESH GUPTA & ORS. ..... Appellants Through: Mr. Trideep Pais and Mr. Shivam Sharma, Advocates.
(9717456124)
versus
SUKESH CHAND GUPTA ..... Respondent
CORAM:
HON'BLE MR. JUSTICE VALMIKI J.MEHTA
To be referred to the Reporter or not?
RFA Nos.677/2018 & 678/2018 Page 1 of 9
VALMIKI J. MEHTA, J (ORAL)
CM No. 33502/2018 (Exemption) in RFA No.677/2018 Exemption allowed subject to just exceptions.
CM stands disposed of.
RFA No.677/2018 & RFA No.678/2018
1. These two Regular First Appeals under Section 96 of the Code of Civil Procedure, 1908 (CPC) are filed by the defendants in the suit impugning the Judgment of the Trial Court dated 22.3.2018 by which the trial court has decreed the suit filed by the respondent/plaintiff of possession and mesne profits with respect to two premises, the first being of a Quarter No. 71 of property bearing Block No.1, Bengalimal Market, New Delhi and second being a Shop No.46, Block No.1, Bengalimal Market, New Delhi. Essentially what is decided by the impugned judgment is that the tenant Sh. Guljari Lal died leaving behind any legal heirs and that though the appellant no.3/defendant no.4/Sh. Amit Gupta claimed to be the adopted son of late Sh. Guljari Lal, however, Sh. Amit Gupta has not been found to RFA Nos.677/2018 & 678/2018 Page 2 of 9 be the adopted son of late Sh. Guljari Lal and hence Sh. Amit Gupta will not inherit the tenancy rights of Sh. Guljari Lal/deceased tenant.
2. The facts of the case are that the respondent/plaintiff has filed the subject suits pleading ownership of the two premises as the same devolved upon him from his grand-mother Smt. Vidyawati. Between the legal heirs of Smt. Vidyawati, and which included the respondent/plaintiff, a partition took place vide registered Partition Deed dated 9.6.2000 and the suit properties consequently fell to the ownership of the respondent/plaintiff. The subject suit was filed by the respondent/plaintiff by pleading that since the tenant Sh. Guljari Lal had died without leaving behind any legal heirs, the appellants/defendants are illegal occupants of the suit property and the suits for possession and mesne profits be decreed.
3. Written statement was filed by the appellants/defendants. One written statement was filed by the appellants no. 1 and 2 who were the defendants no. 2 and 3. One written statement was filed by the appellant no.3/defendant no.4/Sh. Amit Gupta. In essence, the defence of the appellants/defendants was that the tenant Sh. Guljari Lal before his death, on 7.6.1998, adopted appellant no.3/defendant RFA Nos.677/2018 & 678/2018 Page 3 of 9 no.4/Sh. Amit Gupta, and therefore, appellant no.3/defendant no.4/Sh. Amit Gupta as the adopted son of late tenant Sh. Guljari Lal inherited the tenancy rights in the suit properties. The suit properties admittedly are properties having the protection of the Delhi Rent Control Act, 1958.
4. Trial court has, by the impugned judgment, rejected the case set up by the appellants/defendants that the appellant no.3/defendant no.4/Sh. Amit Gupta was the adopted son of late Sh. Guljari Lal. Trial court for rejecting the adoption of Sh. Amit Gupta has relied upon certain inconsistencies between the original Adoption Deed which was filed and proved as Ex.DW5/1 with the certified copies filed by the appellants/defendants on the one hand being Ex.DW1/1 and the respondent/plaintiff as Ex.DW5/P1. Trial court has further referred to the fact that the case put forth for adoption of the appellant no.3/defendant no.4/Sh. Amit Gupta by late tenant Sh. Guljari Lal does not stand to any logic or truthfulness because appellant no.3/defendant no.4/Sh. Amit Gupta was claimed to be adopted by Sh. Guljari Lal when Sh. Guljari Lal was 90 years of age, and therefore how could the appellant no.3/defendant no.4/Sh. Amit RFA Nos.677/2018 & 678/2018 Page 4 of 9 Gupta who was just 10 years of age at the time of adoption, take care of a tenant Sh. Guljari Lal who was 90 years old, the purpose of adoption being stated that the adopted son appellant no.3/defendant no.4/Sh. Amit Gupta will take care of Sh. Guljari Lal. Trial court has also referred to the fact that the case put forth for adoption could not be believable because no record is filed of the educational institutions in which the appellant no.3/defendant no.4/Sh. Amit Gupta studied and which shows that parentage/father of appellant no.3/defendant no.4/Sh. Amit Gupta is Sh. Guljari Lal and not the natural father/Sh. Davendra Gupta. Trial court has also arrived at a finding of fact that not only no educational record was filed of the appellant no.3/defendant no.4/Sh. Amit Gupta but also that no other public record; whether of ration card or any other public record; was filed which would show that Sh. Amit Gupta would be the adopted son of late Sh. Guljari Lal. I may note that the public record would include a passport, ration card and so on and none of these documents have been filed by the appellants/defendants to show that the appellant no.3/defendant no.4/Sh. Amit Gupta was the adopted son of Sh. Guljari Lal.
RFA Nos.677/2018 & 678/2018 Page 5 of 9
5. Learned counsel for the appellants/defendants has argued that the trial court has wrongly rejected the case of adoption of the appellant no.3/defendant no.4/Sh. Amit Gupta by Sh. Guljari Lal because the discrepancies which are mentioned in the certified copies of the Adoption Deed as compared to the original Adoption Deed have no significance or relevance because once the original Adoption Deed is filed and proved on record as Ex.DW5/1 and a witness being the clerk from the Sub-Registrar's office deposed with respect to the Adoption Deed being duly registered before Sub-Registrar is proved, then the adoption should be held to have been proved and more so in view of the fact that the appellants/defendants had proved the factum of the ceremony of adoption in terms of photographs Ex.DW1/2 to Ex.DW1/25.
6. This Court cannot agree with the arguments urged on behalf of the appellants/defendants inasmuch as no doubt there is a factum of existence of a registered Adoption Deed with the photographs of adoption, however, the parties who went through the process of adoption would/should have intended to see that the adoption becomes a reality. In other words, a transaction or situation RFA Nos.677/2018 & 678/2018 Page 6 of 9 or an occasion can be a nominal/sham/paper transaction, without the factum/incident/transaction having been acted upon. In the present case, it is seen that the adoption took place when Sh. Guljari Lal was around 90 years of age, and therefore, the appellant no.3/defendant no.4/Sh. Amit Gupta being only 10 years of age would not have taken care of Sh. Guljari Lal and which is stated to be the purpose of adoption. Also, the best proof of adoption having been taken place is to show that adoption is acted upon. Obviously, if the adoption was intended to be acted upon, the adoption would have been shown in the entire educational records of the appellant no.3/defendant no.4/Sh. Amit Gupta or in numerous other public records such as passport, ration card, voter identity card or income tax records and so on. Admittedly, none of this public record has been filed by the appellants/defendants to show that actually the adoption was in fact acted upon. In my opinion, though the trial court has not dealt with this aspect, this Court is entitled to do the same in view of the Order XLI Rule 24 CPC and which permits this Court to give additional reasoning to sustain the judgment of the trial court. In effect, though the trial court has not used the word nominal/sham/paper adoption, RFA Nos.677/2018 & 678/2018 Page 7 of 9 though in substance the trial court has held it to be so, by not only disbelieving the Adoption Deed but more importantly observing that if the adoption was real then there was no reason as to why the educational record or the public record has not been filed to show the appellant no.3/defendant no.4/Sh. Amit Gupta to be the son of Sh. Guljari Lal.
7. Bengalimal Market in Delhi is in the hub of Central Delhi. Properties herein are most valuable running into dozens of crores of rupees. Not only the properties in the Bengalimal Market are extremely valuable, and which is just about one kilometer away from this Court as also the Supreme Court, even the premiums which are charged for creation of tenancy under the Delhi Rent Control Act, run into crores and crores of rupees. Obviously, the claim which was floated by the appellants/defendants was essentially to capture the tenancy rights which have protection under the Delhi Rent Control Act, and to the disadvantage of the original owner of the suit property being the respondent/plaintiff, and which owner has been rightly entitled by the trial court to the decree of possession and mesne profits of the suit properties.
RFA Nos.677/2018 & 678/2018 Page 8 of 9
8. In view of the above discussion, there is no merit in the appeals. These appeals being a gross abuse of the process of law are dismissed with costs of Rs.5 lacs each which will be deposited by the appellants to the Chief Minister Distress Relief Fund of State of Kerala within a period of two weeks from today and proof of deposit of costs be filed in this Court after two weeks, failing which Registry will list the matter in Court for directions.
AUGUST, 21, 2018/ib VALMIKI J. MEHTA, J
RFA Nos.677/2018 & 678/2018 Page 9 of 9