MUHAMMAD RAFIQ and another vs SARDAR and another
This petition for leave to appeal arose from a dispute over the sale of State land. The respondent filed a suit for a permanent injunction to protect his possession of the land, which he claimed to have purchased from the second petitioner. The trial court initially dismissed the suit, but the Additional District Judge decreed it in favor of the respondent. The petitioners subsequently filed a civil revision before the Lahore High Court, which was dismissed. Before the Supreme Court, the petitioners contended that the land transfer violated Section 19 of the Colony Act due to a lack of required sanction and argued that the second respondent lacked the authority to alienate the land. The Supreme Court held that these pleas could not be entertained at the revisional stage because they were not raised in the written statement nor were issues framed regarding them at the trial stage. By failing to seek an additional issue at the trial court, the petitioners were deemed to have abandoned these arguments. The petition was consequently dismissed.
- Can a party raise a new legal plea in a civil revision that was not pleaded in the written statement or framed as an issue at the trial stage?
- Does the failure to request an additional issue at the trial court constitute an abandonment of a plea regarding the authority to alienate land?
- Is a court justified in refusing to consider arguments regarding statutory violations if those arguments were not raised during the initial trial proceedings?
- Section 19, Colony Act
ORDER
1. ' JAVID IQBAL, J.--This petition for leave to appeal is directed against the order of the Lahore High Court, Lahore, dated 16th May, 1982 whereby civil revision of Muhammad Rafiq petitioner was dismissed.
2. ' Briefly the facts are that some State land was allotted to Ahmad Nawaz petitioner No,2. Sardar respondent No,1 purchased the said land from Ahmad Nawaz petitioner No, 2 through his father Dost Muhammad respondent No,2. As against this transaction Muhammad Rafiq petitioner No,1 claimed to have purchased the said land directly from Ahmad Nawaz petitioner No,2. Sardar respondent thus filed a suit against the other parties alleging that he was in possession of the disputed land under the sale made in his favour by Dost Muhammad respondent. Sardar respondent prayed for a permanent injunction restraining them from interfering in his possession.
3. The suit was dismissed by the trial Court but on appeal the Additional District Judge decreed his suit. It is in this background that the present petitioners moved revision before the Lahore High Court, Lahore which was dismissed. Hence the present petition for leave to appeal.
4. ' Learned counsel for the petitioners argued before us that the transfer of the disputed land in favour of respondent No,1 was violative of the provisions of section 19 of the Colony Act as no sanction had been obtained by the petitioner No,2 before transferring the said land to respondent No,1. This argument had also been raised before learned Single Judge of the High Court but as this plea had not been raised in the written statement filed by the petitioners in the suit nor an issue to that effect had been framed in that behalf, the learned Judge rightly declined to accept the said argument at the revisional stage. It was next argued that respondent No,2 who was father of petitioner No,1 had no authority to alienate the land. This argument also was raised before the learned Judge who rightly repelled it for the reason that no issue was framed in that regard either.
5. Since the petitioner did not make any effort to get an additional issue struck by the trial Court in that behalf, the petitioners by their conduct had abandoned their plea regarding the authority of respondent No,2 to make the sale of the suit land in favour of respondent No,1. Since this is the position in our opinion there is no merit in this petition which is accordingly dismissed.
Cited by 2 cases
- TAJ MUHAMMAD vs MUBASHIR AHMED 2017 YLR 95
- Fakhar-ud-Din Butt (Deceased) through L.Rs., etc. vs Manzoor Baqai, etc. 2016 KLR Civil Cases 32