PREMLATA @ SUNITAversusNASEEB BEE & ORS.

826                      [2022]REPORTS
               SUPREME COURT    1 S.C.R. 826                [2022] 1 S.C.R.


A                           PREMLATA @ SUNITA
                                        v.
                             NASEEB BEE & ORS.
                      (Civil Appeal Nos. 2055-2056 of 2022)
B                               MARCH 23, 2022
               [M. R. SHAH AND B. V. NAGARATHNA, JJ.]
             Approbate and reprobate – Plaintiff-appellant instituted
      proceedings before the Revenue Authority under s.250 of the MP
      Land Revenue Code, 1959 (MPLRC) – Defendants-respondents
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      disputed jurisdiction of Revenue Authority to deal with the matter –
      The Tehsildar dismissed application under s.250 holding that the
      dispute was with respect to title and, therefore, the Revenue Authority
      would not have jurisdiction under MPLRC – The said order was
      affirmed by Appellate Authority – Thereafter, appellant instituted
D     suit before the civil court where respondents just took a contrary
      stand than what was taken by them before Revenue Authority and
      filed application under Or.7 r.11 for dismissing the suit on the ground
      that the civil court would not have jurisdiction to entertain the suit
      – Civil court rejected the application – However, on revision, High
      Court allowed the application under Or.7 r.11 and held that in view
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      of s.257 of the MPLRC the jurisdiction of civil court is barred – On
      appeal, held: Respondents cannot be permitted to take two
      contradictory stands before two different authorities/courts – They
      cannot be permitted to approbate and reprobate once their objection
      that the Revenue Authority would have no jurisdiction was accepted
F     by Revenue Authority/Tehsildar and the proceedings under s.250
      of the MPLRC were dismissed – Thereafter, it was not open for the
      respondents to take an objection that suit before the civil court
      would also be barred in view of s.257 of the MPLRC – If the
      submission on behalf of the respondents is accepted, in that case,
      the appellant would be remediless – In the facts and circumstances
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      of the case, civil court rightly refused to reject the plaint – Suit
      restored on the file of civil court – Code of Civil Procedure, 1908 –
      Or.7 r.11 – MP Land Revenue Code, 1959 – s.250.


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                                       826
           PREMLATA @ SUNITA v. NASEEB BEE & ORS.                         827


      Allowing the appeals, the Court                                     A
      HELD: The High Court has not at all appreciated the fact
that when the appellant-original plaintiff approached the Revenue
Authority/Tehsildar, he was non-suited on the ground that
Revenue Authority/Tehsildar had no jurisdiction to decide the
dispute with respect to title to the suit property. Thereafter, when      B
the suit was filed, the respondents-defendants took a contrary
stand that even the civil suit would be barred. In that case the
original plaintiff would be remediless. In any case the respondents
– original defendants cannot be permitted to approbate and
reprobate and to take just a contrary stand than taken before the
Revenue Authority. Therefore, in the facts and circumstances of           C
the case, the trial Court rightly rejected the application under
Order 7 Rule 11 CPC and rightly refused to reject the plaint.
The High Court committed a grave error in allowing the
application under Order 7 Rule 11 CPC and rejecting the plaint
on the ground that the suit would be barred in view of Section            D
257 of the MPLRC. The impugned judgment and order passed
by the High Court is unsustainable and is liable to be set aside.
[Para 4][830-A-D]
      CIVIL APPELLATE JURISDICTION: Civil Appeal Nos. 2055-
2056 of 2022.                                                             E
      From the Judgment and Order dated 27.11.2019 of the High Court
of Madhya Pradesh at Jabalpur in C.R. No.385 of 2019 and Order dated
10.08.2020 in R.P. No.725 of 2020.
      Ameet Deshpande, Sr. Adv., Akshat Shrivastava, Advs. for the
Appellant.                                                                F
     Veer Vikrant Singh, DAG, Dr. J. P. Dhanda, Ms. Raj Rani, Sunny
Choudhary, Sushil Tomar, Advs. for the Respondents.
      The Judgment of the Court was delivered by
      M. R. SHAH, J.                                                      G
       1. Feeling aggrieved and dissatisfied with the impugned judgment
and order dated 27.11.2019 passed by the High Court of Madhya Pradesh
at Jabalpur in Civil Revision Application No.385 of 2019 by which the

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828             SUPREME COURT REPORTS                            [2022] 1 S.C.R.


A     High Court has allowed the said Revision Application and has quashed
      and set aside the order passed by the learned trial Court dismissing the
      application under Order 7 Rule 11 of Code of Civil Procedure, 1908
      (hereinafter referred to as ‘CPC’) preferred by the respondents herein
      – original defendants and consequently allowed the said application under
      Order 7 Rule 11 CPC and has rejected the plaint on the ground that the
B
      suit would be barred under the provisions of Section 257 of M.P. Land
      Revenue Code, 1959 (hereinafter referred to as the ‘MPLRC’), the
      original plaintiff has preferred the present appeal.
            2. The facts leading to the present appeals in nutshell are as under:
C            2.1 That the appellant herein – original plaintiff initially filed the
      original proceedings before the Revenue Authority/Tehsildar under
      Section 250 of MPLRC. The respondents herein - original defendants
      raised the objection against the maintainability of the application under
      Section 250 of the MPLRC and the jurisdiction of the Revenue Authority/
      Tehsildar. The Tehsildar rejected the said application accepting the
D     objection raised on behalf of the respondents and held that as the question
      involved in the matter relates to title, hence provisions under Section 250
      of the MPLRC shall not be attracted. Thereafter the appellant herein
      preferred an appeal before the SDO under Section 44 of the MPLRC
      challenging the order passed by the Tehsildar. However, during the
E     pendency of the said appeal, the appellant filed the present suit before
      the learned trial Court for recovery of the possession and injunction.
      Having been served with the notice of the suit, the respondents –
      defendants filed an application under Order 7 Rule 11 CPC and requested
      to reject the plaint on the ground that the suit before the Civil Court
      would be barred considering Section 257 of the MPLRC. The learned
F     Civil Court rejected the said application and refused to reject the plaint
      in exercise of powers under Order 7 Rule 11 CPC. Against the said
      rejection the respondents – defendants preferred Civil Revision Application
      No.385 of 2019 before the High Court.
             2.2 By the impugned judgment and order the High Court has
G     allowed the revision application and has set aside the order passed by
      the learned trial Court and consequently has allowed the application under
      Order 7 Rule 11 CPC and has rejected the plaint by holding that in view
      of Section 257 of the MPLRC the jurisdiction of the Civil Court is barred.
            2.3 That as during the pendency of the revision application the
H     appeal filed by the plaintiff rejecting application under Section 250 of the
             PREMLATA @ SUNITA v. NASEEB BEE & ORS.                               829
                        [M. R. SHAH, J.]

MPLRC came to be dismissed which was not pointed out at the time of               A
final hearing of the revision application by the High Court, the appellant
herein filed a review application before the High Court. The said review
application has been dismissed.
       2.4 Feeling aggrieved and dissatisfied with the impugned judgment
and order passed by the High Court in Civil Revision Application No.385           B
of 2019 and also the order passed in Review Petition No.725 of 2020,
the original plaintiff has preferred the present appeals.
          3. We have heard learned counsel for the respective parties at
length.
       4. At the outset, it is required to be noted and it is not in dispute      C
that the plaintiff instituted the proceedings before the Revenue Authority
under Section 250 of the MPLRC. These very defendants raised an
objection before the Revenue Authority that the Revenue Authority has
no jurisdiction to deal with the matter. The Tehsildar accepted the said
objection and dismissed the application under Section 250 of the MPLRC            D
by holding that as the dispute is with respect to title the Revenue Authority
would not have any jurisdiction under MPLRC. The said order passed
by the Tehsildar has been affirmed by the Appellate Authority (of course
during the pendency of the revision application before the High Court).
That after the Tehsildar passed an order rejecting the application under
Section 250 of the MPLRC on the ground that the Revenue Authority                 E
would have no jurisdiction, which was on the objection raised by the
respondents herein – original defendants, the plaintiff instituted a suit
before the Civil Court. Before the Civil Court the respondents – original
defendants just took a contrary stand than which was taken by them
before the Revenue Authority and before the Civil Court the respondents           F
took the objection that the Civil Court would have no jurisdiction to entertain
the suit. The respondents – original defendants cannot be permitted to
take two contradictory stands before two different authorities/courts.
They cannot be permitted to approbate and reprobate once the objection
raised on behalf of the original defendants that the Revenue Authority
would have no jurisdiction came to be accepted by the Revenue Authority/          G
Tehsildar and the proceedings under Section 250 of the MPLRC came
to be dismissed and thereafter when the plaintiff instituted a suit before
the Civil Court it was not open for the respondents – original defendants
thereafter to take an objection that the suit before the Civil Court would
also be barred in view of Section 257 of the MPLRC. If the submission             H
830              SUPREME COURT REPORTS                          [2022] 1 S.C.R.


A     on behalf of the respondents – defendants is accepted in that case the
      original plaintiff would be remediless. The High Court has not at all
      appreciated the fact that when the appellant – original plaintiff approached
      the Revenue Authority/Tehsildar he was non-suited on the ground that
      Revenue Authority/Tehsildar had no jurisdiction to decide the dispute
      with respect to title to the suit property. Thereafter when the suit was
B
      filed and the respondents - defendants took a contrary stand that even
      the civil suit would be barred. In that case the original plaintiff would be
      remediless. In any case the respondents – original defendants cannot be
      permitted to approbate and reprobate and to take just a contrary stand
      than taken before the Revenue Authority. Therefore, in the facts and
C     circumstances of the case, the learned trial Court rightly rejected the
      application under Order 7 Rule 11 CPC and rightly refused to reject the
      plaint. The High Court has committed a grave error in allowing the
      application under Order 7 Rule 11 CPC and rejecting the plaint on the
      ground that the suit would be barred in view of Section 257 of the
      MPLRC. The impugned judgment and order passed by the High Court
D
      is unsustainable and is liable to be set aside.
             5. In view of the above and for the reasons stated above, the
      present appeals succeed. The impugned judgment and order passed by
      the High Court dated 27.11.2019 in Civil Revision Application No.385 of
      2019 allowing the same and setting aside the order passed by the learned
E     trial Court and consequently rejecting the plaint under Order 7 Rule 11
      CPC is hereby quashed and set aside. The order passed by the learned
      trial Court rejecting the application under Order 7 Rule 11 CPC is hereby
      restored and the suit is restored on the file of the learned trial Court.
      Now the suit to be proceeded further in accordance with law and on its
F     own merits.
            Present appeals are accordingly allowed. In the facts and
      circumstances of the case there shall be no orders as to costs.


      Devika Gujral                                                Appeals allowed.
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