Holding

The respondents are not hereditary tenants under Section 12 because the Thekas permitted sub‑letting and appointment of temporary tenants, violating the requirement that the lease be solely for personal cultivation.

Summary

The appellants, former zamindars, had granted two Thekas (leases) to the respondents in 1933 and 1943, permitting the lease‑holders to remain in possession, sublet, and collect government revenue. The dispute centered on whether the respondents qualified as hereditary tenants under Section 12 of the Uttar Pradesh Zamindari Abolition and Land Reforms Act, 1950, or were merely assamis under Section 13. The Supreme Court held that for a person to be a hereditary tenant, three conditions must be met: possession on 1 May 1950, possession under a Theka, and the Theka must be solely for personal cultivation. The Court found that the Thekas also allowed sub‑letting and appointment of temporary tenants, thus failing the third condition. Consequently, the respondents were not hereditary tenants, and the appeal was allowed, setting aside the High Court's order and restoring the Settlement Officer's decision.

Issues considered

Whether the respondents qualify as hereditary tenants under Section 12 of the Uttar Pradesh Zamindari Abolition and Land Reforms Act, 1950.
Whether the terms of the Theka satisfy the requirement that it be for personal cultivation only.
Interpretation of the scope of Section 12 vis‑à‑vis Section 13 of the Act.

Legislation cited

Uttar Pradesh Zamindari Abolition and Land Reforms Act, 1950s. 12, s. 13

Subjects

hereditary tenantThekaland reformsUttar Pradesh Zamindari Abolition Actpersonal cultivationsub‑lettingassami

Judgment

• 1063

. \
RAGHUNANDAN SINGH & ORS.
v.
A

BRIJ MOHAN SINGH & ORS.
February 15, 1980
• [S. MURTAZA FAZAL Au AND A. D. KosHAL, JJ.] B
[J. P. Zan1i11dari Abolition and Land Reforms Act, 1950 (U.P. Act 1 o1
1950) Section 12-Scope of.
Terms of Thcka empowering lease-holders to remain in possession of agrl..
.c;ultural land--Appoint te1nporary tenants and recover Govern1nent Revenue-
Thekadar whether a hereditary tenant.
' I The appellants who were originally the Zamindars of the land in dispute c
granted Thekas to the respondents first on the 10th July, 1933 and then on the
24th May, 1943. While the first Theka provided that the tease-holders were
to remain in pos.4ession of the entire agricultural land either through them~
1elves or by euanging with temporary tenants and by recovering government
revenue, the second Theka though in the same terms, provided that the lease-
' hold'ers would remain in possession of the agricultural land as lease-holders
·themselves and may appoint temporary tenants by receiving the government D
, revenue.
The appellants succeeded before the Settlement Officer (Consolidation), but
the Deputy Director of Consolidation held in revision, that the appellants were
Bhoomidars and the respondents could not get any status under Section 12 of
the Uttar Pradesh Zam.indari Abolition and Land Reforms Act, 1950·. The
High Court dismissed the writ petition filed by the appellants in limine. E
In the appeal to this Court it v,.-as submitted on behalf of the appellants
that as the Theka granted by the Zamindars was not made with the les<ees
<>nly for the purposes of personal cultivation of the lands the respondents 'Nould
not fall within the ambit of section 12 of the Act, while on behalf of th~
respondents it wa<I contended that oo they were in cultivating possession of the
lands in question, they had acquired the status of her'editary tenants conferred p
on them by section 12 of the Act and they were not Assamis as contemplated
by section 13 of the Act.
Allowing the appeal,
HELD : 1. Before a person can be held to be a hereditary tenant under

l
Section 12 of the Act, three conditions must be fulfilled: (1) He must be in
possession of the land in dispute on the !st May 1950, (2) His possession mlist G
be under a Tbeka and (3) The Th'eka must be for the purpose of personal
cuttivlltion of the lands in dispute by that person and not for other purposes.
!1065C-DJ
2. The dominant intention of the statute, as of other land reforms legisla·
tion, is to secure land for the tiller of the soil who alone would be clothed
with the special rights of a hereditary tenant. [1065-DJ H
3. The terms of the Tbeka do not spell out the facts that the respondents
llad taken the lease for purposes of personal cultivation only, because other
' i
1064 SUPREME COURT REPORTS [1980] 2 S.C.R.

' A purpoSes also are indicated as part of the Theka namely to sublet the land
or to appoint tcmpora.ry tenants and the like. The conditions required by •
section 12 are therefore not fulfilled in the case of the respondents.
[1066C]
Balu Noorul Hassan Khan (Dead) by LRs v. Ram Prasad Singh and oilier!
[1980] 1 S.C.C. 367 followed and relied upon; Rani Dullaiya & Anr. v. Ganga
Prarad 1968 ALJ 518 over-ruled.
B
CIVIL APPELLATE JURISDICTION : Civil Appeal No. 1197 of 1970.
From the Judgment and Order dated 9-4-19.69 of the Allahabad
High Court in Civil Misc. Writ Petitiou No. 1005 of 1969.
S. P. Singh and R. A. Gupta for the Appellant.
C Yogeswar Prasad, Mrs. Rani Chhabra, S. K. Bagga and Mrs.
S. K. Bagga for Respondent No. 4.
S. N. Singh for Respondents 1-3 and 5.
The Judgment of the Court was delivered by
FAzAL Au, J.-This appeal by certificate is directed against a
D judgment of the Allahabad High Court, which dismissed the writ
petition filed by the appellants in limine. We have heard learned
counsel for the parties at great length. The only point for detenni- '
nation in the present appeal is whether the case of the parties is govern-
ed by section 12 or section 13 of the U .P. Zamindari Abolition and
Land Reforms Act 1950 (Act I of 1950) (hereinafter called the Act).
E
The facts in dispute are that so far as the appellants are concerned,
they were orginally the zamindars of the lands in dispute and they
granted Thckas to the respondents first on the 10th of July, 1933 and
then on the 24th May, 1943. The interpretation of the tenns of the
Theka wonld determine the question of the status of the appellants.
F Shri Shiv Pujan Singh, appearing for the appellants, submitted that
as the Thcka granted by the Zamindars was not made with the lessees
only for the purposes of personal cnltivation of the lands the respon-
dents would not fall within the ambit of Section 12 of the Act. On
the other hand, it was argued or the respondents that as they were in
cultivating possession of the lands in question, they had acquired the
G status of hereditary tenants conferred on them by section 12 of the Act
and they are not Assamis contemplated by section 13 of the Act.
Although the appellants succeeded before the Settlement Officer (Con-
solidation) the Deputy Director of Consolidation held in revision that
the appellants were Bhoomidars and the respondents could not get any
status under section 12 of the Act.
H
In order to decide this question, we have to determine the scope
and ambit of Section 12 of the Act.
.t •
RAGHUNANDAN v. BRIJMOHAN (Fazal Ali, J.) I 065

."12. Thekedars to be hereditary tenants in certain circumstances- A
( 1) Where any land was in the personal culliivation of a person on the
1st day of May, 1950, as a thekedar thereof and the theka was made
with a view to the cultivation of the land by such thekedar personally,
then notwithstanding anything in any law, document or order of court,
he shall be deemed to be a hereditary tenant thereof entited to hold,
and when he has been ejected from the land after the said date, to B
regain possession as a heredifary tenant thereof liable to pay rent at
hereditary rates." ·
An analysis of this section would show that before a person can
be held to be a hereditary tenant under the section, the following con-
ditions must be fulfilled : - C
!
l. He must be in possession of the land in dispute-on the 1st
of May, 1950.
2. His possession must be under a Theka.
3. The Theka must be for the purpose of personal cultivation
of the lands in dispute by that person (emphasis supplied) D
and not for other purposes. The dominant intention of the
statute, as of other land reforms legislation, is to secure land
for the tiller of the soil who alone would be clothed with
the special rights of a hereditary tenant.
It is, therefore, manifest that only if the above three conditions are E
fulfilled, would the Thekedars get the status of hereditary tenants and
not otherwise. This section was interpreted by a decision of this Court
in Babu Noorul Hasan Khan (Dead) by Lrs. v. Ram Prasad Singh
and Others(') where this Court observed as follows : -

Jl.; . "If such a land was in .the personal cultivation of a person on the p
1st of May, 1950 as a Thekedar thereof and if the Theka was made
with a view to the cultivation of the land by such Thekedar personally
then because of the non-obstante clause occurring in sub-section ( 1) of
section 12 of the Act the Thekedar would be deemed to be a hereditary
tenant of the land entitled to hold as such and liable to pay rent on
hereditary rates. If, however, the land was in personal cultivation G
of the Thekedar merely as a Thekedar appointed to collect rent from
other tenants and incidentally allowed to cultivate the Sir or Khudkasht
land of the lessor then he will be a mere assami in accordance with
section 13(2) (a) of the Act."
The facts of the case before us are similar to the facts of the H'
present case' and the decision of the courr is therefore directly in point.
(I) [1980] 4 S.C.C. 367. '
1066 SUPREME COURT REPORTS [!980] 2 S.C.R.

A perusal of para 1 of the Theka executed on the 10th of July
1933 in favour of the Thekedars clearly shows that the lease-holders
were to remain in possession of the entire agricultural land eiliier
through themselves or by arran!jing with temporary tenants and by
recovering government revenue. The other Theka which was executed
on 24-5-43 was almost in the same terms and clause(!) provide that
B the lease-holders will remain in possession of the agricultural land as
lease-holders themselves and may appoint temporary tenants by receiv-
ing the govermnent revenue.
Thus, the terms of the Theka, do not spell out the fact that the
respondents had taken the lease for the purpose of personal cultivation
c only because other purposes also are inddcated as part of the Theka
viz. to sublet the land or to appoint temporary tenants and the like.
In these circumstances, the condition required by section 12 are
cle~rly not fulfilled in the case of the respondents.

Mr. Singh appearing for the respondents relied on a decision of
D the Allahabad High Court in Rani Dullaiya & Anr. v. Ganga Prasad(')
where it was held that although the Theka may be for some other
purpose also, but if it was also for personal cultivation section 12 of
the Act would apply to the Thekedars. With due respect, we are of
the opinion that the view taken by the Allahabad High Court is in
direct conflict with the decision of this Court referred to above and
E it must, therefore, be held to be incorrect.
For the above reasons, we allow this appeal, set aside the order of
the High Court as also that of the Deputy Director of Consolidation
and restore the order of the Settlement Officer (Consolidation) dated
24-1-1968.
F In the circumstances of this case, there will be no order as lo
costs.

N.V.K. Appeal allowed.

(l) (1968) A. L. J. 518.