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Civil Petitions for Special Leave to Appeal Nos. 88, 89, 90 and 91 of 1976, decided on 23rd May, 1982.

(Against the judgments of the‑ Lahore High Court, dated 19th November, 1975, passed in Civil Revisions Nos. 885/75, 382/75. 883/75 and 880/75).

Punjab Pre‑emption Act (I of 1913)----

‑‑‑S.21‑A read with Constitution of Pakistan (1973), Art. 185(3) Leave to appeal.‑Granted to consider whether where improvement made in status of vendee, before filing of suit for pre‑emption vendee can defeat pre‑emption suit of a person with inferior right.‑[Leave to appeal].

M. Saeed‑ur‑Rehman Farrukh, Advocate Supreme Court with Sh. Salah uddin, Advocate‑on‑Record for Petitioner.

Date of bearing : 23rd May, 1982.

The facts giving rise to the above noted 4 petitions (all filed by Malik Ghulam Muhammad Khan) are, briefly, that one Faqir Muhammad sold Mukarardari rights in agricultural land to the petitioner and two others through six different transactions Mutations (Nos. 6281 to 6286) relating to these sales were attested on 6‑3‑1971. Malik Ghulam Muhammad (petitioner), however, filed six separate suits to pre‑empt the said sales on the ground that he was a co‑Mukarrardar alongwith Faqir Muhammad vendor, whereas the six vendees did not possess this qualification. The suits were contested by the vendees, inter alia on the ground that they had improved their status subsequently by acquiring proprietary rights in the village by purchasing the land in question from the Government. All the suits were, however, decreed by the learned trial Court on 22‑2‑1971. On appeal the learned District Judge, modified the decree and judgments of the trial Court holding that the petitioner was entitled to have successfully pre empted the same to the extent of Mukarrardari rights. Against this four civil revisions were filed by the respondents in the High Court, all of which were accepted vide the impugned judgment dated 19‑11‑1975, whereby the decree and judgment of the Courts below were set aside.

Feeling aggrieved Malik Ghulam Muhammad (pre‑emptor/plaintiff) has filed the present petitions.

2. The learned counsel for the petitioner adverted our attention to section 21‑A of the Punjab Pre‑emption Act, 1913, and submitted that any improvement (otherwise than through inheritance or succession) made in the status of a vendee‑defendant after the institution of the suit for pre‑emption shall not affect the right of the pre‑emptor. He, however, admitted that i the status was improved by the vendee before the filing of the suit he can successfully defeat the pre‑emption suit filed by a person having an inferior right. He also admitted that all the respondents, except Nur Muhammad, had improved their status by becoming owner in the village on 19‑8‑1971, he. before the filing of the suit by Malik Ghulam Muhammad. As such the are not hit by the provisions of section 21‑A. But Nur Muhammad, respondent (in CPSLA .No. 90/76) improved his status on 7‑8‑1972, i.e. after filing of the suit. The petitioner's counsel, therefore, pressed his case on this ground against Nur Muhammad respondent alone.

3. He also submitted that the revision petitions filed by the respondent before

the High Court under section 115, C. P. C. were not competent inas much as the value of the subject matter was more than Rs. 2,000, and in terms of section 102, C. P. C. only R. S. As. could have been filed by them. This plea was not urged before the High Court and he cannot be permitted to press this point at this stage.

In view of what has been observed in paragraph No. 2 above, we grant leave to the petitioner only in CPSLA No. 90/76 to consider whether the case is not covered by section 21‑A of the Punjab Pre‑emption Act. The remain ing three petitions are, however, dismissed.

Security in the sum of Rs. 2,500 with permission to file additional documents.

Leave granted.

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