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REPORTABLE IN THE SUPREME COURT OF INDIA CIVIL APPELLATE JURISDICTION CIVIL APPEAL NO.9031 OF 2013  

(@SPECIAL LEAVE PETITION (C) NO. 3928 OF 2006) HARSHA V. RAI     … APPELLANT

VERSUS STATE OF KARNATAKA & ANR.     …RESPONDENTS

J U D G M E N T  

CHANDRAMAULI KR. PRASAD, J.

By the orders impugned the claim of respondent  

no.  2  Bhagirathi  Bai,  since  deceased,  to  be  

registered as an occupant under Section 45 of the  

Karnataka Land Reforms Act, 1961 in respect of the  

land  measuring  14  cents  in  Survey  Nos.  353/1  and  

353/2 in the Village Attavar in Taluka Mangalore in  

the District of Dakshina Kannada has been upheld.

Leave granted.

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According to the appellant, his mother was the  

owner of the land measuring in all 14 cents in Survey  

No. 353/1 and 353/2 at Village Attavar within Taluka  

Mangalore in the District of Dakshina Kannada.  She  

gave  on  lease  the  aforesaid  land  to  Bhagirathi,  

respondent no. 2 herein by a registered deed dated  

26th of October, 1953 on an yearly rent of Rs. 42 and  

the  deed  styled  as  vacant  land  “chalageni”  was  

executed.  According to the appellant, the land at  

the  time  of  lease  contained  five  standing  coconut  

trees and respondent no. 2, hereinafter referred to  

as  the  tenant,  was  entitled  to  make  improvement  

therein to an extent of only Rs. 5,000/-.  It is the  

case of the appellant that in terms of the lease the  

tenant constructed a residential house on the demised  

property  and  continued  to  be  in  occupation  of  

the same.

By  Section  34  of  the  Karnataka  Land  Reforms  

(Amendment)  Act,  1973  (Karnataka  Act  1  of  1974)  

Section  44  and  Section  45  were  substituted  with  

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effect from 1st of March, 1974 in the Karnataka Land  

Reforms Act, 1961, hereinafter referred to as ‘the  

Act’.  Section 44 of the Act, inter alia, provides  

that all land held by or in possession of the tenants  

with effect from 1st of March, 1974(hereinafter to be  

referred  to  as  the  appointed  day),  shall  stand  

transferred  to  and  vest  in  the  State  Government.  

Section 45 of the Act, inter alia, provides that the  

land which a tenant has been cultivating personally  

before the date of vesting shall be entitled to be  

registered as an occupant.  A tenant entitled to be  

registered  as  an  occupant  was  required  to  file  a  

petition before a tribunal under Section 48A of the  

Act.

Respondent  no.  2,  filed  an  application  in  the  

prescribed  form,  inter  alia,  alleging  that  the  

tenancy  in  question  is  in  respect  of  agricultural  

land and she was cultivating the same prior to 1st of  

March, 1974 and, therefore, she is entitled to be  

registered as an occupant in terms of Section 45 of  

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the Act.  The appellant, hereinafter referred to as  

‘the land owner’, resisted her claim and the tribunal  

rejected the tenant’s claim, but the same was set  

aside by the High Court in a petition filed by the  

tenant  and  the  matter  was  remitted  back  to  the  

tribunal for reconsideration.  While doing so, the  

High Court observed that the tribunal shall consider  

the  “chalageni”.   After  the  remand  the  tribunal  

conducted spot inspection on 15th of December, 1987  

and  found  existence  of  a  dwelling  house,  a  

firewood-depot and a few coconut trees.  The tribunal  

by  majority  held  that  the  land  was  not  an  

agricultural  land  on  the  date  of  inspection  but  

concluded that it was used as agricultural land 35-40  

years ago and accordingly upheld the claim of the  

tenant.   The  dissenting  Member,  however,  observed  

that the land in question cannot be said to be an  

agricultural land. The learned Member found that part  

of the land was leased out by tenant’s husband for  

firewood  depot  and  he  is  a  truck  owner.   The  

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dissenting Member expressed his view in the following  

words:

     “………..It is learnt from the  enquiry that the petitioner’s husband  is  a  truck  (lorry)  owner,  the  main  source of income of the petitioner is  from the income derived from the rent  and  selling  the  fire-wood  from  the  fire-wood  depot.   The  petitioner  is  not  an  agriculturist,  at  any  time.  Apart from this the petitioner has no  cultivable  lands  also,  because  there  are 5 coconut trees in the courtyard  that  cannot  be  treated  the  petition  land as agricultural lands”

Mr. Basava Prabhu S.Patil, learned Senior counsel  

appears on behalf of the appellant and submits that  

the land in question was not an agricultural land on  

the  appointed  day.  Further  the  tenant  was  not  an  

agriculturist and not cultivating the land personally  

on the said date and, therefore, cannot be registered  

as an occupant in terms of Section 45 of the Act.  

Mr. S.N. Bhat appearing for the tenant as also Ms.  

Vishruti  Vijay,  learned  counsel  representing  the  

State  submit  that  the  land  in  question  was  an  

agricultural  land  which  was  being  cultivated  

personally  by  the  tenant  and,  therefore,  she  was  

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rightly registered as an occupant by the tribunal and  

the said order has rightly been affirmed by the High  

Court.   In view of the submission advanced it is  

advisable to refer to the scheme of the Act.  As the  

claim is raised under Section 45 of the Act, we deem  

it expedient to reproduce the same which reads as  

follows:

“45.  Tenants  to  be  registered  as  occupants  of  land  on  certain  conditions.—(1)  Subject  to  the  provisions of the succeeding sections  of this Chapter, every person who was  a  permanent  tenant,  protected  tenant  or other tenant or where a tenant has  lawfully  sub-let,  such  sub-tenant  shall,  with  effect  on  and  from  the  date  of  vesting  be  entitled  to  be  registered as an occupant in respect  of  the  lands  of  which  he  was  a  permanent tenant, protected tenant or  other tenant or sub-tenant before the  date of vesting and which he has been  cultivating personally.  

(2)  If  a  tenant  or  other  person  referred to in sub-section (1),—  

(i) holds  land  partly  as  owner  and  partly as tenant but the area of  the land held by him as owner is  equal  to  or  exceeds  a  ceiling  area he shall not be entitled to  be registered as an occupant of  the land held by him as a tenant  before the date of vesting;  

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(ii) does  not  hold  and  cultivate  personally any land as an owner,  but holds land as tenant, which  he  cultivates  personally  in  excess  of  a  ceiling  area,  he  shall  be  entitled  to  be  registered as an occupant to the  extent of a ceiling area;  

(iii) holds  and  cultivates  personally  as an owner of any land the area  of which is less than a ceiling  area, he shall be entitled to be  registered as an occupant to the  extent of such area as will be  sufficient  to  make  up  his  holding  to  the  extent  of  a  ceiling area.  

(3) The land held by a person before  the date of vesting and in respect of  which  he  is  not  entitled  to  be  registered as an occupant under this  section shall  be  disposed  of in the  manner  provided  in  section  77  after  evicting such person.”

The aforesaid section, inter alia, provides that  

a  tenant  holding  the  land  and  cultivating  it  

personally on and from the date of vesting shall be  

entitled  to  be  registered  as  an  occupant.   The  

expression  ‘to  cultivate  personally’,  ‘land’  and  

‘tenant’ have been defined under Section 2(11), 2(18)  

and 2(34) of the Act.  The person claiming to be  

registered as a tenant has to satisfy that he is not  

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only  a  tenant  but  also  an   agriculturist  who  

cultivates  personally  the  land  held  on  lease.  

Section 2(34) defines ‘tenant’ as follows:

“2.Definitions.-  (A)  In  this  Act,  unless  the  context  otherwise  requires,-

 xxx xxx xxx

(34)  “Tenant” means an agriculturist  who cultivates personally the land he  holds  on  lease  from  a  landlord  and  includes—

(i) a person who is deemed to be a  tenant under section 4;

(ii)  a  person  who  was  protected  from eviction from any land by the  Karnataka  Tenants  (Temporary  Protection  from  Eviction)  Act,  1961;

(ii-a)  a  person  who  cultivates  personally any land on lease under  a  lease  created  contrary  to  the  provisions of section 5 and before  the  date  of  commencement  of  the  Amendment Act;

(iii) a person who is a permanent  tenant; and

(iv) a person who is a protected  tenant.

Explanation.—A person who takes up a  contract to cut grass, or together the  

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fruits or other produce of any land,  shall  not  on  that  account  only  be  deemed to be a tenant;”

It is an inclusive definition and in the present  

case, we are concerned with the main provision. To  

come within the definition of tenant a person has to  

be an agriculturist and such a person is required  

personally to cultivate the land he holds on lease.  

The  expression  ‘cultivate  personally’  has  been  

defined under Section 2(11) of the Act, which reads  

as follows:

“2.Definitions.- (A)  xxx    xxx   xxx

(11)  “To  cultivate  personally” means  to  cultivate  land  on  one’s  own  account,—  

(i) by one’s own labour; or  

(ii) by the labour of any member  of one’s family or;  

(iii) by  hired  labour  or  by  servants on wages payable in  cash  or  kind,  but  not  in  crop  share,  under  the  personal  supervision  of  oneself  or  by  member  of  one’s family;  

Explanation I.— In the case of an  educational,  religious  or  charitable  

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institution or society or trust, of a  public  nature  capable  of  holding  property,  formed  for  educational,  religious  or  charitable  purpose,  the  land shall be deemed to be cultivated  personally if such land is cultivated  by hired labour or by servants under  the  personal  supervision  of  an  employee or agent of such institution  or society or trust;

Explanation  II.—  In  the  case  of  a  joint family, the land shall be deemed  to be cultivated personally, if it is  cultivated  by  any  member  of  such  family.;”

As stated earlier, to satisfy the requirement of  

Section  45  of  the  Act  to  be  registered  as  an  

occupant, the claimant has to satisfy that he is the  

tenant in respect of land which he is cultivating  

personally  on  the  appointed  day.   Neither  the  

tribunal  nor  the  High  Court  has  gone  into  the  

question as to whether the property said to have been  

given on lease to the tenant on the appointed day,  

came within the definition of land under the Act.  

Further, the tribunal and the High Court have not  

addressed the issue as to whether the same was an  

agricultural  land  and  was  being  cultivated  on  or  

before the appointed day by the tenant personally.  

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The tribunal has made spot inspection much later than  

the appointed day on 15th December, 1987 which, in our  

opinion, has no relevance at all with the rights of  

the parties.  Here, the rights of the parties have to  

be crystallized on the basis of what existed on the  

appointed  day.  Neither  the  Tribunal  nor  the  High  

Court  has  gone  into  this  question  in  the  right  

perspective.  We are of the opinion that the impugned  

orders of the learned Single Judge and that of the  

Division Bench as also of the Tribunal deserve to be  

set  aside  and  the  matter  remitted  back  to  the  

tribunal  for  its  consideration  in  accordance  with  

law.  We make it clear that the observation made in  

this order is for the purpose of its disposal and  

shall have no bearing on the merit of the case.   

In the result, we allow this appeal, set aside  

the impugned judgment and remit the matter back to  

the tribunal for reconsideration in accordance with  

law bearing in mind the observations aforesaid.  In  

the facts and circumstances of the case there shall  

be no order as to costs.  

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     ……………………..………………………………..J.  (CHANDRAMAULI KR. PRASAD)

 …….….……….………………………………..J.                   (KURIAN JOSEPH)

NEW DELHI, OCTOBER 7, 2013  

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