Appeal No 90 of 1956
Appeal by special leave from the judgment and decree dated August 5 1953 of the Bombay High Court in Appeal from the Appellate Decree No 915 of 1951
M section K Sastri for the appellant
A G Ratnaparkhi for respondent No 1 1961
April 12
The Judgment of the Court was delivered by RAGHUBAR DAYAL J
This appeal by special leave is against the judgment and decree of the High Court of Bombay dismissing the suit of the plaintiff appellant
The plaintiff sued for a declaration that the property in suit which is situate at Mouje Digvale a village held by khots in the district of Ratnagiri was owned by him was under his management and that the defendants had no right or interest therein
He claimed title to the property on the basis of the sale of occupancy rights under the sale deed executed in his favour by Sitabai on February 10 1945
Sitabai was the widow of Vishram Anna Shirsat who succeeded Ram Raghu Shirsat the occupancy tenant of the land in suit
Ram Raghu Shirsat sold the occupancy rights in the land in suit to Laxman Chandba Raut by a deed dated March 8 1892
By a compromise in a civil suit between the heirs of Laxman Chandba Raut and Tanu Daulat Gavade Sakaram the heir of Laxman Raut got 35ths share and Tanu Daulat got 25ths share in these occupancy rights
Dattatraya Bhikaji Khot Kulkarni a paternal uncle of respondent No 1 purchased
the shares of these persons by 907 the sale deeds dated December 141903 and February 13 1904
On Kulkarni s death respondent No 1 became the owner of the property
Respondents nos
2 to 4 are the tenants of respondent No 1
The land in suit is khoti land as defined in el
10 of section 3 of the Khoti Settlement Act 1880 Bom
Act 1 of 1880 hereinafter called the Act
It is not disputed that Ram Raghu Shirsat was the occupancy tenant of the land in suit and that he could not transfer his tenancy right without the consent of the khot which according to cl
2 of section 3 includes a mortgagee lawfully in possession of khotki and all co sharers in a khotki
It is also admitted that the transferors of the afore mentioned sale deeds of 1892 in favour of the predecesror in interest of respondent No 1 or of the sale deed of 1945 in favour of the appellant did not obtain the consent of the khot before executing the deed of transfer
The plaintiff alleged that the sale deed in favour of respondent No 1 was void and that therefore he had title to the suit land on the basis of the sale deed in his favour
Respondent No 1 contended that Ram Raghu Shirsat lost his rights in the property in suit after he had executed the sale deed on March 8 1892 and that therefore the plaintiff obtained no title on the basis of the sale deed in his favour
The trial Court held the sale deed of 1892 to be good sale deed and binding on the plaintiff and dismissed the suit
On appeal the Assistant Judge reversed the decree and decreed the suit holding that a transfer of the occupancy rights in the suit lands by Ram Raghu Sirsat in favour of Laxman Raut was void and that the plaintiff obtained good title under the sale deed in his favour in view of the amendment of section 9 of the Act by section 31 of the Bombay Tenancy Act 1939 Act XXIX of 1939 by which no consent of the khot was necessary for executing the sale deed in 1945
Respondent No 1 preferred a second appeal to the High Court which set aside the decree of the Assistant Judge and restoring the decree of the trial Court dismissed the suit
It held that the sale deed in favour 908 of the plaintiff too would be hit by the provisions of s9 of the Act
It further held that the provisions of s9 indicate that there was no absolute prohibition against a transfer of the occupancy right
A transfer by an occupancy tenant without the consent of the khot cannot be held to be void for all purposes and it would be invalid only in so far as it would be contrary to the right of the khot and not otherwise
It therefore held the transfer in favour of the respondent No 1 s predecessor in interest in 1892 not to be void
It is the correctness of this order that is challenged in this appeal
This appeal has no force
Section 31 of the Bombay Tenancy Act 1939 made amendments to section 9 of ado
the Act and the section after amendment reads The rights of khots and privileged occupants shall be heritable and transferable Privileged occupant  included a permanent tenant under cl
5 of section 3 of the Act
The Bombay Tenancy Act received assent of the Governor of Bombay on April 2 1940 but it came into force in April 1946 when the Government issued the necessary notification in exercise of the powers conferred under subs
3 of section 1 of that Act
It is clear therefore that section 9 as it stood on February 10 1945 when Sitabai executed the sale deed in favour of the appellant made the rights of permanent tenants nontransferable without the consent of the khot and that therefore the sale in favour of the appellant was as much hit adversely by the provisions of section 9 of the Act as the sale of the land in suit in favour of the predecessor in interest of respondent No 1
It is therefore not necessary to determine the question whether the sale was absolutely void or voidable as held by the Court below as neither of the two sales has been challenged by the khot whose consent for the transfer was necessary
The plaintiff has no title whether a transfer by a permanent tenant without the consent of the khot be void or voidable
If such a transfer is void the sale in favour of the appellant did not convey any title to him
If such a sale was merely voidable at the instance of the khot the first sale in favour of the 909 respondent No 1 s predecessor in interest was not avoided by the khot and therefore validly conveyed title to him
Consequently no title passed to the plaintiff under the sale deed in his favour as his transferor had no title
In either case the plaintiff fails to prove his title to the land in suit
The dismissal of his suit is therefore correct
We accordingly dismiss this appeal with costs
Appeal dismissed


Summary:
The land in suit was Khoti land land section 9 of the Khoti Settlement Act 1880 prior to its amendment prohibited the transfer of the occupancy right without the consent of the Khot
Section 31 of the Bombay Tenancy Act 1939 which came into force from April 1946 amended section 9 of the Khoti Settlement Act by which no consent of the Khot was necessary for transferring the occupancy rights in the land
In 1892 R sold his occupancy right without the consent of tile Khot to L the predecessor in interest of respondent No 1
In 1945 R s successor again sold the same occupancy right to the appellant also without the consent of the Khot
The appellant s case was that the sale deed in 1892 in favour of the predecessor in interest of respondent No 1 was void as the transfer of the occupancy right was made without consent of the Khot whereas respondent No 1 contended that R by the sale deed in 1892 had already lost his right to the property in suit and therefore R s successors had no title to pass in 1945 in favour of the appellant
Held that the occupancy right in a Khoti land could not be transferred without consent of the Khot prior to April 1946 when the Bombay Tenancy Act 1939 came into force 114 906 Held further that in the present case as both the sales of 1892 and 1945 were without the consent of the Khot it was not necessary to determine whether such a transfer was void or voidable If void the plaintiff had no title
If voidable the first sale in 1892 validly conveyed title to respondent No 1 s predecessor in interest and consequently no title passed to the plaintiff under the sale deed in 1945 as the transferor had no title