Civil Appeal No 23 of 1966
Appeal from the judgment and decree dated May 11 1962 of the Patna High Court in Appeal from Original Decree No 169 of 1958
UP Singh for the appellants
Sarjoo Prasad and RC Prasad for respondents Nos 1 and 2
The Judgment of the Court was delivered by Bachawat J
The plaintiffs defendants 5 to 7 and the ancestor of defendants 8 to 13 were the sixteen anna proprietors of certain villages in district Shahbad
By a registered deed dated October 3 1944 they leased the forest rights in the villages to the defendants 1 and 2 for a period of 9 years ending Bhado 30 1360 Fasli corresponding to September 2 1953 at an annual
rent of Rs 16000
The plaintiffs had 6 annas share in the proprietary rights in the villages and Rs 6000 was fixed as their share of the annual rent
The defendant No 3 was a transferee of a portion of a lessees  interest from defendant 1
On September 3 1954 the plaintiffs instituted a suit claiming a decree against defendants 1 and 2 for Rs 36405 on account of their share of the rent for 1356 to 1360 Faslis and interest thereon at 1 per annum
During the pendency of the suit defendant 2 died and his heirs were substituted as defendants 2 and 2a
The Trial Court decreed the suit on contest against defendants 2 and sup69 6 362 2a and ex parte against defendants 1 and 3 with future interest and costs
On appeal the High Court held that 1  as defendant 2 had only 4 anna share in the lessees  interest as mentioned in the lease deed and as he had acquired another one anna share in the lessees interest subsequently defendants 2 and 2a were liable to pay only 5 annas share in the annual rent that is to say Rs 1875 per annum and defendants 1 and 3 were liable to pay the balance rent 2 as the lease deed granted a lease of forest rights the suit was governed by article 2bi of Schedule III of the Bihar Tenancy Act 1885 and consequently the suit in respect of rent for 1356 and 1357 Faslis was barred by limitation and 3 in view of sec
67 of the Bihar Tenancy Act the plaintiffs could claim interest at the rate of 614 per annum only
Accordingly the High Court allowed the appeal in part and  passed a decree against defendants 2 and 2a for 5 annas share of the rent for 1358 to 1360 Faslis and a separate decree against defendants 1 and 3 for the balance rent for those years with interest at 614  per annum
The plaintiffs have filed the present appeal after obtaining a certificate from the High Court
The appellants challenge the correctness of all the findings of the High Court
Clause 3 of the lease deed provided that the lessees shall pay an annual Zama of Rs 16000 in respect of the thika property on 1st Kuar of every year
If for any reason the rent for two consecutive years shall fall into arrears in that case the lessors shall be competent to enter into khas possession and occupation of the thika property and to this the lessees shall  have no objection and in case of making default the lessees shall pay an interest at the rate of Re 1 per cent till the date of payment
The lessors either separately or jointly shall realise the amount to the extent of their respective shares according to their choice by instituting in court with interest thereon mentioned above from the persons and properties of the lessees
 At the end of the lease it was stated that defendant 1 had twelve anna share in the lessees  interest and his share of the rent was Rs 12000
It was also stated that defendant 2 had 4 anna share in the lessees  interest and his share of the rent was Rs 4GO0
Clause 3 of the deed clearly shows that the lessees were jointly liable to pay the annual rent of Rs 16000
The deed mentioned the share of each lessee and the annual rent for the purpose of indicating what amount would be contributed by each of them towards the rent jointly payable by them
The joint liability of the lessees is clearly indicated by the provision that entire lease 363 would be terminable on default of payment of rent for two consecutive years
Having regard to sec
43 of the defendants 1 and 2 were jointly and severally liable to pay the rent
It was not disputed before the High Court that the liability of defendant 3 stood on the same footing
The High Court was in error in holding that defendant 2 was liable to pay only 5 anna share in the rent
The High Court was right in allowing the defendant to raise the point of limitation though the plea was not taken in the written statement
Under section 184 of the Bihar Tenancy Act a suit instituted after the expiry of the period of limitation is liable to be dismissed though limitation has not been pleaded learned Counsel for the appellants could not tell us what further evidence his clients could adduce on this point
In the circumstances the absence of the plea of limitation in the written statement did not cause the appellants any prejudice
On a careful reading of the lease deed we are satisfied that it granted a lease in respect of forest rights only
It gave the lessees the right to cut and appropriate trees of certain types and the fruits and flowers of certain fruit bearing trees
The right to open roads and to construct buildings were incidental to the right to enjoy the forest produce
The suit is for recovery of rent in respect of forest produce and saving regard to sec
193 of the Bihar Tenancy Act is governed by article 2bi of the Schedule III thereto
This view is supported by the decisions of the Calcutta High Court in Abdulullah vs Asraf Ali1 and Bande Ali Fakir vs
Amud Sarkar2
The special period of limitation applies though the claim for arrears of rent is rounded on a registered instrument see Mackenzie vs Haji Syed Muhammad Ali Khan
3The High Court was right in holding that the suit in respect of rent for Fasli years 1356 and 1357 was barred by limitation
Having regard to sec
193 all the provisions of the Act applied to a suit
Section 67 1  provides that arrears of rent shall bear simple interest at the rate of 614 per annum
The section overrides the contractual stipulation that the interest would be payable at 1 per annum
The High Court was right in holding that interest was payable at the rate of 614 per annum only
In the result the appeal is allowed in part and it is declared that defendants 1 2 2a and 3 are jointly and severally liable to pay to the plaintiffs Rs 6000 per annum on account of the plaintiffs  share of rent for Fasli years 1358 1359 and 1360 and simple interest thereon at the rate of 614 per annum upto date
We direct that a decree be drawn up accordingly
The decree will carry future interest on the principal sum at the rate of 6 1 7 CLJ 152
2 19CWN 415
3 ILR19 Cal
1 364 per annum
The aforesaid defendants will pay to the plaintiffs proportionate costs of the suit in the Trial Court
The parties will bear their own costs of the appeal in the High Court and in this Court
This decree will be without prejudice to the payments if any made by the defendants to the plaintiffs after the institution the suit
YP Appeal partly allowed


Summary:
The plaintiffs defendants 5 to 7 and the ancestor of defendants 8 to 13 leased the forest rights in theft villages to defendants 1 and 2 at an annual rental
The deed mentioned the share of each lessee and the annual rent for the purpose of indicating what amount would be contributed by each of them towards the rent jointly payable by them
It was stated in the lease that the entire lease would be terminable on default of payment of rent for two
consecutive years and the lessee shall pay interest at Re 1 per cent in case of default and that the lessors either separately or jointly shall realise the amount according to their choice
Defendant 3 was a transferee of a portion of lessees  interest from defendant 1
The plaintiff lessors flied a suit in September 1954 claiming a decree of their share of rent for 1356 to 1360 Fasli and interest thereon
The plea that suit was
barred by limitation was not taken in the written statement
Defendant 2 died and his heirs were substituted as defendants 2 and 2a
The trial court decreed the suit
On appeal the High Court held that i the defendants 1 to 3 were liable to pay the amount of the annual rent up to the extent of their respective shares ii as the lease deed granted a lease of forest rights the suit was governed by article 2b1 of Schedule HI of the Bihar Tenancy Act 1885 and consequently the suit in respect of rent for 1356 and 1357 Faslis was barred by limitation and iii in view of section 67 of the Bihar Tenancy Act the plaintiffs could claim at the rate of 612 per annum only
In appeal
this Court HELD The defendants 1 to 3 were jointly and severally liable to pay the plaintiff s share of the rent for 1358 1359 and 1360 Faslis and simple interest thereon at 614 per annum up
to date
i The deed mentioned the share of each lessee and the annual rent for the purpose of indicating what amount would be contributed by each of them towards the rent jointly payable by them
The joint liability of the lessees was clearly indicated by the provision that the entire lease would be terminable on default on payment of rent for two consecutive years
Having regard to section 43 of the defendants 1 and 2 were jointly and severally liable to pay the rent and the liability of defendant 3 stood on the same footing
362 H 363B ii Under section 184 of the Bihar Tenancy Act a suit instituted after the expiry of the period of limitation is liable to be dismissed though limitation is not pleaded
The respondent was rightly allowed to raise the 361 point of limitation though the plea was not taken in the written statement
363 C The lease deed granted a lease in respect of forest rights only
It gave the lessees the right to cut and appropriate trees of certain types and the fruits and flowers of certain fruit bearing trees
The right to open roads and to construct buildings were incidental to the right to enjoy a forest produce
The suit was for recovery of rent in respect of forest produce and having regard to section 193 of the Bihar Tenancy Act was governed by article 2b1 of the Schedule III therefore
The special period of limitation applied though the claim for arrears of rent was claimed on a registered document
363 D F The suit in respect of rent for 1356 and 1357 was barred by limitation
Abdulullah vs Asraf Ali 7 CLJ 152 Bande Ali Fakir vs Amud Sarkar and Mackenzie vs Haji Syed Muhammad Ali Khan ILR  approved
iii Interest was payable at the rate of 6 14 per annum only
By section 193 of the Bihar Tenancy Act all the provisions of the Act applied to the suit
Section 671 provides that arrears of rent shall bear simple interest at the rate of 612 per annum
The section overrides the contractual stipulation that the interest be payable at 1 per annum363 F G