Summarize the following court judgment. Civil Appeal No. 8 of 1951. Appeal from the judgment and decree dated 12th October	 1944	 of the High Court of Judicature at Allahabad (Allsop and Malik JJ.)in First Appeal No. 374 of 1941 arising out of a Decree dated 31st July	 1941	 of the Court of the Civil Judge	 Moradabad	 in Original Suit No. 9 of 1941. Bakshi Tek Chand (section K. Kapoor	 with him) for the appel lant. Achhru Ram (Jwala Prasad	 with him) for the respondent. February 22. The judgment of the Court was deliv ered by BoSE J. This is a litigation between two branches of a family whose common ancestor was one Megh Raj Singh The family tree is as follows: Megh Raj Singh Jawahar Singh Madan Singh Shankar Lal(d 1884) Brijlal (d. 1889 or (1890) Daughter: Met. Mohan Dei (d. Oct 1929) Kishan Lal Mahabir Prasad Husband: Narain Das (d. 21 5 1940) (d. 1921) Shri Kishan Das Mst. Deoki Jugal Kishore Amar Nath (d.march 1929) (d. 1894) Plff. 1 Plff.2. Dhiyan Singh Jai Bhagwan Singh Deft. 1 Deft. 2 Ghas Ram Onkar Prasad The dispute is about property which	 according to the plaintiffs	 formed part of Shanker Lal 's estate. The plain tiffs state that the two branches of the family were sepa rate at all material times; that on 480 Shanker Lal 's death in 1884 his daughter Mst. Mohan Dei (the defendants ' grandmother) succeeded to a limited estate. The reversion opened out on her death in October 1929 and the plaintiffs are entitled as the next reversioners	 for Mst. Mohan Dei 's son Shri Kishan Das predeceased her. The defendants admit that Shanker Lal was separate from the other branch of the family. They divide the property which their grandmother Mst. Mohan Dei possessed into two categories. First	 there was property which they say be longed to her. These are properties which	 according to them	 she purchased or obtained under mortgages in her own right. Next	 there were properties which belonged exclu sively to her father and to which she succeeded as daughter. On Shanker Lal 's death disputes arose between Shanker Lal 's father 's brother 's son Brijlal (the plaintiffs ' grandfa ther) and the defendants ' grandmother Mst. Mohan Dei. Brijlal claimed the entire estate by survivorship	 his allegation being that Shanker Lal died in a state of joint ness with him and that all the properties were joint family properties. This dispute was referred to arbitration and an award was delivered. Under it Mst. Mohan Dei was given the suit properties as absolute owner and the rest of the estate then in dispute was given to Brijlal	 A division was ef fected accordingly and ever since	 that is to say	 from 21 12 1884	 the date of the award	 down to 26 3 1941	 the date of the suit	 each branch has been in separate and uninter rupted possession of the properties respectively allotted to it and each has been dealing with them as absolute owner. The defendants claim that the plaintiffs are bound by this award and are in any event estopped. The plaintiffs lost in the first Court but won in the High Court. The defendants appeal. The first question is about the nature of the award. The defendants say that it gave Mst. Mohan Dei an absolute estate. The plaintiffs deny this and say she obtained only a limited estate. In our opinion	 the defendants are right. 481 The question at issue is a simple one of construction. The award is exhibit A 1. The operative portion runs thus: "Having regard to the specifications give above	 Brij Lal	 first party	 and Musammat Mohan Devi	 the deceased 's female issue	 second party	 have been held entitled to shares	 worth Rs. 28	500 and Rs. 42	482 10 0 respective ly in the said properties; and accordingly. two lots have been made and the first lot is allotted to the first party and the second lot to the second party; and henceforth the parties shall have no claim or liability against each other; and each party has become permanent owner (malikmustaqil) of his or her share; and each party should enter in proprietary possession and occupation of his or her respective share. " The underlining is ours. We do not think the words admit of any doubt	 particu larly as the words "malik mustaqil" have been used: see Ram Gopal vs Nand Lal and Others (1) and Bishunath Prasad Singh vs Chandika Prasad Kumari (2). But it was argued that the award must be viewed as a whole and that certain earlier passages show that this could not have been the intention. ]he passages relied on are these. First	 the finding that the properties claimed by Mst. Mohan Dei as her own really belonged to Shanker Lal. He had purchased some and acquired others through mortgages in her name but she was only a benamidar and had no title to them. Second	 that some of the properties in dispute were ancestral and the rest sell acquired	 though whether with the help of ances tral funds or not the arbitrator was unable to determine. Third	 the arbitrator 's view of the Hindu law	 namely that "the brother should be the owner of the joint ancestral property and the daughter who has a male issue should be owner of the self acquired property. " And lastly	 this passage (1) ; at 773.(2)(1933) 60 I.A. 56 at 61 & 62. 482 "Furthermore	 when the 2nd party (Mohan Dei) has inher ited no property from her husband	 she	 in case of getting this share	 will certainly settle down in Amroha and will make her father 's haveli as her abode and thus the haveli shall remain a bad as heretofore	 and in this way the de ceased 's name will be perpetuated; and it is positive that	 after the Musammat	 this property shall devolve on her son	 who will be the malik (owner) thereof	 and later the de scendant of this son will become the owner thereof. " We do not think these passages qualify the operative portion of the award and are unable to agree with the learned Judges of the High Court who hold they do. In our opinion	 the arbitrator was confused in his mind both as regards the facts as well as regards the law. His view of the law may have been wrong but the words used are	 in our opinion	 clear and	 in the absence of anything which would unambiguously qualify them	 we must interpret them in their usual sense. Some cases were cited in which the word "malik"	 and in one case the words "malik mustaqil" were held to import a limited estate because of qualifying circumstances. We think it would be pointless to examine them because we are concerned here with the document before us and even if it be conceded that words which would ordinarily mean one thing can be qualified by other words and circumstances appearing in the same document	 we are of opinion that the passages and circumstances relied on in this case do not qualify the strong	 clear and unambiguous words used in this document. The learned counsel for the plaintiffs respondents had to search diligently for the meaning for which he contended in other passages and had to make several assumptions which do not appear on the face of the award as to what the arbitra tor must have thought and must have intended. We are not prepared to qualify clear and unambiguous language by phrases of dubious import which can be made to coincide with either view by calling in aid assumptions of fact about whose existence we can only guess 483 The award was attacked on other grounds also. It was urged	 among other things	 that the arbitrator had travelled beyond the terms of his reference in awarding Mst. Mohan Dei an absolute interest. It was also urged that even if Brij lal was bound his son Kishan Lal	 who did not claim through him but who had an independent title as reversioner to Shanker Lal	 would not be bound	 and it was contended that if Kishan Lal was not bound the plaintiffs would not be either. But we need not examine these points because we do not need to proceed on the binding nature of the award. Even if the award be invalid we are of opinion that the plaintiffs ' claim is completely answered by the plea of estoppel. Now it can be conceded that before an estoppel can arise	 there must be	 first	 a representation of an existing fact as distinct from a mere promise de futuro made by one party to the other; second	 that the other party	 believing it	 must have been induced to act on the faith of it; and third	 that he must have so acted to his detriment. It will be necessary to deal with this in stages and first we will consider whether there was any estoppel against Brijlal. It is beyond dispute that he laid serious claim to the property in 1884. He claimed that he was joint with Shanker Lal and so	 on Shanker Lal 's death he became entitled to the whole of the estate and that Mst. Mohan Dei had only a right of maintenance. Whether he would have had difficulty in establishing such a claim	 or indeed whether it would have been impossible for him to do so	 is wholly immaterial. The fact remains that he pressed his claim and was serious about it	 so much so that he was able to per suade the arbitrator that he had an immediate right to part of the estate. Mohan Dei	 on the other hand	 resisted this claim and contended that she was entitled to separate and exclusive possession	 and in any event	 that she was entitled in absolute right to a part of the property. On the facts which now emerge it is evident that Brijlal had no right and that his hopes of one day succeeding as 484 reversioner were remote. Mohan Dei had a son Shri Kishan Das who was the next presumptive reversioner and as the boy was a good deal younger than Brijlal	 Brijlal 's chances were slim. Actually	 the boy survived Brijlal by nearly forty years. Brijlal died in 1889or 1890 and the boy did not die till March 1929. Had he lived another eight or nine months he would have succeeded and the plaintiffs would have been nowhere. Now this dispute	 seriously pressed by both sides	 was referred to arbitration. It is neither here nor there whether the award was valid	 whether the decision fell within the scope of the reference or whether it had any binding character in itself. Even if it was wholly invalid	 it was still open to the parties to say: Never mind whether the arbitrator was right or wrong	 his decision is fair and sensible	 so instead of wasting further time and money in useless litigation	 we will accept it and divide the estate in accordance with his findings. That would have been a perfectly right and proper settlement of the dispute	 and whether it bound third parties or not it would certainly bind the immediate parties; and that in effect is what they did. By his conduct Brijlal induced Mst. Mohan Dei to be lieve that this would be the case and on the faith of that representation	 namely the acceptance of the award	 he induced Mst. Mohan Dei to act greatly to her detriment and to alter her position by accepting the award and parting with an appreciable portion of the estate	 and he himself obtained a substantial advantage to which he would not otherwise have been entitled and enjoyed the benefit of it for the rest of his life; and to his credit be it said	 he never attempted to go behind his decision. In any event	 we are clear that that created an estoppel as against Brijlal. In our opinion	 the present case is very similar to the one which their Lordships of the Privy Council decided in Kanhai Lal vs Brij Lal (1). There also there was a dispute between a limited owner and a person who	 but for an un proved claim (adoption) which he (1) (1919) 45 I.A. 118. 485 put forward	 had no right to the estate. The dispute was taken to the courts but was compromised and according to the agreement the property was divided between the two rival claimants and the agreement was given effect to and acted on for a period of twenty years. Later	 the succession opened out and the other party to the compromise	 who by then had stepped into the reversion	 claimed the rest of the estate	 which had been assigned to the limited owner	 against her personal heirs. The Judicial Committee rejected the claim on the ground of estoppel and held that even though the plaintiff claimed in a different character in the suit	 namely as reversioner	 he having been a party to the compro mise and having acted on it and induced the other side to alter her position to her detriment	 was estopped. We do not think the fact that there was a voluntary compromise whereas here there was the imposed decision of an arbitra tor. makes any difference because we are not proceeding on the footing of the award but on the actings of the parties in accepting it when they need not have done so if the present contentions are correct. It is true that in one sense a question of title is one of law and it is equally true that there can be no estoppel on a question of law. But every question of law must be grounded on facts and when Brijlal 's conduct is analysed it will be found to entail an assertion by him that he admitted and recognised facts which would in law give Mst. Mohan Dei an absolute interest in the lands awarded to her. It was because of that assertion of fact	 namely his recognition and admission of the existence of facts which would give Mst. Mohan Dei an absolute interest	 that she was induced to part with about one third of the property to which Brijlal	 on a true estimate of the facts as now known	 had no right. There can be no doubt that she acted to her detriment and there can	 we think	 be equally no doubt that she was in duced to do so on the faith of Brijlal 's statements and conduct which induced her to believe that he accepted all the implications of the 63 486 award. But in any event	 we are clear that Brijlal would have been estopped. The nature of the dispute and the de scription of it given in the award show that there was considerable doubt	 and certainly much dispute	 about the true state of affairs. Even if the arbitrator was wholly wrong and even if he had no power to decide as he did	 it was open to both sides to accept the decision and by their acceptance recognise the existence of facts which would in law give the other an absolute estate in the properties they agreed to divide among themselves and did divide. That	 in our opinion is a representation of an existing fact or set of facts. Each would consequently be estopped as against the other and Brijlal in particular would have been estopped from denying the existence of facts which would give Mst. Mohan Dei an absolute interest in the suit property. We turn next to his son Kishan Lal. Brijlal died in 1889 or 1890. At that date Mst. Mohan Dei 's son Shri Kishan Das was alive and was the next presumptive reversioner. Brijlal 's sons therefore had no more right to that portion of his estate which was assigned to Brijlal than Brijlal himself. But they took possession and claimed through their father. ]hey did not claim an independent title in them selves	 and	 as we know	 they had no other title at that date. They were therefore in no better position than Brij lal and as Brijlal would have been estopped	 the estoppel descended to them also because they stepped into his shoes. This would be so even if Brijlal had claimed the property independently for himself	 which he did not; but much more so as he claimed in joint family rights and evidently acted as karta or manager on behalf of his family. But apart from this	 there was also an independent estoppel in Kishan Lal. We have said	 he had no right to this part of the estate when his father died apart from the award. But nevertheless he took possession along with his brother and the two of them treated the property as their own and derived benefit 487 from it. They partitioned the estate between themselves and sold away parts of it to third parties. Kishan Lal knew of the award. He knew that mutation had been effected in accordance with it and possession taken by Brijlal under it and that the rest had been retained by Mst. Mohan Dei. His retention of the property therefore and his continuing to deal with it on the basis of the award indicated his own acceptance of the award and	 therefore	 by his acts and conduct	 he represented that he also	 like his father	 admitted the existence of facts which would in law give Mst. Mohan Dei an absolute estate; and further	 he allowed Mst. Mohan Dei to deal with the estate as her own	 for she	 on her part. also acted on the award and claimed absolute rights in the property assigned to her. She dealt with it on that footing and gifted it in that right to her grand sons	 the contesting defendants	 on 4th April	 1929. Muta tion was effected and Kishan Lal raised no objection. We see then that Brijlal retained possession of property to which he was not entitled for a period of five or six years from 1884 to 1889 or 1890 and induced Mst. Mohan Dei to part with it by representing that he accepted the award and her abso lute title to the rest	 and after him Kishan Lal and his brother between them enjoyed the benefit of it from 1889 or 1890 down to October 1929 when Mst. Mohan Dei died	 that is	 for a further forty years	 and led Mst. Mohan Dei to believe that they also acknowledged her title to an absolute estate. We have no doubt that down to that time Kishan Lal was also estopped for the reasons given above. Had he questioned the award and reopened the dispute Mst. Mohan Dei would at once have sued and would then for forty years have obtained the benefit of property from which she was excluded because of her acceptance of the award on the faith of Brijlal 's asser tion that he too accepted it. Kishan Lal 's inaction over these years with full knowledge of the facts	 as is evident from the deposition of D.W. 2	 Dhiyan Singh	 whose testimony is uncontradicted	 and his acceptance of the estate with all its consequential benefits	 unquestionably creates an estoppel in him. This witness tells us that 488 "Kishanlal always accepted this award and acted upon it. " He qualifies this in cross examination by saying that Kishan Lal had also objected to it but the witness did not know whether that was before or after Mst. Mohan Dei 's death. The documents filed show it was after	 so there is no reason why the main portion of his statement which is uncontradicted	 and which could have been contradicted	 should not be accepted. In March	 1929	 Mst. Mohan Dei 's son Shri Kishan Das died and Kishan Lal thereupon became the next presumptive reversioner	 and in October	 1929	 when the reversion opened out the estate vested in him	 or rather would have vested in him but for the estoppel. The question therefore is	 did he continue to be bound by the estoppel when he assumed a new character on the opening out of the reversion ? We have no doubt he did. The decision of the Judicial Committee which we have just cited	 Kanhai Lal vs Brijlal(1)	 is	 we think	 clear on that point. Although other reversioners who do not claim through the one who has consented are not bound. the consenting reversioner is estopped. This is beyond dispute when there is an alienation by a limited owner without legal necessity. See Ramgouda Annagouda vs Bhausaheb (2) where the ground of decision was ". .but Annagouda himself being a party to and benefiting by the transaction evidenced thereby was preclud ed from questioning any part of it. " In our opinion	 the same principles apply to a case of the present kind. It was contended	 however	 on the strength of Rangasami Gounden vs Nachiappa Gounden(3) and Mr. Binda Kuer vs Lalitha Prasad(4)	 that even if Kishan Lal did take posses sion in 1889or 1890 on the strength of a title derived from his father	 that would not have precluded him from asserting his own rights in a different character when the succession opened (1)(1918) 45 I.A 118. (2) (1927) 54 I.A. 396 at 403. (3) (1919) 46 I.A. 72. (4) (1936) A.I.R. 1936 P.C. 304 at 308. 489 out. Reliance in particular was placed upon page 808 of the latter ruling. In our opinion	 that decision is to be distinguished. In that case the reversion did not fall in till 1916. Long before that	 namely in 1868	 the next presumptive reversioners entered into a compromise whereby the grandfa ther of one Jairam who figured in that case obtained a good deal more than he Would have been entitled to in the ordi nary way. But for the compromise this grandfather would have got only one anna 12 gundas share	 whereas due to the compromise he got as much as 2 annas 4 gundas	 The actual taking of possession was however deferred under the compro mise till the death of one Anandi Kuer. She died in 1885 and on that date Jairam was entitled to his grandfather 's share as both his father and grandfather were dead. Jairam accordingly reaped the benefit of the transaction. But it is to be observed that the extra benefit which he derived was only as to a 12 gundas share because he had an absolute and indefeasible right to 1 anna 12 gundas in any event in his own right under a title which did not spring from the com promise. Jairam lost 1 anna 4 gundas to a creditor Munniram and out of the one anna which he had left from the 2 annas 4 gundas he sold 13 gundas to the plaintiffs for a sum of Rs. 500. Now it is evident that on those facts it is impossible to predicate that the 13 gundas which the plaintiffs pur chased came out of the extra 12 gundas which Jairam obtained because of the compromise rather than out of the 1 anna 12 gundas to which he had a good and independent title anyway; and of course unless the plaintiffs ' 13 gundas could be assigned with certainty to the 12 gundas it would be impos sible to say that they had obtained any benefit from the compromise. The Judicial Committee also added that even if it was possible to assign this 13 gundas with certainty to the 12 gundas it by no means followed that the plaintiffs admitted that fact nor would that necessarily have given them a benefit under the compromise. They had the right to contest 'the 490 position and gamble on the possibility of being able to prove the contrary. Their Lordships added " Unless the plaintiffs ' individual conduct makes it unjust that they should have a place among Bajrangi Lal 's reversioners their legal rights should have effect. " In the other case	 Rangasami Gounden vs Nachiappa Goun den(1)	 their Lordships ' decision about this matter turned on the same sort of point: see page 87. The present case is very different. When Kishan Lal took possession of his father 's property he held by virtue of the award and under no other title	 and for forty years he continued to derive benefit from it. Accordingly	 he would have been estopped even if he had claimed in a differ ent character as reversioner after the succession opened out. It was conceded that if the estoppel against Kishan Lal enured after October 1929	 then the plaintiffs	 who claim through Kishan Lal	 would also be estopped. The appeal succeeds. The decree of the High Court is set aside and that of the first Court dismissing the plaintiffs ' claim is restored. Costs here and in the High Court will be borne by the plaintiffs respondents. Appeal allowed. (1) (1919) 46 I.A. 72.

S and B were sons of two brothers respectively. S died in 1884 leaving a daughter M	 surviving him. On the death of S dispute arose between B and M. B claimed the entire estate by survivorship	 alleging that S died in a state of jointness with him and that all the properties were joint family properties and M was entitled only to maintenance. The dispute was referred to arbitration and an award was delivered. Under it the suit properties were given to M and the rest of the estate then in dispute was given to B. The operative part of the award stated inter alia that B	 first party	 and M	 the second party	 were held entitled to speci fied shares in the properties in dispute and each had become permanent owner (Malik Mustaqil) of his or her share. A division was effected and ever since the date of the award in 1884 each branch continued in possession of the proper ties allotted to it and each had been dealing with them as absolute owner. The defendants claimed that the plaintiffs were bound by the award and were in any event estopped from challenging it. In 1941 B 's grandsons instituted a suit claiming the properties allotted to M claiming that on the death of S his daughter M succeeded to a limited estate and reversion opened out on her death in 1929 and the plain tiffs were entitled as next reversioners	 as M 's son had predeceased her. The defendants (Ms grandsons) alleged that the property possessed by M consisted partly of property which belonged to her and partly of property which belonged exclusively to her father to which she succeeded as daughter. Held	 that the award gave an absolute estate to M as the words "Malik Mustaqil" were strong. clear and unambiguous and were not qualified by. other words and circumstances appearing in the same document in the present case. Held further. that even if the award be assumed to be invalid the plaintiffs ' claim was barred by the plea of estoppel. There was estoppel against B because by his conduct he induced M to believe that the decision of the arbitrator was fair and reasonable and both the parties would be bound by it and he induced her to act greatly to her detriment and to alter her position by accepting the award and never attempting to go behind it as long 479 as he lived; there was estoppel against B 's sons because it descended to them as they stepped into his shoes	 and fur ther there was independent estoppel against B 's son K by his acts and conduct as evidenced in this case. There was estoppel against plaintiffs who claimed through their father K.