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2020 (4) TMI 907 - SC - Indian LawsBequeathing of properties by the deceased Sangappa under the will or not - genuineness of the Will - Whether the trial Court was justified in holding the will dated 20.5.1991 executed by Sangappa as genuine or not? - HELD THAT:- The Will being a rather solemn document that comes into operation after the death of the testator, special provisions are made in the statutes for making of a Will and for its proof in a Court of law. Section 59 of the Succession Act provides that every person of sound mind, not being a minor, may dispose of his property by Will. A Will or any portion of a Will, the making of which has been caused by fraud or coercion or by any such importunity that has taken away the free agency of the testator, is declared to be void under Section 61 of the Succession Act; and further, Section 62 of the Succession Act enables the maker of a Will to make or alter the same at any time when he is competent to dispose of his property by Will. Elaborate provisions have been made in Chapter VI of the Succession Act, in Sections 74 to 111, for construction of Wills which, in their sum and substance, make the intention of legislature clear that any irrelevant misdescription or error is not to operate against the Will; and approach has to be to give effect to a Will once it is found to have been executed in the sound state of mind by the testator while exercising his own free will. However, when the Will is surrounded by suspicious circumstances, the Court would expect that the legitimate suspicion should be removed before the document in question is accepted as the last Will of the testator. Much emphasis is laid on behalf of the appellants on the submissions that execution of the Will in accordance with the requirements of Section 63 of the Succession Act and Section 68 of the Evidence Act has been duly established on record with the testimony of the attesting witnesses as also the witness with whom the Will along with the handwritten draft of the Will had been deposited by the testator. The submissions so made on behalf of the appellants cannot be accepted for the reason that mere proof of the document in accordance with the requirements of Section 68 of the Evidence Act is not final and conclusive for acceptance of a document as a Will. When suspicious circumstances exist and the suspicions have not been removed, the document in question cannot be accepted as a Will. The Trial Court had largely been swayed by the fact that the deceased Sangappa was not inclined to give any property to the defendant No. 1 and his family as had been the case of the earlier Will executed by him in the year 1974. Admittedly, the said Will of the year 1974 was cancelled by Shri Sangappa on 26.09.1990. He perished in the vehicular accident on 20.05.1991. Whether he intended to bequeath any property to the defendants or not is hardly of any bearing in relation to the suspicious circumstances - the document in question falls flat at the very first question indicated in the case of H. Venkatachala Iyenger [1958 (11) TMI 46 - SUPREME COURT] that is, as to whether the testator signed the Will in question. The answer to this question is only in the negative. This is apart from the fact that the document in question, propounded as a Will, is non-compliant with the requirements of clause (b) of Section 63 of the Succession Act. The High Court was right in reversing the decision of the Trial Court and in holding that the contested Will was not a genuine document. Whether remand was called for? - Order XLI Rule 23A CPC - HELD THAT:- The procedure relating to appeals from original decrees (usually referred to as ‘regular first appeal’) is provided in Order XLI of the Code of Civil Procedure, 1908 and therein, various provisions relating to hearing of an appeal, remand of case, remitting of issues for trial, production of additional evidence in Appellate Court etc. are contained in Rules 16 to 29 under the sub-heading ‘Procedure on hearing’ - Rule 23A came to be inserted in Order XLI CPC by way of the Code of Civil Procedure (Amendment) Act, 1976. Prior to this amendment, it was generally accepted by the Courts that although under Rule 23, an order of remand could be made only on reversal of a decree disposing of suit on a preliminary point but, the Appellate Court has the inherent power of remanding a case where it was considered necessary to do so in the interest of justice. Some of the High Courts had made similar provisions by way of their respective amendments. Insertion of Rule 23A in Order XLI by the Amending Act of 1976 makes it explicit that even when the suit has been disposed of otherwise than on a preliminary point and the decree is reversed in appeal, the Appellate Court shall have the power of remand, if a re-trial is considered necessary. A conjoint reading of Rules 23, 23A and 24 of Order XLI brings forth the scope as also contours of the powers of remand that when the available evidence is sufficient to dispose of the matter, the proper course for an Appellate Court is to follow the mandate of Rule 24 of Order XLI CPC and to determine the suit finally. It is only in such cases where the decree in challenge is reversed in appeal and a re-trial is considered necessary that the Appellate Court shall adopt the course of remanding the case - An order of remand only on the ground that the points touching the appreciation of evidence were not dealt with by the Trial Court may not be considered proper in a given case because the First Appellate Court itself is possessed of jurisdiction to enter into facts and appreciate the evidence. There could, of course, be several eventualities which may justify an order of remand or where remand would be rather necessary depending on the facts and the given set of circumstances of a case. The present case had clearly been the one where the parties had adduced all their evidence, whatever they wished to; and it had not been the case of the plaintiff-appellants that they were denied any opportunity to produce any particular evidence or if the trial was vitiated because of any alike reason - The High Court has meticulously examined the same evidence and the same circumstances and has come to a different conclusion that appears to be sound and plausible, and does not appear suffering from any infirmity. There was no reason or occasion for the High Court to consider remanding the case to the Trial Court. The contention in this regard is required to be, and is, rejected. The High Court has rightly interfered with the decision of the Trial Court and has rightly held that the document in question cannot be accepted as the genuine Will of the deceased Sangappa; and there was no reason for the High Court to remand the case to the Trial Court. Appeal dismissed.
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