Procedure of Commissioner
Full Text
(1) The Commissioner shall, after such inquiry as may be necessary, divide the property into as many shares as may be directed by the order under which the commission was issued, and shall allot such shares to the parties, and may, if authorised thereto by the said order, award sums to be paid for the purpose of equalizing the value of the shares.
(2) The commissioner shall then prepare and sign a report or the Commissioners (where the commission was issued to more than one person and they cannot agree) shall prepare and sign separate reports appointing the share of each party and distinguishing each share (if so directed by the said order) by metes and bounds. Such report or reports shall be annexed to the commission and transmitted to the Court; and the Court, after hearing any objections which the parties may make to the report or reports, shall confirm, vary or set aside the same.
(3) Where the Court confirms or varies the report or reports it shall pass a decree in accordance with the same as confirmed or varied; but where the Court sets aside the report or reports it shall either issue a new commission or make such other order as it shall think fit.
Plain English Summary
Details physical division by metes and bounds, allocation of shares, and the doctrine of owelty (pecuniary compensation to equalize unequal shares), culminating in judicial hearing of objections and passing of the final partition decree under sub-rules (2) and (3).
Key Legal Elements
- Division by Metes and Bounds: Exact demarcation with dimensions, boundaries, passages, and easements.
- Doctrine of Owelty (Equalization Sums): Awarding cash compensation where physical properties cannot be divided with mathematical precision (Sub-rule 1).
- Objections Procedure (Sub-rule 2): Parties are given opportunity to file objections to the proposed allotment.
- Final Decree Formulation (Sub-rule 3): Court confirms or modifies the plan and engrosses the final partition decree on requisite non-judicial stamp paper.
Practical Note
Partition Allotment and Owelty Practice: 1. Invoking Owelty: In Badri Narain Prasad Choudhary v. Nil Ratan Sarkar (1978) 3 SCC 30 and M.L. Subbaraya Setty v. M.L. Nagappa Setty (2002) 4 SCC 743, the Supreme Court ruled that where a property (e.g. a single building with prime road frontage) cannot be partitioned equally, the party receiving the superior portion must pay cash owelty to the co-sharer receiving the interior portion. 2. Impartible Property & Sale under Partition Act: If the property is incapable of division without destroying its utility, move under Section 2 or 3 of the Partition Act, 1893 for sale among co-sharers or public auction rather than drawing unviable tiny parcels. 3. Stamp Duty for Final Decree: A final partition decree must be drawn on non-judicial stamp paper as per State Stamp Act rates; without stamp duty, it cannot be acted upon or registered.
हिंदी पाठ
(1) कमिश्नर, ऐसी जांच के पश्चात जैसी आवश्यक हो, संपत्ति को उतने अंशों में विभाजित करेगा जितने उस आदेश द्वारा निदेशित किए गए हों जिसके अधीन कमीशन निकाला गया था, और पक्षकारों को ऐसे अंश आबंटित करेगा, तथा यदि उक्त आदेश द्वारा उसे प्राधिकृत किया गया हो तो वह अंशों के मूल्य को बराबर करने के प्रयोजन के लिए दी जाने वाली रकमें (Owelty / समकारी राशि) अधिनिर्णीत कर सकेगा।
(2) कमिश्नर तब एक रिपोर्ट तैयार और हस्ताक्षरित करेगा अथवा कमिश्नर (जहां कमीशन एक से अधिक व्यक्तियों को निकाला गया था और वे सहमत नहीं हो पाते) प्रत्येक पक्षकार के हिस्से को नियत करते हुए और प्रत्येक हिस्से को (यदि उक्त आदेश द्वारा ऐसा निदेश दिया गया हो) सीमाओं और चिह्नों द्वारा (Metes and bounds) स्पष्ट करते हुए पृथक रिपोर्ट तैयार व हस्ताक्षरित करेंगे। ऐसी रिपोर्ट या रिपोर्टें कमीशन के साथ संलग्न करके न्यायालय को भेजी जाएंगी; और न्यायालय उन आपत्तियों की सुनवाई के पश्चात, जो पक्षकार रिपोर्ट पर करें, उसे पुष्ट करेगा, परिवर्तित करेगा या अपास्त करेगा।
(3) जहां न्यायालय रिपोर्ट या रिपोर्टों को पुष्ट या परिवर्तित करता है वहां वह इस प्रकार पुष्ट या परिवर्तित रिपोर्ट के अनुसार डिक्री (अंतिम डिक्री) पारित करेगा; किंतु जहां न्यायालय रिपोर्ट को अपास्त करता है वहां वह या तो नया कमीशन निकालेगा अथवा ऐसा अन्य आदेश करेगा जैसा वह ठीक समझे।