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Srinivas (Director)     03 August 2010

Cancellation of gift deed

All,


Partition suit is pending on Property "A".

One of the co-owners fraudulently gifted the property "A" to his spouse and the spouse had mortgaged the property with Bank in collusion of Bank officials.


The facts related to Mortgage was known only after the suit was filed.

Questions:

1. Do we need to file a suit for cancellation of gift deed?

2. When suit for partition is decreed, does this automatically invalidate the gift deed?

3. Do we need to take any actions to inform "Registrar" of the invalidity of Gift Deed?

4. What is the criminal liablity of the Co-owner & his spouse in this case? Should we wait for the civil suit to be decreed before proceeding with criminal complaint?


thanks in advance,

 

best wishes,



Learning

 4 Replies

k.chandrasekharan (advocate)     03 August 2010

Relevant particulars lacking:

(a) whether gift deed was executed after filing of the partition suit?

(b) Whether mortgage is effected during the pendency of the partition siot?

Irrelevant remark:

'collusion of bank official'

Answers:

Co-parcenary/ joint interest right is not affected by transfer of property effected by exclusion of one or more of the persons having such right/interest in the property. Section 52 of the Transfer of Property Act will safeguard any such interest during the pendency of the suit.

If the property or even a part of it presently stands in the name of any person, other than the parties to the suit, such person shall be impleaded as a defendant. Plaint can be amended by filing an application under Order VI Rule 17 of the CPC, to include in the prayer 'cancellation of the deed of transfer' by which the property has been transferred. Also, an application has to be filed for production of the 'certified copy' (obtainable from the sub-registrar) of such deed explaining reasons for non-production at the time of filing the suit.

When the suit is decreed, as it stands presently, it would theoretically invalidate the transfer of property to the extent of share therein of parties other than the transferor. Note that transferor has got a right to transfer his/her interest to any third party. So, it would cause multiplicity of proceedings and entail enormous expenditure of time,money and energy. Time may be even a decade.

Sub-Registrar has got no role to play. He need not be arraigned as a party. If you are interested in stopping further transfer of property, you have to file an application for temporary injunction against the present title holder, after impleading as a party to the suit. In spite of such temporary injunction, if transfer takes place, it can be got invalidated through court besides being cited for contempt of court.

From the bare facts given, no criminal intent is perceptible. In my opinion, it will be a mis-adventure to embark upon any criminal action either by coomplaint to police leading to an FIR (doubtful- police may acknowledge and say that it is civil in nature and also subject to court proceedings pending) or a Complaint Petition before the jurisctional magistrate, which will be a long-drawn, frustrating and in all probability, a futile exercise.

Mortgagee's right too is conditioned  by the extent of valid interest held by the mortgagor and remaining interest, if any will be in accordance with the decree.
 

Srinivas (Director)     03 August 2010

Dear Chandrasekharan,


Thanks for the detailed response.

Answers to your questions:

(a) Gift deed was executed about 5 years before partition suit was instituted in 2002. We knew about the gift deed only in 2008. Partition suit was filed in 2007.

(b) Property was mortgaged in 2004. We knew after borrower defaulted on loan and bank moved for possession.


Thanks for the guidance on criminal liablity.

 

best wishes,


Srinivas

adv. rajeev ( rajoo ) (practicing advocate)     03 August 2010

You have to impleade both the spouse and banker as party to the suit and you will have to prove that person who has gifted the property had no right to gift it.

As per sec 258 of Hindu law a person cannot gift any joint family property without the consent of other joint owners/co-parceners, at most he can gift his share only.

In your case before partition suit it was gifted to his spouse.  even it is gifted it such property can be set off to the share of a person who has gifted.

Srinivas (Director)     03 August 2010

Dear Rajeev,

When we consulted our lawyer, he said it was not required to implead the spouse (even thought we knew about the gift deed). Again I did not get a good reason for not including the spouse but he was confident this was not required.

 

Since the property was not partitioned the *exact interests* of each of the co-owners is not defined until partitioned by court. When the property being gifted is not clear, what is the validity of the gift?


Our lawyer also told us implead of the bank is not required. Again we followed his advise as we did not know any better.

thanks for your insights,

Srinivas


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