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1923 DIGILAW 306 (ALL)

Maola v. Bahoru

1923-04-17

body1923
JUDGMENT Daniels, J. - This is an appeal by the defendants in a suit for demolition of certain constructions erected on the plaintiff's land. The defence was that the constructions were 25 years old. The plaintiff alleged that they were made only in 1917. On the question of fact the Courts below have found in favour of the plaintiff but the trial Court dismissed the suit on the ground of equitable estoppel holding that the plaintiff lived in the same village and close to the land in dispute, that he allowed the buildings to be put up without objection and that he waited three years before bringing his suit. The lower appellate Court has taken a different view of the evidence. It holds on the evidence that the plaintiff did not acquiesce but in fact while the constructions were going on he tried to prevent the defendants from erecting them. It further finds that the defendants had no reasonable belief that they were the owners of the disputed land on which the constructions were made. On these findings it is impossible to bring the case within the principle of equitable estoppel laid down by the Privy Council in Beni Ram's case (1899) 21 All. 496= 26 I. A. 58= 3 C.W.N. 502= 1 Bom. L.R. 400= 7 Bar. 523 (P.C.) and applied in numerous subsequent cases of this Court. The suit has been rightly decreed and I dismiss the appeal with costs.