Research › Browse › Judgment

Madras High Court · body

1966 DIGILAW 208 (MAD)

C. S. Ramachandra Rao v. P. Chinnaswamy Kandar

1966-07-22

M.NATESAN

body1966
Judgment:- The plaintiff, in a suit for injunction with reference to a partywall, is the appellant in this second appeal. the only live issue for consideration in this second appeal is the plaintiff’s claim to rest rafters of the building, which he proposes to put up, on the said common wall. the plaintiff is the owner of the property (now a vacant land) south of the common wall and the defendants are the owners of the northern property. originally, both the properties belonged to a common owner and in an earlier litigation between the parties, it was held that the wall is a common wall. in fact, it is an admission in the earlier proceedings by the present first defendant that the plaintiff could exercise his mamool rights in the wall. of course, what those mamool rights were, were not defined. in the earlier litigation, the finding, which has become conclusive between the parties, is, that the wall was held in co-ownership. that matter came up to this court in s.a. no. 2415 of 1948. the complaint then was the putting up of two windows in the wall by the present defendants. then this court observed that, on the finding of the courts below which had become final, both the plaintiff and the defendants held the wall in co-ownership, and one co-owner was entitled to alter the nature of the wall without the consent of the other co-owner, following the observations in kanakayya v. narasimhulu1. The plaintiff in this case has not yet got ready plans of his proposed building. there is no clear evidence as to the nature or character of the structure he is going to put up and the extent of the support for the new building he required from the common wall. in fact, there is evidence that the plaintiff was constructing a was close to the common wall ab. the trial court observed that the plaintiff was not entitled to place any rafter on the common wall affecting the right of the defendants. the contention before that court was that the plaintiff should not be allowed to rest his rafter on the common wall so as to jeopardise the defendants using the common wall. the trial court observed that the plaintiff was not entitled to place any rafter on the common wall affecting the right of the defendants. the contention before that court was that the plaintiff should not be allowed to rest his rafter on the common wall so as to jeopardise the defendants using the common wall. the lower appellate court has observed that as the plaintiff is raising a wall by the side of the common wall he can rest the rafters or beams or anything he wants on this wall of his. it is expressed by the lower appellate court that it was very doubtful whether the common wall would stand the weight of the new building, which the plaintiff proposes to erect on his vacant site. Mr. V. G. Veeraraghavan, learned Counsel appearing for the plaintiff-appellant, submits that the wall had been held in co-ownership, that is, in joint proprietorship and that so long as there was no detriment or damage to the wall, or to the defendants’ enjoyment of the wall, as they are entitled to, he could rest his rafters on the common wall. It is further submitted that the Courts below erred in denying all relief and in a way preventing the exercise by the plaintiff of such right as he had in the common wall. It is pointed out that the rejection of the claim for injunction may be construed as a denial of the plaintiff’s rights in the common wall. In my view, the plaintiff himself is responsible for having brought on himself the position. He has not adduced in the trial Court evidence particularising the construction he was proposing to put up and the extent to which he proposed to submit the common wall to the burden of his new building. Whether the wall, as it stands now, can stand the strain of the rafters which the plaintiff wants to insert, is a matter for consideration and decision. It is stated for the defendants, and this is an aspect which has weighed with the lower appellate Court, that the common wall itself is an old wall and it is supporting the terrace of the defendants’ building. If the plaintiff desires to make holes in the common wall to insert his rafters, it must be ascertained whether this will endanger the defendants’ building and perceptibly weaken the support to his terrace. If the plaintiff desires to make holes in the common wall to insert his rafters, it must be ascertained whether this will endanger the defendants’ building and perceptibly weaken the support to his terrace. It is well-settled, that in the case of a party-wall, which is joint property of two neighbours, if one of them in the construction of his house inserts beams or pillars into the wall on his side the other owner has no cause for complaint unless the acts alleged amount to his ouster or to a destruction of the party wall. In this connection reference may be made to the decision of Chandavarkar and Aston, JJ., in Kalishankar v. Bai Kashi1, based on the principle that before a party could prevent any particular user of the common wall by his neighbour, he must establish ouster or the destruction of the party-wall by such user. That was a case where the defendants inserted beams into the party-wall, the beams being supported also by pillars standing outside the party-wall, and the finding on the facts of the case that this did not amount to an ouster or destruction of the common-wall was accepted. The question will ultimately depend on the facts of each case. What interference would amount to ouster or destruction of the common-wall or wrongful interference with the rights of the co-owner, will have to be determined as and when the occasion arises and on the facts of the case. As is observed in Baji Nath v. Janki Prasad2, in the case of a party-wall each co-owner is entitled to reasonable user of the wall owned in common and so long as each co-owner used it reasonably without interfering with the enjoyment of that wall by the other co-owner or without doing anything which would weaken, damage, increase or diminish the wall enjoyed in common, he is entitled to do what he likes. In the present case, where the plaintiff has come to Court claiming injunction against the defendant’s interference with his proposed constructions without informing the defendants specifically the nature of the construction which he proposes to put up. In the absence of plans and specifications it would be impossible to determine whether the insertion of the rafters in the common-wall would be a reasonable user or weaken or endanger the defendants’ building. In the absence of plans and specifications it would be impossible to determine whether the insertion of the rafters in the common-wall would be a reasonable user or weaken or endanger the defendants’ building. In Kanakayya v. Narasimhulu3, this Court laid down the proper approach to a case where one-co-owner of a wall intended to put up any construction. It was observed: “ On further consideration, however, I have arrived at the conclusion that the better rule to lay down is the simpler one enunciated in Watson v. Gray4, since it will compel such of the owners of party-walls as are desirous of adding to, or otherwise materially interfering with, the common property to obtain before hand the consent of the others interested in it to the change being effected, and consequently is the one less likely to lead to disputes among joint holders of party-walls.” Of course, if the opposite party unreasonably withholds his consent, it will be open to the party proposing to put up the construction to seek relief by way of injunction from the Court. Withholding of consent to any reasonable user will itself amount to ouster. If consent is withheld to any particular proposal the Court will be in a position to consider whether the proposal would amount to wrongful interference with the rights of the objecting co-owner. It can judge whether it would weaken the common-wall or otherwise materially interfere with the objecting co-owner’s user of it. As already stated, in the present case the plaintiff has rushed to Court and sought an injunction against the defendants without formulating specifically his proposals in regard to the putting up of rafters on the common wall. While the decisions of the Courts below completely rejecting the plaintiff’s claim in a case where the common wall is the joint property of adjoining owners without any reservation, may not be maintainable, I do not think the Court can give any positive relief to the plaintiff in this case. It will be open to the plaintiff to intimate to the defendants the constructions which he proposes to put up and the user of the common-wall which he intends giving details, and if the defendants unreasonably withhold consent, the plaintiff would be within his rights in approaching the Court for necessary relief. It will be open to the plaintiff to intimate to the defendants the constructions which he proposes to put up and the user of the common-wall which he intends giving details, and if the defendants unreasonably withhold consent, the plaintiff would be within his rights in approaching the Court for necessary relief. In all likelihood if the defendants find that their interests are amply safeguarded and security measures proposed that the wall does not get weak, they may readily consent without necessitating the plaintiff’s resort to Court. Having made this position clear, this Second Appeal is dismissed. No costs. No leave. R.M. ------ Appeal dismissed.