Karuppana Kownden Petitioner v. Kandasawmi Kownden And Others

1. The contention of the appellant (see the 3rd ground in the appeal memorandum), is that because on 20th November 1912 an order had been passed by a Second Class Magistrate under Section 144 of the Cr PC, prohibiting the other party from going through the old pathway in the appellant's land there was no likelihood of a breach of the peace on 25th November 1912 and hence the proceedings of the Sub-Divisional Magistrate taken under S. 147 (the proceedings having been begun on 25th November 1912) were without jurisdiction.

2. But if the Sub-Divisional Magistrate, really thought that, notwithstanding the order under Section 144 of the Cr PC (passed within a week before his taking steps under Section 147 of the Cr PC) the likelihood of a breach of the peace still existed, we do not think that it could be argued that the Magistrate was legally incompetent to entertain such a thought and hence was legally incompetent to take action under S. 147.

3. No doubt we, as a Court of revision, might interfere if we considered that his apprehension was quite unreasonable, but we are not satisfied that it was so unreasonable.

4. The next contention is that as the appellant had obstructed the pathway by a fence, the Magistrate had no jurisdiction under Section 147 of the Cr PC to order the, appellant “not to obstruct” the pathway which order is tantamount to a direction that the appellant shall pull down the fence. The case of In the matter of Alfred Lindsay(1) and the case reported as In re Lutchmiah Maistry(2) are relied on for the above contention. In In the matter of Alfred Lindsay it was held that, where the obstruction to the path was a permanent one consisting of a wire fence, a trench and a wall, and the order of the Magistrate was passed ex parte L without due inquiry, such an order was not a proper order to be passed under the old S. 532 (corresponding to S. 147). The learned Judges held that the proper course was to take action under the sections relating to public nuisances (Chap. 10 of the present Code). That case might be distinguished on the ground that the obstruction in this case was a flimsy fence, but whether it is so distinguishable or not we are not prepared to folio it if it was intended to decide there that the fact, that Section 138 of the Cr PC expressly provides, for an order by the Magistrate directing the removal of obstruction to pathways, necessarily implies that a similiar order cannot be passed in proceedings taken under Section 147 of the Cr PC. The same remark applies to the similar obiter dictum in In re Lutchmiah Maistry.

5. We do not think that the doubts entertained in some cases whether Section 147 of the Cr PC can be applied when the right of way claimed is a right to a public path and not a private path, have any substantial foundation. The terms of the section are wide enough to cover such disputes also.

6. Finally we might state that revision under Sections 435 and 439 of the Cr PC, is a matter of discretion (that is this Court is not bound to interfere even, if the Magistrate's order sought to be revised was an illegal order) and it would require a very strong case for a Letters Patent Appeal to succeed against the decision of a single Judge of this Court refusing to interfere in revision.

7. We therefore dismiss this appeal.

S.N/R.K

8. Appeal dismissed.