313.
(P&H HC) 20-12-2022
A. Punjab Courts Act, 1918 (6 of 1918), Section 41 -- Code of Civil Procedure, 1908 (V of 1908), Section 100 -- Regular Second Appeal – Substantial question of law -- Regular Second Appeal in the States of Punjab, Haryana and Union Territory, Chandigarh, is governed by Section 41 of the Punjab Courts Act, 1918 and not by Section 100 of the Code of Civil Procedure, 1908. Pankajakshi’s case (2016) 6 SCC 157 relied.
(Para 1)
B. Indian Evidence Act, 1872 (1 of 1872), Section 68 -- Registered Will – Un-registered Will – Value of -- Will is not required to be mandatorily registered -- Testator may get it registered, however, an unregistered Will has equal value and has to be proved in accordance with Section 68 of the Indian Evidence Act, 1872.
(Para 14)
C. Indian Evidence Act, 1872 (1 of 1872), Section 68 -- Proof of Will -- Non-examination of Advocate – Adverse inference -- Trial Court erred in drawing an adverse inference on account of non-examination of Advocate, who merely introduced Testator with the scribe-Advocate – Advocate was not the attesting witness of the Will -- Hence, he was not required to be examined.
(Para 15)
D. Indian Evidence Act, 1872 (1 of 1872), Section 68 – Proof of Will -- Irregular spacing in the Will -- Will is typed on a manual typewriter -- The attention of the scribe or the attesting witness was never drawn to the aforesaid alleged irregular spacing -- If the plaintiff wants the Court to believe that there is irregular spacing, the plaintiff should have sought explanation from the scribe as well as the attesting witness -- In the absence thereof, it would not be appropriate to disbelieve the Will merely on account of alleged irregular spacing in-between the lines.
(Para 16)