Bookmar

kthi
sCas
e

2024SCM R105

[
Supr
emeCour
tofPaki
stan]

Pr
esent
:Muni
bAkht
ar,Shahi
dWaheedandMus
arr
atHi
l
ali
,JJ

AMI
RWAHEEDSHAHandot
her
s--
-Appel
l
ant
s

Ver
sus

AJ
MALKHANandot
her
s--
-Res
pondent
s

C.
A.No.271of2015,dec
idedon20t
hNovember
,2023.

(
Agai
nstthejudgmentdat
ed11.
09.
2014pas
sedbyt
hePes
hawarHi
ghCour
t,BannuBenc
h
i
nW.P.No.326-Bof2013)

KhyberPakht
unkhwaPr
e-empt
ionAc
t(Xof1987)
---

----Ss .2(d)&13- --
Sui tforpos sessionthroughpr e- empt i
on---Sale---Scope- --Transacti
on
i
nt henat ureofagi ftnotas ale---Rightofpr e-empt ionariseswhent hes aleofl andoc c
ur s
-
--Sale,aspert hedef ini
tionpr ovidedi nsection2( d)oft heKhyberPakht unkhwaPr e-
empt ionAc t,1987,doesnoti ncludeagi ft-
-- Int hepr esentcase,thelandwasf irstsol
dt o
"M",andbef oret hi
ss alec ouldbepr e-emptedbyt her espondent( pr
e- emptor),itwas
furt
hert r
ans f
erredto" M's"sons( presentappel l
ants)bywayofgi f
tmut ati
on- --Personis
enti
tledt oevadel awofpr e-empt i
onbyal llawf ulandl egiti
mat edevices,l
ikegift,exchange
etc.
-- -So,inthegi venc i
rcums tancesoft hec as e,r
es pondent( pre-empt or
)c ouldnotignor e
thegi ftmut ati
onwhi lemaki nghi sdemand- - - Appropr i
atecour seforhim wast os ay,f
irst
ly,
thatthesecondtransact
ionwasas ale( dubbedasagi ft
),meanttodefeathi
sr ightofpre-
empt i
on;andsecondly,t
hathehadmadeal lther equir
ement sofTal
bsregardingthesec ond
trans
acti
on---Ont hecontrary,aperus alofthec ontentsoftheplai
ntshowedt hatneit
her
anyTalbwasmadet opre- emptt hes econdtrans act
ionnoranynot i
ceofTalb-i-i
shhadwas
senttothepresentappellants,whichwasf atalforhiscase---Appealwasall
owed,andor der
ofRevisi
onalCourt,wherebyi tr
ejectedt heplai
ntoft herespondent,wasrestored.

ShahNawazKhan,Advoc
ateSupr
emeCour
tforAppel
l
ant
s.

SyedMastanAl
iShahZai
di,Advocat
eSupr
emeCour
tandSh.MahmoodAhmad,Advoc
ate-
on-Rec
ordforRes
pondentNo. 1.

Expar
teRes
pondent
sNos
.2-3.

Dat
eofhear
ing:20t
hNovember
,2023.

ORDER

SHAHI
DWAHEED,J
.--
-Thedef
endant
sar
etheappel
l
ant
sint
hisappeal
.

2.Thes uitbyres pondentNo.1(plainti

ff
)wasonef orpos sessionundert heKhyber
PakhtunkhwaPr e-empt i
onAc t
,1987( Act)
.Thes ubjectmat teroft hes ui
twasl and
meas uri
ng1- Kanal ,9-Marl
as,and4- 1/2sars
ahi,whi c
hwass oldtoMs t.
GulZahiraBibi(now
representedbyherl egalhei
rs)
,respondentNo. 2her ein,videmut at
ionNo.1809dat ed28t h
ofNovember ,2012.Aper usaloftherecordsugges tsthati mmedi atelyupons ancti
oningof
salemut ati
on,Ms t.GulZahir
aBi bigif
tedthelandt ohers ons( appell
antsherein)bymut ati
on
No.1810.

3.Theres
pondentNo.1(pl
aint
iff
),onthegroundofhissuper
iorri
ght,soughttopr
e-empt
thesal
emadei nf
avourofMs t
.GulZahidaBibiandasser
tedthatthesubsequentt
ransact
ion
ofgif
tinthef
orm ofmutat
ionNo. 1810wasil
legal
.Healsoi
ssuedanot i
ceofTalb-
i-I
shhad
t
oMs
t.GulZahi
raBi
bi.

4.Dur i
ngt hetrial
,applicationunderOr derVI I
,Rule11oft heC. P.
C.wasf il
edt orejec tthe
plaintont hegr oundt hatr es pondentNo. 1(plainti
ff)hadnotmadeanyTal btopr e- emptt he
transac ti
onrec ordedinmut ationNo.1810.Thisappl icationwasdi smis sedbyt heTr ialCour t
byor derdat ed8t hofJ une,2013.Theappel lants-defendant st
henf il
edanappl i
c ati
onunder
sect i
on115oft heC. P.C.bef oret heAdditi
onalDi stri
ctJ udge- I
I,Bannuands oughtr evi
s i
on
oft heor dermadebyt heTr ialCour t
.Thisrevisi
onwasal lowed,andt hepl aintwasr ejec t
ed
videor derdat ed20t hofSept ember,2013.Ther espondentNo. 1(plaintif
f),thereupon,f i
leda
petitionunderAr ti
cl
e199oft heCons t
it
utionoft heI sl
ami cRepublicofPaki stan,1973,
befor etheHi ghCour t
. Thispet i
ti
onwasal l
owedbyt hei mpugnedj udgmentdat ed11t hof
Sept ember ,2014,andt hec as ewasr emandedt otheTr i
alCour twitht hedi recti
ont odec ide
thes uitafreshaf t
erpr ovidingoppor tuniti
est othepar t
iest oproduc etheirevi denc e.Henc e,
thisappeal .

5.Wehavehear dbot hs ides .Itisnowwel ls et

tledt hatt her ightofpr e- empt ionar i
seswhen
thes aleofl andoc curs.Thes ale,pert hedef i
nit
ionpr ovidedi ns ection2( d)oft heAc t,does
noti nc ludeagi ft.Int hepr es entc ase,t hel andwasf ir
s tsoldt oMs t.GulZahi r
aBi bivi de
mut ationNo. 1809,andbef or ethi ss alec ouldbepr e- empt ed,i twasf ur thert ransferredt o
thepr es entappel l
ant sbywayofgi ftmut ationNo. 1810. Ac cordingt or espondentNo.1
(plaint i
ff),thes econdt rans ac ti
onwass ham andi ll
egal .I
tist obenot edt hatinas uitf orpr e-
empt ion,t heval i
di tyoft het rans actioni snotexami ned;however ,thenat ur eoft he
trans ac ti
onmaybedet er mi ned. Ital soneedst obec lar i
fi
edher ethatamar keddi st
inc t
ion
exist sbet weenadevi seanddi sgui se.Devi ceisper mi ttedbutnotdi sgui se.Whent r
ans ac ti
on
hasbeengi venaf als ec olourt oevadet hirdpar tyr ight s,itisnotonl yt hef unc t
ionbutal so
dut yoft heCour tt or emovevei l,seet hr oughdi sgui s eandt hent odet ermi ner ealandt r ue
char ac teroft rans ac t
ion.Aper soni sal soequal lyent itl
edt oevadel awofpr e-empt ionbyal l
l
awf ulandl egitimat edevi c es ,l
ikegi ft,exc hangeet c .So,i nthegi venc i
r c
ums tancesoft he
cas e,r espondentNo.1( pl aint i
ff)c ouldnoti gnor et hegi f
tmut at i
onwhi lemaki nghi s
demand. Theappr opriatec our sef orhi m wast os ay,f irstl
y,t hatt hes ec ondt ransactionwasa
sale,butt odef eathi sr i
ghtofpr e- empt ion,ithadbeendubbedasagi ft
;ands econdl y,t hat
hehadmadeal lther equi rement sofTal bsr egar dingt hes ec ondt rans ac tion.Ont hec ont rary,
aper us aloft hec ont ent soft hepl aints howst hatnei theranyTal bwasmadet opre- empt
thes ec ondt ransac t
ionnoranynot ic eofTal b-i
- Ishhadwass entt ot hepr es entappel l
ant s.
Thiswasf atal
.Still,therewasanot herf law:t hel astt rans ac t
ionwasi nt henat ureofagi ft;
andt hi scoul dnotbepr e- empt edundert hepr ovi sionoft heAc t.Allt hes ef actses c
apedt he
cons i
der at i
onoft heHi ghCour t
,andt hus ,itsj
udgmentc annotbes us tained.
6.I
nt her
esul
t,t
hisappealisaccept
ed,thejudgmentdat ed11thofSept
ember,2014,made
bytheHighCourtissetasi
de,andconsequently,t
heorderdated20thofSept
ember ,2013,
passedbytheAdditi
onalDist
ri
ctJudge-II
,Bannu,isr
estored.

MWA/
A-44/
SCAppealal
l
owed.