STATE OF MAHARASHTRA AND ORS. versus ATMA RAM SADASHIV DONGARWAR AND ORS.

STATE OF MAHARASHTRA AND ORS.

ATMA RAM SADASHIV DONGARWAR AND ORS.

August 16, 1978

[JASWANT SINGH, D. A. DESAI AND A. P. SEN, JJ.)

Central Provinces Irrigation Act 1931 (C.P. Act III of 1931 )-Con!petency of the State Governn1ent to levy water charges in respect of the usagf! of -the water from NaveRao11 Bandh Reservoil" for irrigation fields, when the right to free trater was customary right recognised and recorded in Wazib-Ul-Arz_...Whether the custornary tiglit destroyed by the Madhya Pradesh Abolition of Proprietary Rights (Esrores. Malzals, and Alienated Lnnds) Act. 1950 (hr I of l950) or by the Madhya Pradesh Land Revenue Code, 1954.

Respondents are the ex-proprietors, and occupants of the agricultur~ lanUs within their Malguzairi villages situated in Sakoli Tahsil 'of District Bh3.D.dara tn Maharashtra State. Since the construction of the reservoir called Navegaon-Navegaon Bandh by one Kawdu Patel, three hundred years earlier, the holders of the lands including the respondents were enjoying the right of irrigation from generation to generation free. of chairge with the only obligation which is irihe-rent in the right viz., putting the tank in pr.oper repairs. In the Wazib-Ul-Arz an obligation \Vas put on the Malguzars to allo\V the tenants to irrigate their fields for rice (dhan) and sugar cane cultivation free of charge. The respon-dents, therefore, were using the water of this reservoir for irrigating their fields as of right without any payments-a right acquired by them by custom, gr:int or agreement or by prescription, duly recorded in the Wazjb-ul-Arz at the time of the various settlements and as recognised as such by the State Government till 1964 i.e. even after the said Tank came to vest in the State under Madhya Pradesh Act 1 of 1951. Thereafter, the appellant purporting to act under the Central Provinces Irrigation Act, 1931 (CP Act III of 1931) declilled to allow taking of water to the respondents unless they executed an agreement in vtrillng agreeing to pay Rs. 7 /. per acre for rice cultivation and Rs. 45 per acre for sugar cane as charges for the use of water from Navegaon Bandh. The respoti-dents, therefore, challenged the levy of the said charges and asked for the appropriate writ against the appella>nts. The High Court Of Bombay allowei'l the writ petition and held that (a) the right to free water was customary right recognised and recorded in Wazib-ul·Arz, (b) the said right was preserved and wao not destroyed by M.P. Abolition Of Proprietary Rights Act, 1950 or by the M.P. Land Revenue Code, 1954 and (c) the State Government was not compe-tent under the Irrigation Act to levy the water charges. However, the High Court granted certificate under Art. 13 3 ( 1 )( c) of the Constitution.

Disn1issing the appeal, the Court

HELD : The provisions of Sections 45, 46 and 47 of the Abolition of Pro--prietary Rights Act read with the entries made in the Wazib-ul-Arz which was prepared at the time of the settlement under the Land Revenue Act 1917, make it crystal clea·r that the occupancy tenants and malik-makbuza who Were appro· priating the water of Navegaon Bandh tank for raising paddy and sugar cane crops before the date of vesting under Abolition of Proprietary Rights Act were

. -~--~--

[1979] I S.C.R.

to continue to enjoy those riShts without any let or hindrance even .i.fter the date of \'esting. The words "in the same rights" occurring in sub·section 1 of s. 45, in fact lea-ve no room for doubt that the absolute occupancy tenants and occupancy tenants \Vere to continue to enjoy G1c irrigation a·nd other water rights which were enjoyed by them before the date of vesting. [172G-173F·UJ

[172G-173F·UJ

(2) The right .of free irrigation which accrued to tho occupancy tenants and malguzars under :sections 45 to 47 of the Abolition of Proprietary Rights Act were not only destroyed but were also saved by s. 239 of the Madhya Pradesh Land Revenue Code, 1954 and, are, therefore, to continue to be erljoyed by the occupancy tenants and maJguzars without being affected, curtailed or whittled lower in any manner despite the repeal of section 45 to 47 of the Abolition of Proprietary Rights Act by s. 238 of the Code. [174G·H, 175AJ

The words "all rights a<:quired" occurring in Section 239 of the Code aic comprehensive enough to take in the irrigation and other rights acquired by the tenants and malik-makbuza under sections 45 to 47 of the Abolition o~ Proprie-tary Rights Act which stood repealed by virtue of s. 238 of the Code, thus fully protecting and preserving the said right of free irrigation. [l 74E·G]

State of Punjab v. Mohar Singh, [1955] 1 SCR 893 reite1ated.

(3) Section 26 of the Central Provinces Irrigation Act, 1931 vests in the Government all rights in the water of any river, natural stream or natural drainage channel, natural lake or other natural collection Of water. [175lll

In the instant case, the tMlk being not natural lake, the Government was not competent to recover water charges by virtue of s. 26 of the Central Pro~ vinces Irrigation Act, 1931. The water rights which could be acquired by cus· tom and were, in fact, acquired by custom by the respondents and were recog-nised and · preserved both under the Abolition of Proprietary Rights Act and the Code cannot in any manner be interfered with by the appellants. [175C-DJ

llarrop v. Hirst, [1968] LR 4 Exch. 43; Allen v. Petrick, 69 Morit. 373. 377. 379, 380, 22 Pac 451, 452, 453 (1924); quoted with approval.

CIVIL APPELLATE JURISDICTION ; Civil Appeal Ko. 2475 of 1968

From the Judgment and Order dt. 5-7-67 of the Bombay High Court (Nagpur Bench) in S.C.A. No. 893 of 1965

V. S. Desai and M. N. Shroff for the Appellants

S. V. Deshpande and S. Balakrishnan for the Respondent Nos. 1-6 aud 8-~0

A.G. Ratnaparkhi for the Respondent 7(i) and 7(ii)

The Judgment of the Court was delivered by

JASWANT SINGH, J.-This appeal by certificate granted under Article 133(1) (c) of the Constitution by the High Court of Judi-cature at Bombay (Nagpur Bench) which is directed against its judgment and order dated July 5, 1967 in Special Civil Application

No. 893 of 1965 raises an important c;uestion of law as to tl1e right of the State to levy and collect water charges from the respondents under the Central Provinces Irrigation Act, 1931 lAct No. Ill of 1931) for appropriation for irrigation purposes of water from Nave-gaon Bandh Tank in Tehsil Sakoli, District Bhandara.

The facts giving rise to this appeal are :

~s already indicated, there is in village Navegaon, Tehsil Sakoli, Di:;trict Bhandara, which formed part of the erstwhile State of Madhya Pradesh, very large reservoir of water called Navcgaon Bandh Tanl< which is said to have been oonstructed some 300 years ago by one Kawdu Patel. The tank which is over an area of land admeasuring nearly 3200 acres has, since the time of its construction, been the main source of supply of water to the rice and sugarcane growing areas of five villages viz, Moum Navegaon, Deolgaon, Mungli, Yerandi and Kholi comprising about 2688 acres of land which is held partly by the quondam Malguzars including respondents 1 to 8 and partly by the tenants including respondents 9 to 20. T!Je said tank came to vest in the State under the Madhya Pradesh Abolition of Proprietary Rights (Estates, Mahals and Alienated Lands) Act, 1950 (Act No. I of 1951). . In May, 1965, the State Government called upon the respondents who are ex-proprietors and occupancy tenants to execute agreements in writing undertaking to pay Rs. 7/- per acre for rice and Rs. 45 /- per acre for sugarcane irrigation as charges for the use of water from the Navegaon Bandh Tank. The respondents thereupon brought the aforesaid writ petition challenging the levy by the State of the said charges as well as its demand for execution of the aforesaid agreements and seeking the issue of twin writs viz. (1) of prohibition forbidding the appellants from insisting on the ra;pon-dents to execute agreements in the State's favour for payment of water charges for irrigating their lands and (2) of Mandamus directing the appellants to allow free irrigation of their fields from Navegaon Bandh Tank. The case of the respondents was that the right of taking water for iriigation purposes free of charge from the said tank had been enjoyed by the holders of land from generation to generation for the last 300 years with the only obligation of keeping the tank in proper repairs; that the tank was the property of the descendants of the said Kawdu Patel who were recognised as Malguzars of all the aforesaid five villages; that the right of the aforesaid J1olders of land of appropriating water of the tank was recognised and recorded in the Wajib-ul-Arz whereunder an obligation was cast on the Malguzars to allow the tenants to irrigate free of charge their lands for rice

(dhan) and sugarcane cultivation; that the Malguzars as well as the tenants had thus been using the water of the tank for irrigating their fields and raising crops as of right without any payment either to the State or to any one also; that in the year, 1950, the Madhya Pradesh legislature passed an Act called "the Madhya Pradesh Abolition of Proprietary Rights (Estates, Mahals and Alienated Lands) Act, 1950 (Act No. 1 of 1951)" (hereinafter referred to as 'the Abolition. of Proprieiary Rights Act' with view to eliminate the i11terrnediarfes (variously called as Malguzars, Zamindars and Jagirdars) between the Stale and the tillers of the soil and to acquire from specified date for the purpose of the State free of all encumbrances the rights of proprietors in estates, mahals, alienated villages and alienated lands comprised in notified area in Madhya Pradesh; that in the Notification issued under section 3 of the Abolition of Proprietary Rights Act, the area vesting in the State was shown as the whole area of the aforesaid villages and the Mahals or Estates comprised therein; that thus the State was substituted in place of Malguzars with the same rights and liabilities; that the only consequence of vest-ing according to section 4 of the Abolition of Proprietary Rights Act was to do away with the encumbrances of mortgages, if any, on pro-prietary lands and to fasten the same on the amount of compensation payable by the State to the proprietors; that the said vesting which took place as result of the abolition of Proprietary Rights Act and the Notification issued thereunder did not affect, curtail or extinguish the aforesaid rights of free irrigation of the holders of land in the jiforesaid five villages i.e., of the Malguzars who were cultivating their home farm lands or of other persons who were in occupation of lands as occupancy tenants at the time of the coming into force of the Abolition of Proprietary Rights Act and on the contrary, sections 45, 46 and 47 of the Abolition of Proprietary Rights Act preserved those rights; that the right to free irrigation was recognised and re-corded at various settlements and in the Wajib-ul-Arz of 19\9; that notwithstanding the enactment and enforcement of the Abolition of Proprietary Rights Act, the State continued upto 1964 to recognise the respondents' right of taking water free of charge for irrigation purposes from the aforesaid tank which had been enjoyed by the respondents and their ancestors for the last 300 years and never made any demand on account of water charges; that the respondents were entitled to take water from the aforesaid tank for such lands as it had been irrigated as per entries in the Wajib-ul-Arz which is an authentic record of rights of the cultivators of the villages in question; that in November, 1965, the officials of the State Government in-charge of the Irrigation Department by reference to section 26 of

the Central Provinces Irrigation Act, 1931, which had no relevance, declined to allow the respondents to take water from the aforesaid tank unless they executed the aforesaid agrements, and that the action of the State Government and its officials was without any legal autho-rity and encroached upon their fundamental rights.

In the return filed by them in opposition to the writ petition, the appellants while admitting that the tenants as well as the l'roprietors could avail of the right of irrigating their paddy lands on condition that they would maintain the Navegaon Bandh Tanic in prope< repairs and keep the irrigation channels clear from obstruction and 'sediment inter alia maintained that on and from the 31st of March, 1951 the date specified in the Notification No. 627-XII dated 27th January, 1951 issued under section 3 of the Abolition of Proprietary Rights Act-all rights, title and interest vesting in the quondam proprietors in the notified area including lands, tanks etc. which were not their private property ceased and stood vested in the State free of all encumbrances; that consequently, the right of the outgoing proprietors and tenants of free use for the aforesaid irrigation purposes of water of Navegaon Bandh Tank (which was held by ex-Malguzars, not as their private property but as proprietors) was extinguished and the State became competent to impose the water charges on persons taking wate.r from Navegaon Bandh Tank more so when on finding that though for many years, the proprietors as well as the tenants had been taking advantage of the irri-gation facilities, they had all along been neglecting to keep the said tank and irrigation channels in proper repairs (which was an essential condi-tion for enjoyment of the right of irrigation), it had, for ensuring proper irrigation facilities, to recondition the tank as well as the water channels (which have water spread of 2688 acres of land) at an expense of about 22. 76 lakhs of rupees; that section's 45, 46 and 47 of the Abolition of the Proprietary Rights Act have no reTevance as they had been repeal-ed by section 238 of the Madhya Pradesh Land Revenue Code read with Schedule Ill thereto and that such of the respondents as were proprietors had, after the coming into force of the Abolition of Proprie-tary Rights Act, accepted and withdrawn without any reservation the compensation determined by the Com~nsation Officer in respect of the proprietary rights over lands and tanks etc. including the Navegaon Bandb Tank which is comprised in the notified area resulting in the vesting of the said Tank in the State free of all encumbrances includih~ the obligation to supply water free of charge to the respondents as well as of all restrictions on Government's right to renovate the tank.

On consideration of material' existing on the record, the High Court allowed the writ petition holding that the right to appropriate water free of charge was customary right which was preserved and was not des-troyed either by the Abolition of Proprietary Rights Act or by the

[1979] I S.C.R.

Madhya Pradesh Land Revenue Code and that the State was not com-petent to levy any water charges under the Central Provinces Irrigation Act, ~931.

At the hearing of the appeal, the learned counsel for the appellants has urged that the relevant provisions of the Abolition of Proprietary Rights Act have been wrongly construed by the High Court; that under section 4 of the Abolition of Proprietary Rights Act, all the rights, title and interest of the erstwhile proprietors in the lands and tanks comprised in the notified area vested in the State on and from the date specified in the Notification issued unde.r section 3 of the Act viz. from 31st March, 1951 with the result that the respondents could not claim the right ot free irrigation after such vesting; that the original right of free irrigation from the tank was not saved by any provision of the Abolition of Pr<>-prietary Rights Act; that even as·suming without admitting that the res-pondents' right of free irrigation continued after 1950, it was finally destroyed by the Madhya Pradesh Land Revenue Code which came fiito force in 1953 \Ind neither section 7 of the Madhya Pradesh General Clauses Act nor section 225 of the Madhya Pradesh Land Revenue Code iiaved the same; that the State was empowered under the provisions of the C.P. Irrigation Act, 1931 to recover charges for the supply of water for irrigation from the Navegaon Bandh Tank which had com~ to vest in it with eff~t from 31st March, 1951, and that in any event, respon-dents 1 to 8 who were the original owners (ex-proprietors) could not · claim the right of free irrigation. On the other hand, it is contended on behalf of the respondents that the right of irrigation from the tank in question evidenced by entries in the wajib-ul-arz is preserved and protect-ed by sections 45 to 47 of the Abolition of Proprietary Rights Act; that the protection far from being taken away subs~uently as alleged by the appellants was preserved by the M.P. Land Revenue Code; that repeal by Schedule III to the MP. Land Revenue Code of sections 45 to 47 of the Abolition of Proprietary Rights Act did not affect any vested right which accrued under the repealed provisions of the Aboliti_on of the Proprietary Rights Act and accordingly the respondents' right of appro-priating the water of Navegaon Bandit Tank free of charge for irrigating their fields was not in any way affected by the aforesaid provisions ot the M.P. Lan<} Revenue Code; that the C.P. Irrigation Act, 1931 has no application to the instant case and that the case of respondenfs 1 to 8 as regards free irrigation stands on the same footing as that of respon-dents 9 to 20.

For proper appreciation and determination of the points involved in the case, it is necessary to have clear idea of the scheme of the Abolition of Proprietary Rights Act which as already stated was enacreo to provide for the acquisition of the rights of proprietors in estates.

M".ahals, alienat.ed villages and alienated lands in Madhya Pradesh and to make provision for other matters connected therewith. Sub-section (1) of section 3 of the Abolition of Proprietary Rights Act lays down that on and from date to be specified by notification by the State Government in this behalf, all proprietary rights in an estate, 'mahal, alienated village or alienated land, as the case may be, in the area specified in the notification, vesting in proprietor of such estate, mahal, alienated village, alienated land, or in person having interest in such proprietary right through the proprietor, shall pass from such proprietor or such other person le> and vesl in the State for the purposes of the State free of all circumstances. This provision, as evident from its opening words has been ex-pressly made subject to savings as provided in the Act. The consequences ensuing from the beginning of the date specified in the notification which is made by the State Government under section 3 ( l) are set out in section 4 (I) of the Abolition of Proprietary Rights "Act which again is subject to exceptions provided in the Act. One of such con'sequences is that all rights, title and interest vesting in the proprietor or any person having interest in such proprietary right through the pro-prietor in such area including land (cultivable or barren), grass· land, scrub jungle, forest, trees, fisheries, wells, tanks, ponds, water-chan-nels, ferries, pathways, village sites, hats, bazars and melas; and in all subsoil, including rights, if any, in mines and minerals, whether being worked or not cease and vest in the State for purposes of the State free of all encumbrances and the mortgage debt or charge on any proprietary right becomes charge on the amount of com-pensation payable for such proprietary right to the proprietor under the provisions o~ the Act. Now as observed by this Court in Chhota-bhai Jethabai Patel & Co. v . .The State of Madhya Pradeshe) that last part of clause (a) of section 4(1) of the Abolition of Proprietary Rights Act indicates that mortgage debts and charges on the proprie-tary right are what are meant by the term encumbrances. Sub-section (2) of section 4 of the Abo1ition of Proprietary Rights Act which is in the nature of non obstante provision says that notwith-standing anything contained in sub-section ( l), the proprietor shall continue to retain the possession of his h1o"me-stead, home-farm land,(') and in the Central Provinces also of land brought under <:ultivation by him after the agricultural year 1948-49 but before the date of vestin~.

(I) [1953] S.C.R. 476.

(2) For the purposes of the present case "home~farm land'1 as defined in section 2(g) means-(i) land recorded as sir and khudkasht in the name of proprietor in the annual papers for the year 1948-49, and (ii) land acquired by proprietor by surrender from tenants after the year 1948-49 till the date of vesting. 12-520 SCI/78

Section 38(1) of the Abolition of Proprietary Rights Act which confers the rights Pf maHk-makbuza on proprietors provides thus :-

"38. ( 1) Every proprietor who is divested of his proprie-tary rights in an estate or mahal shall, with effect from the date of vesting, be malik·makbuza of the home-farm land in his possession."

Section 39(1) of the AboHtion of Proprietary Rights Act lays down that where the proprietary rights held by protected thekadar or other thekadar ,or protected headman or by any other under-tenure vest in the State under section 3, the Deputy Commissioner may reserve to such proprietor the rights of an occupancy tenant in the whole or part of the home farm land and shall determine the rent thereon Sub-section (2) of section 39 of the Abolition of Proprie-tary Rights Act provides that any person becoming an occupancy tenant under sub-section ( 1) shall be tenant of the State.

Section 40 of the Abolition of Proprietary Rights Act which con-D fers rights of lessee i011 the proprietor in certain lands provides that any land not included in home-farm but brought under cultiva-tion by the proprietor after the agricultural year 1948-49 shall con-tinue in the possession of such proprietor and shall be deemed to be settled with him by the State Government on such terms and condi-tions as may be prescribed.

Section 41 of the Abolition of Proprietary Rights Act lays down that except in such areas as the State Government may, by notifica-tion, exclude from the operation of this section, every absolute occu· pancy tenant who, at any time before the date of vesting or within six months therefrom, or such further period as the State Gpvernment may from time to time notify pays to the State Government an amount equal to three times the annual reut for the time being payable by him for his holding and every occupancy tenant who likewise pays to the State Government an amount equal td four times such rent, shall, on and from the date of vesting or the date of such payment, which-ever is later, be declared in the prescribed manner to be malik-mak-G buza of the land comprised in his holding.

Section 45, 46 and 47 of the Abolition of Proprietary Right.< Act which are material for the purpose of this case may be conveniently rvproduced at this stage. These sections run thus :

"45. (1) Subject to the provisions of section 41, any per-H son who immediately before the date of vesting was in p,o's-session of any holding as an absolute occupancy tenant or an occupancy tenant sliall, on and from the date of vesting,

be deemed to be ttnant of the State and shall hold the land in the same rights and subject to the same restrictions and liabilities as he was entitled dr subject to immediately before the date of vesting.

(2) Any person holding land a~ village service land shall be deemed to be holding it from the State and shall be governed by the provisions cont;tined in sections 42 to 48 of the Central Provinces Tenancy Act, 1920 .

( 3) Any person holding land other than sir land from the proprietor on favourable terms for service rendered by him shall from the date of vesting be declared to be an occupancy tenant of the ·state and the Deputy Commissioner shall fix the rent to be paid by him.

( 4) The rent payable to the State by such tenant shall for the purpose of its recovery be rent within the meaning of clause (a) of section 225 of the Central Provinces Land Revenue Act, 1917.

46. Every person deemed or declared to be malik-makbuza under section 38 or section 41 and every other malik-makbuza in mahal shall be entitled to any right which tenant has under the village wajib-u!-arz and any reference to tenant in the wajib-ul-arz shall be deemed to include reference.to every such malik-makbuza.

4 7. (I) The Deputy Commissioner shall, in regard to lands vesting in the State or remaining with the proprietor under this Act, ascertain in the prescribed manner the cus-tom in respect of-

( a) the rights of persons resident in the estate or village or holding lands comprised in the maha!;

(b) the rights to irrigation, right of way and other ease-ments;

( c) the rights to trees and to produce;

( d) any other rights and customs which the State Go-vernment may direct to be recorded.

(2) The Deputy Commissioner shall record in the wajib-ul-arz, the customs so ascertained and if necessary modify any entries therein."

The rules which the Deputy Commissioner is req\Jired to follow in ascertaining custom in relation to the rights mentioned in the above

noted section 47 appear to have been made vide Notification Np. 70-XXVIII dated 3rd March, 1951. The said rules may also be re-produced here for facility of reference :

"l. (1) In the Central Provinces, excluding merged territories, the Deputy Commissioner shall issue procla-B mation in Form appended to these rules asking the villa-gers to apply by specified date if they consider inadequate the existing custioms recorded in the Village Administration Paper in respect of 11ny Jieads specified in rule 2 or desire to have recorded therein any new custom under any hea<i specified in rule 2.

(2) In the merged territories, the Deputy Commissio-ner shall issue proclamation in Form appended to these rules asking the villagers to state by specified date what customs in respect of the heads specified in rule 2 should be recortled in the Village Administration Paper.

2. Customs shall be ascertained under the

fo11owing

heads and due regard shall be had to the conditions en-tered in the Village Administration Paper, if any, and the objections urged by the residents of the village Heads under which customs can be recorded.

(VUI) Irrigation

(IX) Other water rights

plain reading of section 45 reproduced above would show that the Abolition pf Proprietary Rights Act did not affect the tenancy rights of absolute occupancy tenants and occupancy tenants created by the outgoing J.ltndlords. On the contrary, it guaranteed the continuity of absolute occupancy tenants and occupancy tenants by olothing them with the status of tenants under the State and confer-ring on them the same rights as were being enjoyed by them before the date of vesting. The words "in the same rights" occurring in sub-section ( 1) of section 45 are very significant. They leave no room for doubt that the absolute occupancy tenants and occup_ancy tenants were to continue to enjoy the irrigation and other water rights which were enjoyed by them before the date of vesting.

Section 46 puts the Malik-makbuza at par with the tenants in regqrq to cust.omary .rights under the wajib-ul-arz. It ordains that every person deemed or declared to be malik-makbuza undef sec-

tion 38 or section 41 and every other ma!ik-makbuza in mahal is entitled to the s~me custpinary right as tenant under the village wajib-ul-arz.

Sec lion 4 7 emphasises the importance of custom in relation to the right to irrigation by making it imperalive for the Deputy Com-missioner to ascertain in accordance with the aforementioned rules and record in the village wajib-ul-arz the custom in respect of the right to irrigation and certain other rights in regard to the lands vest-ing in the Slate or remaining with the proprietor nnder the Abolition of Proprietary Rights Act.

It may be stated here that wajib-ul-arz which was prepared at the time of settlement under the C.P. Land Revenue Act, 1917 con-tained the following entries :-

"Term No. 13(2) of the Wajib·ul-arz of the year 19-20 of mouza Navegaon Bandh P.H. No. 35.

13. Water of tank Np .. 88311 is taken for irrigation to Villages Muza Mungli, Deolgaon, Yerandi and Kholi for Veblaf(?) of also and Sadshiv son of Istari of Mouza is entitled for Sugar Cane free of charge.

Term No. 18(2) of the Wajib-ul-arz :

Water of tauk No. 883/1 is takeu free of rate for paddy irrigation J:io\h by the Malguzars and tenants. Details are given in the Walit Parcha. Water of this tank for one day and night is taken by Sitaram Patil for mahal No. I and Kanhu son of Sambhu Patil also takes one day and one night for Mahal No. 2. It is free to Malik Mukhiya only for Sugar Cane Irriga-F tion."

Frnm the foregoing, it becomes crystal clear that the occupancy tenants and malik-makbuza who were appropriating the water of Navegaon Bandh Tank for raising paddy and sugarcane crops before the date of vesting under the Abolition of Proprietary Rights Act were to continue to enjoy those rights witbp'ut any let or hindrance even after the date of vesting .

Let us now proceed to determine whether there was any change in this position as re~ult of the enactment of the Madhya Pradesh Land Revenue Code, 1954 (hereinafter referred to as 'the Code') which received the assent oi the President on the Sth February, 1955 and was a~apted and modified at first by the Bombay (Vidarbha Region) Adaptation of Laws (State and Concurrent Subjects) Order,

1956 and later on by the Maharashtra Adaptation of Laws (State and Concurrent Subjects) Order, 1960 because it has been conten-ded by learned counsel for the appellants during the course of his submissions that with effect from 12th February, 1955 when the aforesaid assent accorded by the President to the COde was published in the Madhya Pradesh Gaz~tte Extraordinary there was an automatic extinction of the aforesaid right of irrigation enjoyed by the occu-pancy tenants and malik-makbuza in consequence of the repeal of sections 45 to 4 7 of the Abolition of Proprietary Rights Act by virtue of section 23 8 of the Code, read with Schedule III thereto. The contention is, in our opinion,· wholly untenable as it proceeds on misconception of the true legal position and overlooks the provisions of section 239 of the Code which runs thus :

239. All rules, assessments, appointments and transfers made, notifications and proclamations issued, authorities and powers conferred, farms and leases granted, records-of-rights and other records framed or confirmed, rights acquired, liabilities incurred, times and places appointed, and other things done under any of the enactments hereby re-pealed shall, so far as may be, be deemed to have been res-pectively made, issued, conferred, granted, framed, reviSed, confirmed, acquired, incurred, appointed and done under this Code.'' It is worthy of note that section 239 of the Code did not destroy the right of free irrigation enjoyed by the respondents. On the contrary, it fully protected and preserved the same. The words "all rights acquired" occurring in the said section of the code are compre-hensive enough to take in the irrigation and other rights acquired by the tenants and malik-makbuza under sections 45 to 47 of the Aboli-tion of Proprietary Rights Act which stood repealed by virtue of section 238 of the Code. This view is in consonance with the deci-sion of this Court in State of Punjab v. Mohar Singh(•) where it was held that the line of enquiry would be, not whether. the ne\v Act ex-G pressly keeps alive old rights and liabilities but whether it manifests an intention to destroy them. Examining the matter in the light of this principle, we have no doubt in our mind that the right of free irrigation which accrued to the . occupancy tenants and malguzars under the aforesaid sections 45 to 4 7 of the ~bolition of Proprietary Rights Act were not only not destroyed but were also saved by sec-H tion 239 of the Code and are, therefore, to cdntinue to be enjoyed by the occupancy tenants and malguzars without being affecleyJ, curtailed

(1) [1955] I S.C.R. 893.

or whittled down in any manner despite the repeal of sections 45 to 47 of the Abolition of Proprietary Rights Act by section 238 of !fie Cdde.

The last contention advanced by the learned counsel for the appel-lants that the Government was competent to recover water charges by virtue of the provisions contained in section 26 of the Central Provinces Irrigation Act, 1931 is also devoid of substance. The said section, it would be noticed, vests in the Government all rights in the water of any river, natural stream or natural drainage channel, natural lake or other natural collection of water. As in the instant case, it is clear not only from the averments of the respondents but also of the appellants themselves that the tank in question is not natural lake, section 26 of the Central Provinces Irrigati,on Act, 1931 can be of no avail to the appellants and the water rights which could be acquired by custom as indicated in Harrop v. Hirst(') and were in fact acquired by custom by the respondents in the instant case as shown above and were recognised and preserved both under the Aboli-tion of Proprietary Rights {\ct and the Gode cannot in any manner be interfered with by the appellants.

The importance attached to the need for recognition of the right to irrigation may also be gleaned from the following observations made by Chief Justice Callaway in Allen v. Petrick (69 Mont, 373, 377, 379, 380, 22 Pac 451, 452, 45'.>(1924) :

"The appropriator does not own the water ....... . He has right of ownership in its use only. The use of water in Mautana is vital to the prosperity of our people. Its use, even by an individual, to irrigate farm, is so much contributing fa.ctor to the welfare o{ the State that the peopl~, in adopting the Constitution, declared it to be public use. . . . . . . "

For the foregoing reasons, we do not find any merit in this appeal which is dismissed with costs.

Appeal dismissed .

(1) [1968] L.R. 4 Exch. 43.