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Jaswant Singh Vs Sucha Singh and Others

Case No: CR No. 2881 of 2012 (O and M)

Date of Decision: Sept. 13, 2012

Acts Referred: Evidence Act, 1872 — Section 68

Hon'ble Judges: K. Kannan, J

Bench: Single Bench

Advocate: Ashok Verma and Ms. Kamalpreet Kaur, for the Appellant; S.C. Chhabra, Advocate, for respondents 1 and 2 and None for respondents 3 and 4, for the Respondent

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Judgement

K. Kannan, J.@mdashThe application had been filed for recasting the issue by the plaintiff when the defendant was denying the Will set up by the

plaintiff as a forgery. The burden of proof shall always be on a person who propounds the same. The issues framed were: Whether Smt. Kartar

Kaur executed a valid Will on 16.04.2008 in favour of Jaswant Singh defendant? and If above issue No. 1 is proved, whether the Will dated

16.04.2008 is forged and fabricated Will of Smt. Kartar Kaur? If there was an issue relating to the genuineness, there is no need for framing a

separate issue whether the Will was forged or fabricated as contended by the defendant. The learned counsel for the petitioner contends that since

the defendant contends that the Will is a forgery, the burden of proving that the Will is a forgery or fabricated is on the defendant. The contention is

untenable. A contention that a Will is forged or fabricated has the effect of denying the genuineness and being fundamental to rule of evidence, the

burden of establishing the genuineness is only on the plaintiff u/s 68 of Evidence Act. This will be so, even if there is no denial by the defendant. The

denial of a Will as initiated by fraud, undue influence or coercion is wholly different, in which situation, the burden of proving such fraud shall be on

the person who sets up a litigating circumstance. This difference in approach is exposited by the Supreme Court in the decision in Bharpur Singh

and Others Vs. Shamsher Singh, . With these directions, the civil revision is disposed of.