CHANDIRAM AND ANOTHER vs. GHANA COMMERCIAL BANK [1960]DLHC5351

Date	1960-06-20
Suit No.
Citation No.	[1960]DLHC5351

COR. LORD TUCKER

LORD JENKINS

LORD MORRIS OF BORTH-Y-GEST

QUASS Q.C. AND J. S. LE. QUESNE FOR APPELLANTS (GHANA COMMERCIAL BANK).

KHAMBATTA Q.C. AND JOSEPH DEAN FOR FIRST RESPONDENT (CHANDIRAM).

[1960]DLHC5351
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													<main id="main" class="content" style="min-height: 60rem" ><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;;
mso-fareast-font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;;mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;;
color:#548DD4">CHANDIRAM AND ANOTHER<o:p></o:p><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;;
mso-fareast-font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;;mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;;
color:#548DD4">&nbsp;vs. <o:p></o:p><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;;
mso-fareast-font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;;mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;;
color:#548DD4">GHANA COMMERCIAL BANK<o:p></o:p><span style="font-size:10.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;;
mso-fareast-font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;;mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;;
color:#548DD4">&nbsp;[HIGH COURT, ACCRA]<o:p></o:p><div style="mso-element:para-border-div;border:none;border-bottom:solid windowtext 1.5pt;
padding:0in 0in 1.0pt 0in">

</div>COUNSEL:&nbsp;&nbsp; <o:p></o:p><div style="mso-element:para-border-div;border:none;border-bottom:solid black 1.5pt;
padding:0in 0in 0in 0in">

QUASS
Q.C. AND J. S. LE. QUESNE FOR APPELLANTS (GHANA COMMERCIAL BANK).<o:p></o:p>

KHAMBATTA
Q.C. AND JOSEPH DEAN FOR FIRST RESPONDENT (CHANDIRAM).<o:p></o:p>

</div>CORAM: <o:p></o:p><div style="mso-element:para-border-div;border:none;border-bottom:solid black 1.5pt;
padding:0in 0in 0in 0in">

COR. LORD TUCKER, LORD
JENKINS, LORD MORRIS OF BORTH-Y-GEST<o:p></o:p>

</div><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p>JUDGMENT OF
LORD JENKINS<o:p></o:p>Lord Jenkins delivered the judgment of the Board: This case
concerns competing interests in certain real property at Accra, the rival
claimants being Ghana Commercial Bank, formerly the Bank of the Gold Coast,
defendants in the action and now appellants (hereinafter called “the Ghana
Bank”), who claim to be mortgagees of the property; and D. T. Chandiram,
plaintiff in the action and now respondent (hereinafter called “the
purchaser”), who claims to have bought the property at an execution sale free
from the alleged mortgage. Also concerned in the litigation is one J. Mensah
(hereinafter called “the tenant”) who, in his capacity as Manager of St. John’s
Grammar School at Accra, was in possession of the property as tenant at the
date of the execution sale, but who thenceforth, according to the purchaser,
became a trespasser, by refusing to attorn tenant to the purchaser and
insisting on paying his rent (£G75 per month) to the Ghana Bank, who demanded
such payment on the strength of the alleged mortgage. The purchaser accordingly
joined the tenant as a defendant along with the Ghana Bank, and he has been
made a respondent in the present appeal but was not represented at the hearing
before their Lordships.<o:p></o:p><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p>The action was brought by the purchaser as plaintiff in the Land
Court at Accra claiming against both defendants jointly and severally:-<o:p></o:p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top:0in;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:5.0pt;
margin-left:.5in;text-align:justify;mso-pagination:none;border:none;mso-padding-alt:
31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt;mso-border-shadow:yes">“(a) A declaration of his title of ownership to the said premises;
<o:p></o:p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top:0in;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:5.0pt;
margin-left:.5in;text-align:justify;mso-pagination:none;border:none;mso-padding-alt:
31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt;mso-border-shadow:yes">(b) £G500 general damages for trespass; (c) £G2,025 as mesne
profits at the rate of £G75 a month as from the 16th April, 1955” (the date of
the execution sale) “to the 15th September, 1956” (the end of the last whole
month prior to the issue of the writ on the 26th September, 1956) “and any
further sums of money by way of mesne profits that will have accrued up to the
date of judgment. <o:p></o:p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top:0in;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:5.0pt;
margin-left:.5in;text-align:justify;mso-pagination:none;border:none;mso-padding-alt:
31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt;mso-border-shadow:yes">(d) Recovery of possession.”<o:p></o:p>The case was tried in the Land Court before Ollennu, J., who by a
judgment and decree dated 3rd September 1957, granted the purchaser the relief
claimed (save that he reduced the claim for damages for trespass to £G100) with
costs. He assessed the mesne profits at £G75 per month from the 16th April,
1955 to 15th September, 1957 and found them to amount to £G2,925; and he
directed that the recovery of possession should take effect from the 15th
September 1957.<o:p></o:p><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p>From that judgment and decree both defendants appealed to the
Court of Appeal of Ghana (Korsah, C.J., van Lare and Granville Sharp, JJ.A.) who
by a judgment and decree dated the 2nd December, 1958 dismissed the appeal,
save that the learned judge’s calculation of the mesne profits was corrected
from £G2,925 to £G2,175. From the last-mentioned judgment and decree the Ghana
Bank now appeals to this Board.<o:p></o:p>The facts can be shortly stated.<o:p></o:p>