DARKE AND ANOTHER vs. DEI XI AND ANOTHER [1990]DLCA2227

Date	1990-07-19
Suit No.
Citation No.	[1990]DLCA2227

AMPIAH JA

LAMPTEY JA

ESSIEM JJ.A.

KWAME TETTEH FOR THE DEFENDANT-APPELLANTS.

DA ROCHA FOR THE PLAINTIFF-RESPONDENTS.

[1990]DLCA2227
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													<main id="main" class="content" style="min-height: 60rem" >DARKE
AND ANOTHER<o:p></o:p>vs.<o:p></o:p>DEI XI
AND ANOTHER<o:p></o:p>[COURT OF
APPEAL, ACCRA]<o:p></o:p>[1991] 2
GLR 112<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:<o:p></o:p>KWAME
TETTEH FOR THE DEFENDANT-APPELLANTS.<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">

DA ROCHA
FOR THE PLAINTIFF-RESPONDENTS. <o:p></o:p>

AMPIAH,
LAMPTEY AND ESSIEM JJ.A. <o:p></o:p>

</div>JUDGMENT
OF ESSIEM J.A.<o:p></o:p>This
appeal is from the judgment of the High Court, Accra constituted by Omari-Sasu
J. In his judgment, the learned judge gave judgment for the plaintiffs who are
the respondents in this court, and granted them certain reliefs. The
defendants, the appellants before us, being aggrieved, have appealed to this
court.<o:p></o:p>The claim
indorsed on the writ filed by the plaintiffs at the High Court, Accra was as
follows:<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">“The
plaintiffs’ claim is for a declaration that:<o:p></o:p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="margin-top:0in;margin-right:0in;
margin-bottom:5.0pt;margin-left:1.0in;mso-add-space:auto;text-align:justify;
text-indent:-.5in;mso-pagination:none;mso-list:l2 level1 lfo1;border:none;
mso-padding-alt:31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt;mso-border-shadow:yes">(i)&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;
The
judgment of the High Court, Ho in the suit entitled Darke IV v. Darke, High
Court, Ho, 11 November 1975, unreported, and the judgment of the Court of
Appeal in the suit entitled Darke v. Dei II Court of Appeal, 30 July 1979,
unreported, and all subsequent proceedings thereon are null and void and of no
effect, having been given without jurisdiction. <o:p></o:p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-top:0in;margin-right:0in;
margin-bottom:5.0pt;margin-left:1.0in;mso-add-space:auto;text-align:justify;
text-indent:-.5in;mso-pagination:none;mso-list:l2 level1 lfo1;border:none;
mso-padding-alt:31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt;mso-border-shadow:yes">(ii)&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;
An order
setting aside the said judgments of the High Court, Ho and the Court of Appeal
and subsequent proceedings on the ground that the suits in which the judgments
were given involved the settlement of the boundary between the stool lands of
Peki and the stool lands of Awudome; and the jurisdiction to deal with such a
dispute was, at the time the judgments were given, vested exclusively in the
Stool Lands Boundaries Settlement Commissioner by virtue of section 4 of the
Stool Lands Boundaries Settlement Decree, 1973 (N.R.C.D. 172). <o:p></o:p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="margin-top:0in;margin-right:0in;
margin-bottom:5.0pt;margin-left:1.0in;mso-add-space:auto;text-align:justify;
text-indent:-.5in;mso-pagination:none;mso-list:l2 level1 lfo1;border:none;
mso-padding-alt:31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt;mso-border-shadow:yes">(iii)&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;
An order
referring the dispute as to the boundary between Peki and Awudome stool lands
to the Stool Lands Boundaries Settlement Commissioner.”<o:p></o:p>The
events leading to the commencement of this action were adequately stated by the
trial High Court judge and I reproduce the same hereunder:<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">“This
suit was transferred by his Lordship the Chief Justice from the High Court, Ho
to this court in 1957 and it has had a rather chequered history. <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">The
original action was started in the Native Court, Peki in 1957 and it was
transferred to the High Court, Accra. A couple of years later, it went back to
the High Court, Ho for trial as suit No. TRL 22/57. After a series of
adjournments, Francois J. (as he then was) heard it to a finish but reserved
judgment. It is conceded by the parties herein that from the date of
commencement of the hearing up to the date judgment was reserved by Francois J.
(as he then was), the High Court, Ho had jurisdiction to hear the case. During
the pendency of the reserved judgment, however, the Stool Lands Boundaries
Settlement Decree, 1973 (N.R.C.D. 172) was passed. This enactment came into
force on 4 May 1973 and it was not until 11 November 1975 that the judgment o</main>