VENKATA REDDI AND OTHERS vs POTHI REDDI

The Supreme Court held that a preliminary decree for partition, even if not final in the sense of being unappealable, constitutes a 'final decision' under the first proviso to Section 28A of the Provincial Insolvency Act, 1920. The Court clarified that such a decree operates as res judicata between the parties, thus protecting the appellants' two-thirds share from being sold by the Official Receiver. The judgment affirmed the lower court's ruling that the preliminary decree was valid and enforceable despite the father's insolvency.