CHERUMANALIL LAKSHMI AND ORS. vs MULIVIL KUNNINAMKANDY NARAYANI AND ORS.

The Supreme Court ruled that the transactions in question were kanam-kuzhikanam and not usufructuary mortgages, clarifying the distinction between the two under the Kerala Land Reforms Act, 1963, specifically Section 2(23). The Court emphasized that kanam-kuzhikanam involves a lease granting the right to enjoy property, while a mortgage secures repayment of a debt. The appeal was dismissed, affirming the lower courts' decisions that recognized the respondents as kanam-kuzhikanamdars entitled to fixity of tenure under Section 13 of the Act.