Jurisdiction under agricultural debt law depends on the statute's integrated scheme, with earlier precedent overriding a contrary view.

An application under Section 37A(8) of the Bengal Agricultural Debtors Act raised whether the Board retained jurisdiction to make an award after the original debt had been extinguished by receipt of the usufruct of the mortgaged land, and whether the Munsif was bound to act on that award. The earlier Division Bench ruling was treated as governing the point and the contrary view applied below was overruled. Section 37A(7) was regarded as ancillary to Section 37A(5), indicating that the statutory scheme had to be read in that integrated manner.

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Issues: Whether, on an application under Section 37A(8) of the Bengal Agricultural Debtors Act, the Board had jurisdiction to make an award where the original debt had been extinguished by receipt of the usufruct of the mortgaged land, and whether the Munsif was bound to act on such award.

Analysis: The earlier Division Bench decision directly governed the point and overruled the contrary view that had been applied below. Sub-section (7) of Section 37A was treated as ancillary to Sub-section (5), and the use of the word

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