When all defendants in any action in the superior court for partition of real estate fail to answer, or, by answer, admit or fail to deny the title of the plaintiff or of any co-defendant or co-defendants as alleged in the complaint, and do not contest the plaintiff’s right to an actual partition of the real estate or to a sale thereof if actual partition is found to be impractical, but one or more of such defendants raises an issue of title as against a co-defendant or co-defendants, the plaintiff and each defendant whose title is not denied by any other defendant shall be entitled to a judgment, that the interest of the plaintiff and of each such defendant whose title is not questioned be set off by actual partition, if an actual partition be practicable, and if not, that the real estate be sold and the plaintiff and each defendant whose title is not questioned be paid his share of the net proceeds of sale, without waiting for the determination of the question of title as between the various defendants. The remainder of the real estate shall await, or the remainder of the proceeds shall be paid into court to await, the determination of the question of title before being partitioned or distributed, as the case may be, to or among the remaining defendants.

L.1951 (1st SS), c.344.