Rajasthan High Court - Jaipur
Gafoor Ali S/O Yushaf Ali vs Mst. Bagum W/O Gafoor Ali on 28 October, 1985
Equivalent citations: 1986(1)WLN336
JUDGMENT Guman Mal Lodha, J.
1. This revision, arising out of an application filed by a neglected Muslim woman for maintenance under Section 125 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973, (here in after, for short 'the Cr. PC'), is husband's petition against the order of the maintenance to the wife passed by the learned Sessions Judge, Jhalawar, who has quashed the refusal order to grant of maintenance under Section 125, Cr. PC passed by the Judicial Magistrate, Aklera. The husband has challenged the order of nominal amount of Rs. 100/- per month.
2. The petitioner, who is a Proprietor of Cycle shop in the village Sarola Kalan, District Jhalawar (Rajasthan); was married to the non-petitioner 5 years before the filing of the application under Section 125 Cr. PC. After the marriage the non-petitioner as alleged in the application, remained with her husband for a period of 3 years. The husband-petitioner is alleged to have mal-treated, and used to beat the wife non-petitioner. The husband is not properly maintaining his wife by not providing and fulfilling the basic requirement of life to her, and drove the wife out of the matrimonial home. The husband has also performed the second marriage.
3. The non-petitioner filed a petition against the petitioner under Section 125, Cr. PC in the court of the learned Judicial Magistrate, Aklera Jhalawar (Rajasthan), asking for maintenance at the rate of Rs. 100/-. The petitioner had opposed the claim of the non-petitioner, on various grounds. On February 3, 1979, the learned Magistrate rejected the claim of the non-petitioner. Against the rejection, a revision petition was filed by the wife non-petitioner, in the court of the District & Sessions Judge, Jhalawar, who, rejecting the contentions of the husband, granted an amount of Rs. 100/- as maintenance to the wife, as mentioned above. Now, the husband is before this Court by revision petition.
4. Learned counsel for the petitioner has submitted that a Muslim wife cannot refuse to live with the husband on the ground of second marriage and, therefore, as Smt. Begum has deserted the husband on account of second marriage, no maintenance can be granted under Section 125, Cr. PC.
5. The learned Sessions Judge has come to the conclusion that even if the evidence of beating is not believed, yet under Section 125 Cr.PC as it stands, a wife can refuse to live with the husband if the husband took second marriage.
6. Section 125, Cr.PC, in terms, provides that if a husband has contracted marriage with another woman or keeps a mistress, it shall be considered to be just ground for his Wife's refusal to live with him.
7. A look at the Section 125, Cr. PC would show that under Section 125(1), a person who, having sufficient means, neglects or refuses to maintain herself, can be asked by the court to pay a monthly maintenance to her at a rate not exceeding five Hundred rupees. These provisions are too clear and patent warranting any further doubt and debates.
8. Section 125, as it stands makes no exception for the persons to be governed by the Muslim personal law. The religion prolonged by any spouse has no place in the scheme of these provisions. Whether the spouse are Hindus or Muslims, Christians or Parsis, Pagans or heathens, is wholly irrelevant in the application of these provisions because, Section 125 is part of the Cr.PC. It is not of the Civil laws which define and govern the rights and obligations of the parties belonging to particular religions. Such provisions which are essentially of a humanitarian nature, cut across the barriers of religion. The religion professed by the parties or the state of the personal law by which they are governed, cannot have any repercussion on the applicability of such laws unless, within the frame work of the Constitution, their application is restricted to a defined category of religious groups or classes. The liability imposed by Section 125 to maintain close relatives who are indigent is founded upon the individual's obligation to the society to prevant vagrancy and destitution. That is the moral edict of the law and morality cannot be clubbed with religion. Clause (b) of the Explanation to Section 125(1), which defines 'wife' as including a divorced wife, contains no words of limitation to justify the exclusion of Muslim woman from its scope. Section 125 is truly peculiar in character. This is what the Apex Court in Mohd. Ahmed Khan v. Shah Bano Begum has held.
9. So far as this Court is concerned, unless the validity of Section 125 Cr.PC is challenged and it is struck down on any ground what so ever it is the law of the land and this Court has to interpret as it stands. '
10. The right conferred by Section 125 can be exercised irrespective of the personal law of the parties, even in regard to the Muslims, by the provision contained in the explanation to the second proviso to Section 125(3) of the Cr.PC. According to this proviso, if the husband offers to maintain his wife on condition that she should live with him, and she refused to live with him, the Magistrate may consider any grounds of refusal stated by her, and make an order of maintenance not with standing the offer of the husband, if he-is satisfied that there is a just ground for passing such an order. As mentioned above, according to the explanation to the proviso:
If a husband has contracted marriage with another woman or keeps a mistress, it shall be considered to be just ground for his wife's refusal to live with him,
11. It is too well known that "A Mahomadan may have as many as four wives at the same time but not more. If he marriges a fifth wife when he was already four, the marriage is not void, but merely irregular". (See : Rules's Mahommadan Law, 18th Edition, paragraph 225, page 285). The explanation confers upon the wife the right to refuse to live with her husband if he contracts another marriage, leave alone 3 or 4 other marriages. It shows unmistakably, that Section 125 over rides the personal law, if there is any conflict between the two.
12. As laid down by the Apex Court, a Muslim wife if entitled to apply for maintenance under Section 125 Cr.PC. I am, therefore, of the opinion that the view of the learned Sessions Judge that the refusal of the wife to live with the husband after second marriage is justified under the explanation of Section 125 and that, the husband cannot refuse to maintain her, is wholly justified and no exception can be taken to it. The amount of maintenance is Rs. 100/- which is too meagre and calls for no interferences.
13. In view of the above, this revision petition fails and is hereby dismissed and the stay order is vacated.