Bombay High Court
Pushpa Alias Chahabai Bhausaheb Gade vs Bhausaheb Ranuji Gade on 19 September, 2008
Author: V.R. Kingaonkar
Bench: V.R. Kingaonkar
(1)
IN THE HIGH COURT OF JUDICATURE OF BOMBAY
BENCH AT AURANGABAD
CRIMINAL WRIT PETITION NO.352 OF 2002
01. Pushpa Alias Chahabai Bhausaheb Gade
02. Priyanka Bhausaheb Gade
Both R/o Pimpalgaon Nipani,
Tq.Akole, Dist-Ahmednagar PETITIONERS
VERSUS
Bhausaheb Ranuji Gade
R/o Pimpalgaon Konzira
Tq.Sangamner Dist-Ahmednagar RESPONDENT
.....
Mr. A.B.Gatne, Advocate for the petitioner/s
Mr. Mr.P.P.Darak for Mr. A.S.Bajaj, Advocate for
respondent .....
[CORAM: V.R. KINGAONKAR, J.]
ig Reserved on : 09/09/2008
Pronounced on : 19/09/2008
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JUDGMENT :
01. Challenge in this petition is to judgment rendered by learned Additional Sessions Judge, Sangamner in Criminal Revision Application No.343/2000 whereby and whereunder monthly maintenance allowance @ Rs.400/- p.m. and Rs.300/- p.m. is granted to the petitioners No.1 and 2, partly reversing maintenance order rendered by learned Judicial Magistrate (FC), Akole, whereby they were granted maintenance allowance @ Rs.700/- pm. and Rs.500/- p.m., respectively.
02. The petitioners are wife and minor daughter of the respondent. Marriage between petitioner No.1 Smt.Pushpa and respondent-Bhausaheb was solemnised on ::: Downloaded on - 09/06/2013 13:53:01 ::: (2) 21st April 1994 in accordance with tenets of Hindu religion. Out of the wedlock, petitioner No.2 Priyanka was born. The petitioners asserted that they were maltreated and driven out of the house by the respondent. He refused and neglected to maintain them. He owns about 18 to 20 acres irrigated land.
He also earns income by doing business of milk vending. He has sufficient means to pay separate maintenance allowance. They have no source of income.
Consequently, they filed application u/s 125 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (Cri.M.A. No.142/1998) seeking separate maintenance allowance @ 1500/- per month each.
03. The respondent resisted the application. He asserted that the wife left his company without any reasonable cause. He averred that she disliked him and his family members. He asserted that he was ready and willing to cohabit with her. He filed an application (HMP No.69/1998) for restoration of conjugal rights. The wife, however, filed a false criminal case for the offence punishable u/s 498 A of the IPC against him and, therefore, he withdrew the application for restitution of conjugal rights. He denied that he is having irrigated land. He denied the quantum of his income and ability to shell out separate maintenance allowance, as claimed by the petitioners.
::: Downloaded on - 09/06/2013 13:53:01 ::: (3)04. The learned Judicial Magistrate (FC) came to the conclusion that the petitioners proved that they are unable to maintain themselves and that they were neglected at the hands of respondent and he refused to maintain them. The learned Magistrate further held that the respondent has got sufficient means to shell out separate maintenance allowance. The learned Magistrate was pleased to hold that the respondent is having irrigated land and sufficient means to shell out the separate maintenance allowance @ Rs.700/- p.m. and Rs.500/- p.m. The application was, therefore, allowed.
The learned Additional Sessions Judge confirmed the findings to the extent of neglect and refusal to maintain the petitioners, by the respondent. The learned Sessions Judge, however, held that income of the respondent was not properly assessed by the Judicial Magistrate. So, by the impugned judgment and order, the quantum of maintenance allowance was slashed down to Rs.400/-
p.m. and Rs.300/- p.m. instead of Rs.700/- p.m.and Rs.500/- p.m., from the date of application.
05. Heard learned counsel. Mr.Gatne would submit that the impugned findings of the Sessions Judge are improper and illegal. He contended that there was no substantial reason to interfere with the findings of learned Judicial Magistrate when the evidence was duly ::: Downloaded on - 09/06/2013 13:53:01 ::: (4) assessed in respect of agricultural income of the respondent and a reasonable quantum of maintenance allowance was awarded to the petitioners. He would submit that the maintenance allowance awarded to the petitioners could not be reduced by the Revisional Court, by taking a different view, when the order of the Magistrate cannot be termed as perverse. Learned advocate for the respondent, however pointed out that matrimonial proceedings are going on between the spouses. It is pointed out that Special Civil Suit No.34/2005 is filed by the petitioners seeking maintenance and for creating charge over the property of the respondent. In WP No.6223/2007 interim maintenance is allowed @ Rs.1500/- p.m. in toto to both of them. It is, therefore, argued that the impugned judgment need not be interfered with since it does not reflect any perversity.
06. Question for consideration is, whether the Revisional Court committed impropriety and illegality in the exercise of revisional jurisdiction? It is ordinarily impermissible for the Revisional Court to go into the question of quantum. The Trial Court noticed that the respondent did not putforth pleading as regards absence of his milk business. The wife averred that in addition to agricultural income, the husband is having milk vending business. She also deposed that he owns tractor vehicle No.MH-17-6609 and ::: Downloaded on - 09/06/2013 13:53:01 ::: (5) a thresher machine. The learned Judicial Magistrate considered the entries in the 7/12 extract and the oral evidence of the parties. The learned Magistrate came to the conclusion that the version of the wife regarding income of the respondent could not be discarded. The learned Additional Sessions Judge observed that the land admeasuring 6 Hectare 5 R, as per the 7/12 extract (Exhibit-21), stands in name of respondent / husband and his two brothers along with father. The learned Additional Session Judge further observed that agricultural fields bearing Gat Nos.104/1 and 104/2 stand in the name of mother of the respondent.
So also field Gat No.101 stands in her
name. Though these agricultural fields apparently
stand in the name of mother of the respondent
(husband), yet there is nothing on record to show that she is separately cultivating the same. The agricultural fields appear to be properties of the joint family of the respondent (husband), his two brothers and father. The learned Additional Sessions Judge, however, only considered the entries in the 7/12 extract (Exhibit-21) pertaining to Gat No.457.
Indeed, such reappreciation of evidence, by the Revisional Court, is not expected. The Revisional Court cannot interfere with findings of facts unless it is demonstrated that such findings are perverse.
The learned Additional Sessions Judge failed to demonstrate that the fact finding process, undertaken ::: Downloaded on - 09/06/2013 13:53:01 ::: (6) by the learned Magistrate, is perverse or colourable exercise of his jurisdiction. There is no whisper in the impugned judgment to show that the finding recorded by the Magistrate on question of quantum of maintenance allowance is perverse or arbitrary.
07. The scope of revision is limited. It is well settled that the Revisional Court would not substitute its own findings and upset the maintenance orders recorded by the Magistrate, without there being reason to infer perversity in a such finding. The Apex Court, in "Bulakibai Vs. Gangaram" (1988) 1 SCC 437 succinctly illustrated encompass of the revisional jurisdiction. It is held that the findings of the Magistrate, on the disputed question, recorded after full consideration of evidence could not be disturbed in revision.
08. The proceedings u/s 125 of the Criminal Procedure Code are of summary nature. An order made u/s 125 of the Criminal Procedure Code is tentative and is subject to final determination of rights in Civil Court. The decree of Civil Court in suit for maintenance allowance will prevail over the order of the Magistrate in proceedings u/s 125 of the Criminal Procedure Code. The petition u/s 125 of the Criminal Procedure Code is not barred even when suit for maintenance allowance under provisions of Hindu ::: Downloaded on - 09/06/2013 13:53:01 ::: (7) Adoption and Maintenance Act, 1956, is filed by the wife. The maintenance allowance granted by the Civil Court ought to be adjusted towards the amount granted u/s 125 of the Criminal Procedure Code. It appears, no doubt, that by interim order dated 19.12.2007 the maintenance allowance @ Rs.1500/- p.m. is awarded to the wife / petitioner. The Apex Court, in "Sudeep Chaudhary V/s Radha Chaudhary" (AIR 1999 SC 536) held that maintenance allowance granted in one proceedings needs to be adjusted in the maintenance allowance granted in other proceedings. The adjustment of such allowance will have to be, therefore, made after the interim maintenance allowance order in Special Civil Suit No.34/2005. The learned Civil Judge, by order dated 16.03.2007, directed that the petitioner (wife) be paid maintenance allowance @ Rs.1500/- p.m. This Court confirmed the said order in WP No.6223/2007. It is argued that in view of such intervening developments, now the present writ petition would not survive. I do not agree. Once it is found that the Revisional Court exceeded its jurisdiction and reversed the finding of fact rendered by the Magistrate, in the context of quantum of maintenance allowance, it will be necessary to quash the impugned judgment. The question of adjustment of such maintenance allowance would be determined by the learned Judicial Magistrate, vis-a-vis the fact situation appearing after date of the order rendered ::: Downloaded on - 09/06/2013 13:53:01 ::: (8) by the Civil Judge (Senior Division) on 16.03.2007 and payments made by the respondent (husband). However, for the period prior to such order, the respondent is liable to pay the maintenance allowance as ordered by the learned Magistrate.
09. Quantum of maintenance allowance is required to be fixed having regard to status of the parties, income of the spouses, earning capacity of the husband, his liabilities, basic needs of the wife and other relevant circumstances. It is also well settled that ordinarily, 1/5th of the income of the husband could be charged for separate maintenance allowance to the wife. The learned Judicial Magistrate duly considered pleadings of the parties and their evidence while fixing the quantum of maintenance allowance.
The Revisional Court committed patent error while reducing such maintenance allowance without ascribing sufficient reasons. Under these circumstances, the impugned judgment is liable to be interfered with.
10. In the result, the petition is allowed. The impugned judgment, rendered by the learned Additional Sessions Judge in Criminal Revision Application No.393/2000 is quashed and that of the learned Judicial Magistrate (FC) in Criminal Miscellaneous Application No.142/1998 is restored. The petitioners will be entitled to cost of the petition, which is ::: Downloaded on - 09/06/2013 13:53:01 ::: (9) quantified at Rs.1,000/-. The maintenance allowance awarded by the Civil Court would be adjusted in the allowance payable to the petitioners.
[ V.R. KINGAONKAR ] JUDGE drp/WP352-02 ::: Downloaded on - 09/06/2013 13:53:01 :::