BOMBAY HIGH COURT
KURDUKAR, J.
Sangita Arun Mhasvade, Petitioner
Versus
Arun Aba Mhasvade and another; Respondents.
Criminal Revn. Application No. 102 of 1983
Decided on : 28-3-1984.
MAINTENANCE - SECTION 125 CRPC - SECTION 125(1) CRPC - WIFE'S RIGHT TO MAINTENANCE - NEGLECT OR REFUSAL TO MAINTAIN - WIFE LEAVING MATRIMONIAL HOME ON HER OWN - NO RIGHT TO MAINTENANCE.
Fact of the Case:
The petitioner-wife filed an application under Section 125 of the CrPC seeking maintenance from her husband, the first respondent. The petitioner alleged that the first respondent had failed and neglected to maintain her and their child. The first respondent denied the allegations and stated that the petitioner had voluntarily left the matrimonial home and was living with another man.
Finding of the Court:
The court found that the petitioner had failed to prove that the first respondent had neglected or refused to maintain her. The court noted that the petitioner had left the matrimonial home on her own and that the first respondent had not made her leave.
Issues: Whether the petitioner was entitled to maintenance under Section 125 of the CrPC.
Ratio Decidendi: In order to get an order under Section 125(1) of the CrPC, the petitioner-wife must show that the first respondent having sufficient means neglected or refused to maintain the petitioner and her child. In this case, the petitioner failed to prove that the first respondent had neglected or refused to maintain her. The petitioner had left the matrimonial home on her own and the first respondent had not made her leave.
Final Decision: The court dismissed the petition and held that the petitioner was not entitled to maintenance under Section 125 of the CrPC.
2. The First Respondent opposed this application on several grounds. It was averred by the First Respondent that the Petitioner has been living in adultery with one Divate and she has voluntarily left his house some time in the month of August 1979 and since then she has been residing with Mr. Divate and therefore, she is not entitled to claim any maintenance. He also further averred that it is the Petitioner who on her own left the house and in order to attract the provisions of S.125, the Petitioner has to plead and prove that the First Respondent is guilty of neglect or refusal to maintain. The conduct of the Petitioner therefore, does not justify any separate maintenance, application is false and the same be rejected. Both the parties led oral and documentary evidence in support of their respective claims. The learned Judicial Magistrate, First Class, 1st Court, Pune, by his Order dt. Mar. 30, 1982 allowed the application of the Petitioner and directed the First Respondent to pay Rs. 75/- per month to the petitioner and Rs. 25/- per month to her son Sachin. Aggrieved by this Order, the First Respondent preferred Criminal Revision Application No. 191 of 1982 whereas, the petitioner and her son preferred Revision Application No. 147 of 1982 praying for enhancement of the maintenance allowance. The learned Additional Sessions Judge after hearing both the parties, by his Order dt. Oct. 30, 1982 allowed both the Revision Applications partly and substituted the following order :
"Claim of Sangita for maintenance allowance stands rejected. Arun Aba shall, however, pay to his son Sachin maintenance allowance at the rate of Rs. 50/- per month with effect from 30-3-1982."
It is this order, passed by the learned Additional Sessions Judge which is sought to be challenged by the Petitioner-wife in this Revision Application. Shri S.S.Deshmukh, the learned Advocate appearing in support of this application firstly urged that the learned Additional Sessions Judge has committed jurisdictional error while interfering with the finding of fact recorded by the trial Magistrate while exercising the revisional jurisdiction. According to the learned Counsel whether the First Respondent has failed and neglected to maintain the Petitioner was purely a finding of fact and it was not open to the Additional Sessions Judge to re-appreciate the evidence and set aside such a finding of fact. He therefore, urged that the impugned Order be quashed and set aside and the Order passed by the learned trial Magistrate so far as maintenance to herself is concerned, be maintained.
3. Shri Shaunk Satpute, the learned Advocate, appearing for the First Respondent supported the Order passed by the Sessions Court. He urged that the learned Additional Sessions Judge was perfectly justified in setting aside the finding reached by the trial Magistrate because he had not considered the entire evidence on record and non-consideration of such material evidence has vitiated the finding.
4. In order to satisfy myself as to whether the Revisional Court was justified in interfering with the order passed by the trial Magistrate, while exercising his revisional jurisdiction, I have myself gone through the entire record and find that the order passed by the learned Additional Sessions Judge needs no
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