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2019 Supreme(Bom) 2326

IN THE HIGH COURT OF JUDICATURE AT BOMBAY
R.G. Ketkar, J.
Sham Ramdas Sawant - Appellant
Versus
Sushma Sham Sawant - Respondent
Writ Petition No. 10787 of 2018
Decided On : 23-01-2019

Advocates Appeared:
Mr. M. B. Kale i/b. Mr. P. J. Pardeshi, Advocates, for the Appellant; Mr. Manish P. Gitay, Advocate, for the Respondent

Headnote:

Constitution of India,1950 - Article 227 - Indian Evidence Act, 1872 - Section 65B - Hindu Marriage Act, 1955 - Section 9 - Civil Miscellaneous application - Restitution of conjugal rights – Evidence - Petitioner instituted Petition for restitution of conjugal rights - Petitioner filed application being Civil Miscellaneous Application No.under provisions of Guardians and Wards Act, 1890 for custody of his children - Petitioner had filed affidavit of evidence - In paragraph 34, he referred to list containing documents and requested for marking them as exhibits and admitting them in evidence - On same date i.e. petitioner filed list of documents at exhibit-40 containing as many as 17 documents - Petitioner filed application exhibit-48 for marking documents as exhibits and reading them in evidence and also for his re-examination - On respondent handed over custody of child to petitioner - On daughter was interviewed by learned trial Judge and that is marked as exhibit-43 - Application filed by petitioner at exhibit-48 is rejected by impugned order dated - It is against this order, petitioner has instituted present Petition - Held, In view thereof, in Court opinion, learned trial Judge should have marked documents produced by petitioner at exhibit-40 and admitted them in evidence - Information contained in an electronic record, which is printed on a paper, stored, recorded or copied in optical or magnetic media produced by a computer is deemed to be also a document, if conditions mentioned in this section are satisfied in relation to information and computer in question and shall be admissible in any proceedings, without further proof or production of original, as evidence of any contents of original or of any fact stated therein of which direct evidence would be admissible - Document so generated is admissible in proceedings without any further proof or production of original - In view thereof, Court do not find any merit in submission that petitioner should have examined person in control of electronic device - At same time, prayer made by petitioner for his re-examination and for removal of statement of daughter recorded on cannot be acceded to - Writ Petition disposed of

JUDGMENT

R. G. Ketkar, J. - Not on Board. At the request of Mr. Kale, taken up in the production Board.

2. Heard Mr. Kale, learned Counsel for the petitioner and Mr.Gitay, learned Counsel for the respondent at length.

3. By this Petition under Article 227 of the Constitution of India, petitioner has challenged the order dated 18.07.2018 passed by the learned District Judge-1, Khed-Rajgurunagar below exhibit-48 in Civil Miscellaneous application No.9 of 2017. The petitioner has also sought removal of statement dated 06.06.2018 of daughter Sanskruti from the record of Civil Miscellaneous Appeal No.9 of 2017, which is marked as exhibit-53.

4. By order dated 18.07.2018, the learned trial Judge rejected the application exhibit-48 made by the petitioner for marking documents produced along with list at exhibit-40 and also for his re-examination. Rule. Mr. Gitay waives service for the respondent. Having regard to the narrow controversy raised in this Petition as also at the request and by consent of the parties, Rule is made returnable forthwith and the Petition is taken up for final hearing.

5. The respondent filed Petition being Marriage Petition No.1105 of 2016 in September 2016 for divorce. The petitioner instituted Petition for restitution of conjugal rights under section 9 of the Hindu Marriage Act, 1955 (for short ''Act'') in December 2016. The petitioner filed application being Civil Miscellaneous Application No.9 of 2017 under the provisions of Guardians and Wards Act, 1890 for custody of his children. The petitioner had filed affidavit of evidence on 20.06.2017. In paragraph 34, he referred to the list containing documents and requested for marking them as exhibits and admitting them in evidence. On the same date i.e. 20.06.2017, petitioner filed list of documents at exhibit-40 containing as many as 17 documents. The petitioner filed affidavit under Section 65B of the Indian Evidence Act, 1872 (for short ''Evidence Act''). Petitioner''s cross-examination was over on 01.01.2018. Petitioner''s evidence was over on 01.01.2018. On 14.02.2018, petitioner filed application exhibit-48 for marking documents as exhibits and reading them in evidence and also for his re-examination. On 01.06.2018, respondent handed over custody of child Devansh to the petitioner. On 06.06.2018, daughter Sanskruti was interviewed by the learned trial Judge and that is marked as exhibit-43. The application filed by the petitioner on 14.02.2018 at exhibit-48 is rejected by the impugned order dated 18.07.2018. It is against this order, petitioner has instituted the present Petition.

6. In support of this Petition, Mr. Kale submitted that it is not in dispute that along with the affidavit of examination-in-chief dated 20.06.2017, petitioner had filed list of documents at exhibit-40. In paragraph 34, he specifically requested the learned trial Judge to mark these documents as exhibits and also admit them in evidence. The learned trial Judge however, did not mark these documents as exhibits. He further submitted that behind the back of the petitioner, the learned trial Judge interviewed daughter Sanskruti on 06.06.2018. He, therefore, submitted that the impugned order deserves to be set aside thereby marking documents produced alongwith the list at exhibit-40 and admitting them in evidence and the statement of daughter Sanskruti recorded on 06.06.2018 also deserves to be removed from the proceedings.

7. On the other hand, Mr. Gitay supported the impugned order. He submitted that petitioner has also filed affidavit under Section 65B of the Evidence Act on 11.10.2017. Along with that affidavit, though he has filed certificate issued by Sona, Audio Video Craft, he has not examined the person, who is in charge of the electronic device in terms of Section 65B of the Evidence Act. He further submitted that even after closure of crossexamination on 01.01.2018, petitioner did not pray for his re-examination. He, therefore, submitted that no case is made out for inter

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