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1985 Supreme(Cal) 430

High Court Of Calcutta
M. M. DUTT, GOBINDA CHANDRA CHATTERJEE
RADHA MADHAB RAJ - Appellant
Versus
KRISHNA GANGULY - Respondent
C. O.  2328  Of  1985
Decided On : 12/16/1985

Advocates Appeared:
Kalidas Basu, NANDLAL SHAW

An injunction can be granted to restrain a person from instituting or prosecuting any proceeding in a criminal matter in exceptional circumstances, such as when the civil suit over the same subject matter may be rendered infructuous by the continuation of the criminal proceeding.

Headnote:

INJUNCTION - MAINTENANCE - SECTION 41 OF THE SPECIFIC RELIEF ACT - SUMMARY OF THE ACTS AND SECTIONS REFERENCED AND DISCUSSED BY THE COURT.

Fact of the Case:

Radha Madhab Raj (petitioner) and Krishna Ganguly (opposite party) were allegedly married in a temple and registered their marriage in the office of the Muslim Registrar of Marriage. Krishna filed an application for maintenance under S 125 Cr. P C, and Radha Madhab filed a civil suit for a declaration that Krishna was never his married wife. The trial court granted an injunction restraining Krishna from proceeding with the maintenance proceeding, but the District Judge set aside the injunction.

Finding of the Court:

The court held that the trial court was right in staying the criminal proceeding and granting an injunction against Krishna Ganguly, and the District Judge was wrong in vacating that order.

Issues: Whether an injunction can be granted to restrain a person from instituting or prosecuting any proceeding in a criminal matter.

Ratio Decidendi: The court interpreted Section 41 of the Specific Relief Act to mean that "extreme position cannot be maintained that there is absolutely no jurisdiction of the court to restrain proceeding before a Magistrate". The court found that the facts and circumstances of the case were "peculiar" and that Radha Madhab should be heard before he is condemned.

Final Decision: The court allowed the revision application, set aside the order of the District Judge, and directed the trial court to dispose of the civil suit within six months. Krishna Ganguly was temporarily restrained from proceeding with the criminal matter until the final disposal of the suit.

GOBINDO CHANDRA CHATTERJEE, J, J.


( 1 ) THIS revisional application under S. 115 of the Code of Civil Procedure is directed against an order dated 30. 4. 85 passed by the learned District Judge, Murshidabad in Misc. Appeal No. 66 of 1984 reversing the order dated 31. 5. 1984 passed by the learned Munsif, 2nd Court, Kandi in O. S. No. 34 of 1983. The facts in so far as they are relevant for the purpose of this application may briefly be described as follows :-

( 2 ) TOWARDS May 1981 opposite party Krishna Ganguly was residing with family of one Sunil Mukherjee, a local S. I. of Police at Kandi, Murshidabad. Krishna and the petitioner Radha Madhab Raj were known to each other from before. Krishna along with the members of Sunil Mukherjee's family and Radha Madhab Raj visited Nalhati at Nalhateswari Temple, According to the opposite party, she (Krishna Ganguly) was married to the petitioner on 19th of June, 1981 inside the famous temple at Tarapit according to Hindu rites and customs and the said marriage was registered in the office of Muslim Registrar of Marriage. Further according to Krishna, the two then spent a few days (about 7 days) by boarding on a local hotel where cohabitation also did take place. The girl's case is that since then Radha Madhab Raj was heard no more and that she was completely left alone and forsaken by her husband. The case of the petitioner Radha Madhab Raj is that although he had been to Nalhati at the request of the members of the family of Sunil Mukherjee, he was never married to Krishna Ganguly in the way as alleged and that no cohabitation did take place at all. His grievance is that the members of the family of Sunil Mukherjee got a piece of paper signed by hi by practicing fraud upon him and that he was merely a school boy at that time and minor too Be that as it may, the fact runs that Krishna filed an application for maintenance under S 125 Cr. P C on 28the of August 1981 and the same was registered as Misc Case No. 186 of 1981. The petitioner thereafter filed a civil Suit in the 2nd Court of Munsif at Kanji praying inter alias for a declaration that Krishna was never hiss married wife and hat she was therefore not entitled o any maintenance from him Before the learned Munsif Radha Madhab Raj prayed for an order of temporary injunction restraining Krishana from proceeding with he said Misc Case No 186 of 1981 Upon hearing both the parties, the learned Munsif was order Krishna moved the learned District Judge, Murshidabad. By his order dated 30. 4. 85 the learned District judge, Murshidabad. By his order dated 30. 4. 85 the learned District Judge set aside the said order of the learned Munsif. Being aggrieved there by Radha Madhab has come up in revision before us.

( 3 ) SRI Saktinath Mukherjee, learned advocate appearing for he petitioner has invited our attention to some features of the case, which he termed as "peculiar". Radha Madhab is very rich man's son. At the relevant time he was a mere school boy. Both the parties are admittedly Hindus. According to Mr. Mukherjee it is strange that their alleged marriage was solemnized and registered in the office of the Muslim Registrar of Marriage According to Mr. Mukherjee it is equally strange that barely two months and a week after their alleged marriage, Krishna would rush to the Criminal Court demanding maintenance per month. No less striking is the fact that the parents of boy were conspicuous by their absence on the date of marriage. Mr. Mukherjee has therefore contended that the parties were never married to each other. Mr. Mukherjee has drawn our attention to the affidavit-in-reply filed by Radha Madhab Raj's father (Sri Avoy Kumar Raj ). It has been adumbrated inter alia in that affidavit-in-reply that "the brother-in-law of the opposite party S. I. of Police who was posted at Kandi managed the entire matter". Mr. Mukherjee has summed up his argument by concluding that in the peculiar facts and circumstances of the case it will be just a



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