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1996 Supreme(Cal) 471

High Court Of Calcutta
Basudeva Panigrahi
PUSPA MONDAL - Appellant
Versus
NIRMALA MONDAL - Respondent
C. O.  1635  Of  1994
Decided On : 12/20/1996

Advocates Appeared:
FAZBAL HAQUE, HARADHAN BANERJI, KARUNA SHANKAR ROY, SAMBHU NATH SAMANTA, SUBRATA ROY KARMAKAR, TAPASI SENGUPTA

The legal representatives of a deceased spouse can be impleaded in proceedings to set aside an ex parte divorce decree, and the principle of "actio personalis cum moritur persona" is not applicable in such proceedings.

Headnote:

HINDU SUCCESSION ACT - SECTION 21 - ACTIO PERSONALIS CUM MORITUR PERSONA - LEGAL REPRESENTATIVES OF DECEASED SPOUSE - IMPLEADMENT IN PROCEEDINGS TO SET ASIDE EX PARTE DIVORCE DECREE - APPLICABILITY.

Fact of the Case:

The petitioner filed an application under Order 9 Rule 13 of the C.P.C. to set aside an ex parte divorce decree granted to her deceased husband. During the pendency of the application, the husband died. The opposite party, the mother of the deceased husband, filed an application to be impleaded as a party in the Misc. Case. The District Judge allowed her application.

Finding of the Court:

The court held that the mother-in-law had a right to contest the application for setting aside the ex parte decree as she was a Class I heir of the deceased husband. The court also held that the principle of "actio personalis cum moritur persona" was not applicable in this case as the decree dissolving the marriage involved the termination of the wife's status and her property rights.

Issues: 1. Whether the legal representatives of a deceased spouse can be impleaded in proceedings to set aside an ex parte divorce decree. 2. Whether the principle of "actio personalis cum moritur persona" is applicable in such proceedings.

Ratio Decidendi: 1. The court held that the legal representatives of a deceased spouse can be impleaded in proceedings to set aside an ex parte divorce decree. The court relied on the provisions of Section 21 of the Hindu Succession Act, which makes the provisions of the Civil Procedure Code applicable to proceedings under the Act. The court also relied on the decision of the Supreme Court in Vadalasetti Samarajyamma v. Vadalasetti Nagamma, which held that the principle of "actio personalis cum moritur persona" is not applicable in proceedings to set aside an ex parte divorce decree. 2. The court held that the principle of "actio personalis cum moritur persona" is not applicable in proceedings to set aside an ex parte divorce decree. The court reasoned that the decree dissolving the marriage involved the termination of the wife's status and her property rights. Therefore, the proceedings to set aside the ex parte decree would not abate.

Final Decision: The court dismissed the revisional application filed by the petitioner.

BASUDEVA PANIGRAHI, J.

( 1 ) THIS revision is directed against Order No. 30 dated 29th June, 1994 passed by the District Judge. Howrah on an application under Order 1 Rule 10 (2) of the C. P. C. allowing the opposite party to be imuleaded in the Misc. Case 12/92.

( 2 ) THE revisionist was married to Dr. Dhaneswar Mondal in 1965 according to the Hindu rites and ceremonies. A female child was born to them out of their lawfull wed-lock being Shyamali by name. It is stated by the petitioner that she had been living with her husband Dr. Dhaneswar Mondal at all the material time. On 6th January, 1990, Dr. Dhaneswar Mondal (since deceased), is said to have assaulted the petitioner and forcibly driven her from the matrimonial house and sent her to mother's place. From then on the petitioner continued to reside until December, 1991, when her husband expressed his contrition for his misbehaviour, brought the petitioner back from her mother's place and thereafter both the spouses resumed their conjugal relationship. Subsequently, there was no love lost between them and therefore. Dr. Dhaneswar Mondal without the knowledge of the petitioner had somehow managed to file a matrimonial suit for divorce culminated in an exparte decree granting divorce against the petitioner on or about June 15,1990. The petitioner immediately after having come to know about the ex parte decree filed an application for setting aside the said ex parte decree under Order 9 Rule 13 of the C. P. C. It was registered as Misc. Case No. 12/ 92. But during the pendency of the Misc. Case the husband of the petitioner Dr. Dhaneswar Mondal died. Subsequently when the Misc. Case was listed for disposal before the learned District Judge and after she was examined in the proceedings an application was filed by the opposite party under Order 1 Rule 19 (2) of the C. P. C. for impleading her as the opposite party. She filed an application to be impleaded being the mother of Dr. Mondal. The District Judge was however, inclined to accept the application of the opposite party and allowed her to be impleaded as opposite party/respondent in the Misc. Case. Thus, being aggrieved by such order, this revisional application has been filed by the wife of the deceased who was the defendant in Matrimonial Suit No. 40/90.

( 3 ) MR. K. S. Roy, the learned Senior Advocate appearing for the petitioner, has argued in support of the application. The main ground of his attack against judgment/order is that even a person may likely be affected by an order to be passed in the application under Order 9 Rule 13 of the C. P. C. , he does not have any right to be impleaded as a party. The suit filed by the petitioner's husband was only for declaration of status. Immediately following the death of the suitor the cause of action dies with the person. Since the cause of action does not survive after the death of the husband, the permission granted by the Court to be impleaded appears to be redundant.

( 4 ) MR. Haradhan Banerjee, the learned Advocate appearing for the opposite party/respondent has-argued with great tenacity that the learned District Judge has passed a very reasonable, rational and appropriate order in giving an opportunity to the respondent to join as a party in the Misc. Case after the death of his client's son. Since, she has a right to the property left by the deceased being class one heir, in her absence no dispute could be effectually and completely adjudicated. The learned Counsel appearing for the petitioner has relied on a decision ,in the case of Narayan Ch. Garai v. Matri Bhandar Pvt. Ltd. In the decision cited supra it has been held that the true justice is to find out whether or not the presence of such a person is necessary to enable the Court to effectually and completely adjudicate upon and settle the questions involved in the suit. If the question at issue between the parties can be worked out without being brought anyone else into the proceeding, the stranger cannot be










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