IN THE HIGH COURT AT CALCUTTA
PRAKASH SHRIVASTAVA, RAJARSHI BHARADWAJ, JJ.
Swati Das - Appellant
Versus
The State of West Bengal and Others - Respondents
MAT 683 of 2022 with CAN 1 of 2022 AND MAT 682 of 2022 with CAN 1 of 2022
Decided On : 12-07-2022
Constitution of India, 1950 - Article 226 - Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act, 2005 - Civil Procedure Code, 1908 - Order IX Rule 13 - Maintenance and Welfare of Parents and Senior Citizens Act, 2007 - Section 3, 5 - Challenged order - Domestic violence - Suit for divorce - Jurisdiction - Held, It is also noticed that in application for recall of order, it was specifically stated by appellant that inlaws of appellant were creating all kinds of pressure to sever all ties with husband and to dissolve marriage and appellant was physically and mentally tortured by her in-laws to vacate matrimonial house - It was specifically pleaded that notice of WPA was never served upon appellant - Court are unable to uphold orders of learned Single Judge passed in WPA, hence, they are set aside - Consequently, respondents are directed to restore possession of appellant on portion of second floor from which she has been evicted in compliance of order of learned Single Judge - Appeal allowed.
JUDGMENT :
(Prakash Shrivastava, J.):
1. In MAT 683 of 2022, appellant has challenged the order of the learned Single Judge dated 9th of December, 2021 passed in WPA 19431 of 2021 directing the eviction of the appellant from the house of the respondent no. 4 herein (writ petitioner). Since the above order was passed in ex parte proceedings, therefore, appellant had applied for recall of the above order and the learned Single Judge by order dated 12th of April, 2022 has rejected the application for recall, hence, MAT 682 of 2022 has been filed challenging that order.
2. Respondent no. 4 herein (writ petitioner) had approached the Writ Court by way of the writ petition under Article 226 of the Constitution with the plea that the appellant was his daughter-in-law married to his son, Niladri Maiti @ Rishi. Appellant was residing in Midnapore as also in Kolkata in the second floor of premises No. 46A, Harish Chatterjee Street, Kolkata alongwith her husband, whereas, the respondent no. 4, along with his wife was residing in the first floor and both the floors belong to the respondent no. 4. It was further alleged in the writ petition that the appellant had started harassing and torturing the respondent no. 4, his wife and his son, physically and mentally, which compelled the son of the respondent no. 4 to go abroad and file a suit for divorce which was decreed in March, 2021 but the appellant had continued to reside in one room at the south-west corner of the second floor premises and had continued to harass the respondent no. 4. It was also alleged that the respondent no. 4 had filed a complaint in Kalighat Police Station on 25th of November, 2021 but no action was taken by the police, therefore, the writ petition was filed alleging that the respondent no. 4 was a senior citizen and appellant was a mere licensee in the second floor and making a prayer to evict the appellant from the room she was occupying on the second floor and direct the police authorities to restrain the appellant from committing any cognizable offence or nuisance and command the appellant to immediately leave the house of the respondent no. 4 by restoring the possession of the respondent no. 4 on the part of the second floor in possession of the appellant.
3. Learned Single Judge on 9th of December, 2021 had directed the Officer-in-Charge of the Kalighat Police Station to escort out the appellant from the second floor portion of the flat she was occupying by further directing that the appellant will be allowed to take out all her personal belongings from the said residence in presence of atleast three personnel from Kalighat Police Station and had adjourned the case calling for a report from the Officer-in-Charge, Kalighat Police Station. In pursuance to the aforesaid order, appellant was evicted and thrown out of the second floor portion on 10th of December, 2022, thereafter, she had filed an application for recall of the order dated 9th of December, 2021 passed in WPA 19431 of 2021 on the ground that she had no knowledge of the writ petitions and on 9th of December, 2021, she was evicted from the marital home summarily in a single apparel forcefully leaving behind her personal belongings. It was also stated in the application that even the decree of divorce was obtained ex parte and in the background of the plea taken in the application, a prayer was made before the learned Single Judge to recall the order dated 9th of December, 2021 and to restore the physical possession of the appellant in the premises in question.
4. Learned Single Judge in the order dated 12th of April, 2012 has taken the view that the Writ Court under Article 226 of the Constitution has jurisdiction to evict sons and daughter-in-laws from the residence of senior citizens if the latter is uncomfortable or unconvinced by the presence of any of the former and that the appellant and her husband are at best licensees in the house of the respondent no. 4. He has further stated in the order tha
N. Sankaranarayanan vs. Chairman
Jacky vs. Tiny alias Antony and Others reported in (2014) 6 SCC 508
Radhey Shyam and Another vs. Chhabi Nath and Others reported in (2009) 5 SCC 616
Sohan Lal v. Union of India AIR 1957 SC 529
Sangita Saha vs. Abhijit Saha and Others reported in (2019) 18 SCC 81
The Court has jurisdiction under article 226 to evict sons and daughters-in-law from the residence of senior citizens if the latter is uncomfortable or inconvenienced by their presence, and it emphas....
The court balanced the rights under the Maintenance and Welfare of Parents and Senior Citizens Act, 2007 and the Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act, 2005, and concluded that the proceedin....
Eviction under the Senior Citizens Act requires a valid maintenance claim; the Tribunal lacks authority for eviction in the absence of such a claim.
The duty of the Maintenance Tribunal to consider the rights of the daughter-in-law under the Act, 2005 and the need for a composite order considering the competing claims of the parties under both ac....
A categorical statement is given by the petitioner that she is neither interfering in lives or movements of the persons living above the ground floor nor any of them is a tenant of the petitioner or ....
The court emphasized the harmonious interpretation of the Domestic Violence Act and Senior Citizens Act, affirming that parental rights must be weighed against the residential rights of a daughter-in....
The main legal point established is the need for a harmonious construction of the Senior Citizens Act and the Domestic Violence Act, ensuring that the rights of both parties are given due considerati....
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