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1980 Supreme(Raj) 92

Rajasthan High Court, Jaipur Bench
Mahendra Bhushan, J.
Hemant Singh - Appellant
Versus
Dushyant Singh - Respondents
S.B. Civil Revision Petition No. 547 of 1979
Decided On : August 08, 1980

Advocates Appeared:
M.M. Tewari, for Petitioner; S. Banerjee & H.C. Rastogi, for O.P. (1); J.S. Rostogi, for Respondents No. 2.

Headnote:Civil P.C., O. 32, R. 1—No application necessary for appointment of next friend— Any person may file a suit as next friend—However, if an application is made by a person to be appointed as next friend it is the duty of the court to watch to consider the interest of the minor and accept or decline to accept the person so applying to be the next friend. (Para 16)

       

MAHENDRA BHUSHAN, J.—This is a Civil Revision in Original Suit No. 14/78 of the Court of Additional District Judge, No. 1, Dholpur. It is directed against the order of the Additional District Judge dated 27.9.79 allowing the application of the next friend of the minor plaintiff under Order 32, rule 2, C.P.C.

2. Dushyant Singh (OP1) minor son of the petitioner Shri Hemant Singh, filed a suit for partition against the petitioner, and opposite parties 2 and 3, his mother and grand-mother respectively, in the Court of Additional District Judge, Dholpur on September 7, 1978 through Smt. Vijaya Raje Sindhiya ex-Maharani of Gwalior State as next friend. Along with the suit, an application under Order 32. rule 2, read with Section 151, C.P.C. was filed for appointing the next friend Vijaya Raje Sindhiya as interim guardian for the disposal of the suit. The application was opposed, but the learned trial Court under the impugned order allowed the same.

3. The petitioner is the natural son of Shri Pratap Singh ex-Maharaja of Nawa and Smt. Urmila Devi. Urmila Devi is the daughter of late Maharaja Shri Udaibhan Singh of Dholpur and Maharani Malvendra Kaur (OP 3) is her natural mother being the widow of late Shri Udaibhan Singh. The petitioner is the adopted son of late Shri Udaibhan Singh, and his succession to the Gaddi of the former Dholpur State was recognised by the President of India. Vasund-hara Raje (O.P. 2) is the daughter of Smt. Vijaya Raje Sindhiya of Gwalior and she is married to the petitioner. Out of the wedlock, on 11-9-1973 Dushyant Singh non-petitioner (1) was born. As averred in the plaint, the petitioner is living at Delhi away from his wife and Shri Dushyant Singh his minor son, since the year 1974 and Smt. Vasundhara Raje, the wife of the petitioner, is living in the City Palace, Dholpur, whereas the minor son Shri Dushyant Singh is living under the care and under the custody of Smt. Vijaya Raje Sindhiya. An application under Section 12 (l)(a) of the Hindu Marriage Act, 1955 was filed by the petitioner against his wife (OP 2) for declaring the marriage as a nullity in the Court of District Judge, Bharatpur. That application was later on withdrawn by the petitioner. As already stated earlier, a suit was filed by minor Dushyant Singh through his next friend Smt. Vijaya Raje Sindhiya, maternal grandmother, against the petitioner and others. It was stated in the plaint that the plaintiff and the defendants are members of Hindu Undivided Family, and the entire property, moveable and immovable is joint property of the Hindu Undivided Family, and the minor being a coparcener is entitled to a partition. The grounds seaking partition were that the allegations levelled against the mother of the minor in the petition under Section 12 of the Hindu Marriage Act amount to cruelty against the mother of the minor, and the petitioner has neglected to maintain the minor and his mother; that the petitioner is alienating the property of the Joint Hindu Family with the sole aim of depriving the minor of his share in the property; that the petitioner has removed valuable antiques from City Palace, Dholpur to Delhi and some of that property has also been sold; that the petitioner has deserted the minor and his mother for ever.

4. The main contention of the learned Advocate for the petitioner is that unless the Court is satisfied that the suit filed on behalf of the minor by his next friend is in his interest and for his benefit, the suit cannot be allowed to proceed. According to the learned Advocate for the petitioner, in order to wrack vengeance on the petitioner, his mother-in-law Smt. Vijaya Raje Sindhiya ex-Maharani of Gwalior has filed the suit for the minor. The property, according to the learned Advocate, is impartible and is governed by the rule of primogenitors, and after the petitioner the entire property will devolve on his minor son Dushyant Singh by survivorship. Therefore, the suit claiming only l/3rd share, when the minor will g
















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