NATARAJAN, J. :- The defendant, against whom a decree for maintenance was passed by the learned Subordinate Judge, Tiruchirapalli, in O. S. No. 374 of 1967 on the file of his Court, is the appellant and the plaintiff therein is the cross-objector. Admittedly, the defendant married the plaintiff in the year 1945 according to Hindu Sastras and they lived together as husband and wife for about three years. The plaintiff conceived through the defendant and delivered a female child and it is the plaintiff's case that about 8 months after she gave birth to the child called Jaya, the defendant beat her and drove her out of the house. The reason for the ill-treatment, according to the plaintiff, is that the defendant, sought her consent and permission to take a second wife and when she did not oblige him by giving her consent to the second marriage, the defendant became enraged with her and resorted to beating and ill-treating her. After driving out the plaintiff, the defendant is said to have married one Neelambal, as his second wife in the year 1953 at Karaikal and brought over the said

Neelambal to his house in order to lead life with her. The plaintiff averred that by reason of