1. This is a reference by the Presidency Small Cause Court in a suit instituted by the mother of a minor Hindu girl against the undivided coparceners of her father to recover the expenses of the girls marriage defrayed by the mother.

2. The question referred to this Court is : "Is the widow of a deceased member of an undivided Hindu family entitled to per form the marriage of a daughter of the deceased, when the father of the deceased and the other male members of the family have not wrongly or improperly refused to perform such marriage, and to recover the reasonable expenses of such marriage out of the joint family property?"

The letter of reference sets out the facts as follows:

The plaintiff is the widow of one Sudarsana Aiyangar deceased, who was the son of the first defendant and brother of the other defendants and undivided from them. Plaintiff had a daughter Lakshmi by the deceased, aged 10, who was asked in marriage for one Sundar Ramanuja Aiyangar. The marriage was agreed upon by all the parties and the Nischithartham or betrothal ceremony was performed by the 1st defendant at his own expense and a day was fixed for the marriage. Before the marriage day arrived the f