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2017 Supreme(Mad) 191

IN THE HIGH COURT OF JUDICATURE AT MADRAS
PUSHPA SATHYANARAYANA, J.
Ameena Ali Akbar - Petitioner
Vs.
B. Ali Akbar - Respondent
CRP PD No.1488 of 2016 and C.M.P.No.8174 of 2016
Decided On : 01-02-2017

Advocates Appeared:
For the Petitioner: Mr. M.N.S. Mohamed Habeeb Raja
For the Respondent: Mr. S. Parthasarathy for Mr. N. Kishore Kumar

The main legal point established in the judgment is the applicability of the Code of Civil Procedure to the Family Courts and the liberal construction of jurisdiction for resolution of disputes in Family Courts.

Headnote:

Family Court Jurisdiction - Code of Civil Procedure - Family Courts Act, 1984 - Section 10, Section 18, Section 20 - The court discussed the applicability of the Code of Civil Procedure to the Family Courts, the jurisdiction of the Family Courts, and the effect of the Family Courts Act on other laws. The court emphasized that the Code of Civil Procedure is applicable to the suits and proceedings before the Family Court, and the provisions of the Family Court Act have an overriding effect. The judgment highlighted the liberal construction of jurisdiction for resolution of disputes in Family Courts and directed the Family Court to hear the matter on merits and pass appropriate orders.

Fact of the Case:

The wife filed a suit in the Family Court to declare herself as a wife of the husband as per Islamic Shariate matrimonial law and for other reliefs. The husband filed an application under Order 7 Rule 11 of the Code of Civil Procedure to reject the plaint. The wife objected to the jurisdiction of the Family Court to entertain the application.

Finding of the Court:

The court found that the Code of Civil Procedure is applicable to the suits and proceedings before the Family Court, and the objections raised by the wife under Article 227 of the Constitution of India to strike off the application filed by the husband were not maintainable. The Family Court was directed to take up the application and hear the matter on merits.

Issues: Jurisdiction of the Family Court, Applicability of Code of Civil Procedure, Maintainability of objections under Article 227 of the Constitution of India

Ratio Decidendi: The court emphasized the applicability of the Code of Civil Procedure to the Family Courts, the liberal construction of jurisdiction for resolution of disputes in Family Courts, and the overriding effect of the provisions of the Family Court Act.

Final Decision: The Civil Revision Petition was dismissed, and the Family Court was directed to hear the matter on merits and pass appropriate orders.

ORDER :

The revision is filed by the wife in a matrimonial dispute.

2. The facts leading to filing of this revision petition would run thus:

(a) The revision petitioner, who is the wife, has filed the suit in O.S. No. 143 of 2014 before the II Additional Family Court, to declare herself as a wife of the respondent/defendant-husband as per Islamic Shariate matrimonial law and for directing the defendant to restitute the conjugal rights with the plaintiff and for other reliefs.

(ii) The respondent/defendant-husband has filed the written statement. The defendant had also filed I.A.No.1347 of 2015 under Order 7 Rule 11 of the Code of Civil Procedure for rejection of the plaint. A counter also has been filed for the same by the petitioner/wife.

(iii) Thereafter, the petitioner/wife had filed an application under Section 7 of the Family Courts Act, 1984 to record her preliminary objection that the Family Court lacks jurisdiction to entertain an application filed under Order 7 Rule 11 CPC as it is in violation of the Family Court Acts, 1984 and prayed for dismissal of I.A.No.1347 of 2015, as not maintainable.

(iv) Pending the above said applications, the petitioner/wife has filed this revision, to struck off I.A.No.1347 of 2015 filed by the respondent/husband under Order 7 Rule 11 of CPC to reject the plaint.

3. Heard both sides.

4. The learned counsel for the petitioner would contend that the provisions of the Code of Civil Procedure are applicable to the Family Courts with regard to Section 10 of the Family Courts Act, 1984. It is also clear that the order passed by the Family Court has the effect of the decree and is executable in the same manner as prescribed in the Code of Civil Procedure, which is clear from Sub Section (1) of Section 18 of the Family Courts Act, 1984.

5. Order 7 Rule 11 of Code of Civil Procedure lays down an independent remedy made available to the defendant to challenge the maintainability of the suit, which is irrespective of his right to contest the same on merits. A plaint can be rejected where the suit appears from the averments made in the plaint to be barred by any law. It is settled that in order to reject the plaint, the statement in the plaint without any addition or subtraction must show that it is barred by any law in force without any doubt upon dispute.

6. Sub Section 1 of Section 10 of the Family Court Act provides for the procedure to be followed by the Family Courts, which reads as under:

"10. Procedure generally - (1) Subject to the other provisions of this Act and the rules, the provisions of the Code of Civil Procedure, 1908 (5 of 1908) and of any other law for the time being in force shall apply to the suits and proceedings other than the proceedings under Chapter IX of the Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973 92 of 1974), before a Family Court and for the purposes of the said provisions of the Code, a Family Court shall be deemed to be a Civil Court and shall have all the powers of such Court."

As stated earlier, a conjunctive reading of Section 10 and Section 18(1) of the Family Courts Act, 1984 makes it clear that the Code of Civil Procedure is applicable to the suits or proceedings before the Family Court.

7. Having regard to Section 20 of the Family Court Acts, the provisions of the Family Court have an over riding effect. Section 20 states, " that the provisions of the Family Court Act shall have effect notwithstanding anything inconsistent therewith contained in any other law for the time being in force or in any instrument having effect by virtue of any law other than this Act".

8. However, this provision is not applicable, because Section 10 of the Act itself states that Code of Civil Procedure is applicable to the suits and proceedings before the Family Court. Therefore, it is futile to contend that Order 7 Rule 11 CPC has no application to the proceedings before the Family Court.

9. The Family Courts Act itself was brought out to provide for the establishment of Family Courts with a view to promo









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