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2018 Supreme(Mad) 4357

IN THE HIGH COURT OF MADRAS (MADURAI BENCH)
K. RAVICHANDRABAABU, T. KRISHNAVALLI, JJ.
Thangam - Appellant
Versus
M. Rajesh - Respondent
C.M.A (MD) Nos. 319 and 320 of 2015 and MP(MD) Nos. 1 and 1 of 2015
Decided on : 09-07-2018

Advocates:
Advocate Appeared:
For the Appellant :Mr. R. Pon Karthikeyan, Advocate
For the Respondent:Mr. K. Samidurai, Advocate

Headnote:

Granting Decree of Divorce - Learned counsel for appellant/wife that trial court has committed error in granting decree of divorce when respondent/husband failed to prove alleged desertion and cruelty by wife and erroneously dismissed petition seeking restitution of conjugal rights and that trial court has ignored fact that respondent did not evince any interest to bring his wife and child to his house whereas wife had tried her level best to communicate her husband and she was clamoring for matrimonial home and that trial court has granted decree of divorce on ground that wife has filed petition seeking restitution of conjugal rights after three years which is not maintainable in law and that trial court has failed to see that she never left matrimonial home on her own but she was sent to her parental house only by husband for delivering child and husband also admitted during cross examination that he only took her to railway station and sent her for delivery and trial court has not considered welfare of minor child before granting relief of divorce and that trial court has committed a grave error in shifting entire responsibility and burden on wife to prove case of husband - Held, Further learned trial Judge has not stated whether there was any continuous desertion by wife - respondent himself admitted during his cross examination that he only sent his wife to her parental house for delivery - There was no discussion in order of trial court to effect that respondent/husband has taken any steps to take back his wife and new born baby from parental house of wife after delivery - No reasons have been stated by trial court how trial court came to conclusion that there was continuous desertion on part of wife - In matrimonial case desertion must be voluntary without any valid reasons - All desertions would not amount to cruelty - In this case no document was filed on side of respondent/husband to show that after delivery he has taken steps to took back his wife - It was not stated in order that after delivery of new born baby whether respondent/husband has taken any steps to take back his wife and son - No sufficient reasons were given by trial court for granting divorce and dismissing restitution of conjugal rights by wife - There was no proper discussion in order in respect of granting of divorce - Delay in filing conjugal rights by wife does not amount to valid desertion and cruelty - Hence it is necessary to interfere in findings of trial court - Appeals are allowed.

JUDGMENT :

T. Krishnavalli, J,

1. These Civil Miscellaneous Appeals arise out of the common order passed in HMOP Nos.174 and 373 of 2014, dated 12.02.2015 on the file of the Family Court, Tirunelveli.

2. The un-controverted facts are that the marriage between the petitioner/wife and the respondent/husband was solemnised on 19.11.2009; out of the lawful wedlock, they were blessed with a male child on 02.02.2011 and that the petitioner was sent to her parental home by the respondent for delivery and after delivery of the child, the respondent failed to see her and her child and he completed neglected her. Thereafter, the respondent filed a divorce petition at Andhra Pradesh and for that, the petitioner filed a transfer petition before the Hon'ble Supreme Court of India and the same was transferred to the file of the Sub Court, Tirunelveli and again made over to the file of the Family Court, Tirunelveli, in HMOP No.174 of 2014. The petitioner also filed a petition seeking restitution of conjugal rights and the same was subsequently made over to the file of the Family Court, Tiruneveli, in HMOP No.373 of 2014. The above two HMOPs were tried together and by a common judgment, dated 12.02.2015, the learned Family Court, Tirunelveli, allowed the HMOP No.174 of 2014 filed by the respondent/husband seeking divorce and dismissed the petition in HMOP No.373 of 2014 seeking restitution of conjugal rights. Aggrieved over the common judgment the present civil miscellaneous appeals have been filed by the wife.

3. The learned counsel for the appellant/wife submitted that the trial court has committed error in granting the decree of divorce, when the respondent/husband failed to prove the alleged desertion and cruelty by the wife and erroneously dismissed the petition seeking restitution of conjugal rights and that the trial court has ignored the fact that the respondent did not evince any interest to bring his wife and child to his house, whereas the wife had tried her level best to communicate her husband and she was clamoring for the matrimonial home and that the trial court has granted the decree of divorce on the ground that the wife has filed the petition seeking restitution of conjugal rights after three years, which is not maintainable in law and that the trial court has failed to see that she never left the matrimonial home on her own, but she was sent to her parental house only by the husband for delivering the child and the husband also admitted during the cross examination that he only took her to the railway station and sent her for delivery and the trial court has not considered the welfare of the minor child before granting the relief of divorce and that the trial court has committed a grave error in shifting the entire responsibility and burden on the wife to prove the case of the husband. In view of the above facts, the common order passed by the trial court has to be set aside and the appeals are to be allowed.

4. The learned counsel for the petitioner has relied upon the decision (R.Sudha Vs. V.Senthil, 2010 3 MadLJ 91) by contending that the approach of the trial court in granting divorce is totally unacceptable and erroneous and the trial court cannot inject or infuse its own personal views in to judgment and mere trivial irritations, quarrels, normal wear and tear of married life would not amount to mental cruelty and the trial court completely mis-directed itself by granting decree for divorce.

5. Per contra, the learned counsel for the respondent/husband submitted that the appellant/wife chose to convey her resolve not to beget children from the wedlock and after joining at matrimonial home, the appellant/wife started to harass the respondent and his elders and did not behave properly with the respondent when he used to come back regularly after his office duties and that the elder members of the respondent advised her to behave properly and after delivery of a male baby on 02.02.2011, the appellant/wife has not returned to t








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