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2013 Supreme(UK) 454

SUPREME COURT OF INDIA
Hon'ble Mrs. Justice Ranjana Prakash Desai and Hon’ble Mr. Justice A.K. Sikri
Criminal Miscellaneous Petition No. 19530 of 2013
BADSHAH – Petitioner
Versus
SOU. URMILA BADSHAH GODSE & ANR. – Respondents
Decided on : 18.10.2013

For the Petitioner:Mrs. Prity Kumar (for Ms. Shivaji M. Jadhav), Advocates

Headnote:Criminal Procedure Code, 1973, Sec. 125 — Claim for maintenance — Maintainability of — Marriage between the parties was proved — Held where the husband was already married and had married the claimant/wife by suppressing the factum of alleged first marriage — In such case, the husband cannot be permitted to deny the benefit of maintenance to the claimant/wife taking advantage of his own wrong — Thus, interpreting the term “wife” widely — Held that if man and woman have been living together for a long time even without a valid marriage as in that case, term of “valid marriage” entitling such a woman to maintenance should be drawn and a woman in such a case should be entitled to maintain application u/s 125, Cr.P.C. (Paras 4, 14, 15, 16, 17, 24 and 25)

        n.M izfØ;k lafgrk] 1973] /kkjk 125 & Hkj.k iks”k.k HkÙks ds fy, nkok & iks”k.kh;rk i{kksa ds e/; fookg gqvk Fkk & /kkfjr tc ifr iwoZ esa gh fookfgr gks vkSj mlus viuh nkosnkj@iRuh ls vkjksfir izFke fookg dk rF; Nqik;k gks & dfFkr okn esa viuh =qfV;ksa dk ykHk ysdj og nkosnkj@iRuh dks Hkj.k iks”k.k HkÙks dk ykHk nsus ls bUdkj ugha dj ldrk & bl izdkj ‘kCn ßiRuhÞ dh foLrkj ls O;k[;k & /kkfjr fd vxj ,d L=h o iq#”k fcuk oS/k fookg fd, dkQh yEcs le; rd lkFk jgs gksa] rc ml okn esa Hkh ‘kCn ßoS/k fookgÞ dfFkr L=h dks Hkj.k iks”k.k dk vf/kdkj nsrk gS vkSj dfFkr okn esa L=h dk vkosnu u/s 125, Cr.P.C. iks”k.kh;A

        ¼izLrj 4] 14] 15] 16] 17] 24 vkSj 25½

       

JUDGMENT

A.K. Sikri, J. — There is a delay of 63 days in filing the present Special Leave Petition and further delay of 11 days in refilling Special Leave Petition. For the reasons contained in the application for condonation of delay, the delay in filing and refilling of SLP is condoned.

2. The petitioner seeks leave to appeal against the judgment and order dated 28.2.2013 passed by the High Court of Judicature at Bombay, Bench at Aurangabad in Criminal Writ Petition No.144/2012. By means of the impugned order, the High Court has upheld the award of maintenance to respondent No.1 at the rate of Rs.1000/- per month and to respondent No.2 (daughter) at the rate of Rs.500/- per month in the application filed by them under Section 125 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (Cr.P.C.) by the learned Trial Court and affirmed by the learned Additional Sessions Judge. Respondents herein had filed proceedings under Section 125, Cr.P.C. before Judicial Magistrate First Class (JMFC) alleging therein that respondent No.1 was the wife of the petitioner herein and respondent No.2 was their daughter, who was born out of the wedlock.

3. The respondents had stated in the petition that respondent No.1 was married with Popat Fapale. However, in the year 1997 she got divorce from her first husband. After getting divorce from her first husband in the year 1997 till the year 2005 she resided at the house of her parents. On demand of the petitioner for her marriage through mediators, she married him on 10.2.2005 at Devgad Temple situated at Hivargav-Pavsa. Her marriage was performed with the petitioner as per Hindu Rites and customs. After her marriage, she resided and cohabited with the petitioner. Initially for 3 months, the petitioner cohabited and maintained her nicely. After about three months of her marriage with petitioner, one lady Shobha came to the house of the petitioner and claimed herself to be his wife. On inquiring from the petitioner about the said lady Shobha, he replied that if she wanted to cohabit with him, she should reside quietly. Otherwise she was free to go back to her parents house. When Shobha came to the house of petitioner, respondent No.1 was already pregnant from the petitioner. Therefore, she tolerated the ill-treatment of the petitioner and stayed alongwith Shobha. However, the petitioner started giving mental and physical torture to her under the influence of liquor. The petitioner also used to doubt that her womb is begotten from somebody else and it should be aborted. However, when the ill-treatment of the petitioner became intolerable, she came back to the house of her parents. Respondent No.2, Shivanjali, was born on 28.11.2005. On the aforesaid averments, the respondents claimed maintenance for themselves.

4. The petitioner contested the petition by filing his written statement. He dined his relation with respondent Nos.1 and 2 as his wife and daughter respectively. He alleged that he never entered with any matrimonial alliance with respondent No.1 on 10.2.2005, as claimed by respondent No.1 and in fact respondent No.1, who was in the habit of leveling false allegation, was trying to blackmail him. He also denied co-habitation with respondent No.1 and claimed that he was not the father of respondent No.2 either. According to the petitioner, he had married Shobha on 17.2.1979 and from that marriage he had two children viz. one daughter aged 20 years and one son aged 17 years and Shobha had been residing with him ever since their marriage. Therefore, respondent No.1 was not and could not be his wife during the subsistence of his first marriage and she had filed a false petition claiming her relationship with him.

5. Evidence was led by both the parties and after hearing the arguments the learned JMFC negatived the defence of the petitioner. In his judgment, the JMFC formulated four points and gave his answer thereto as under:

1. Does applicant no.1 Urmila proves that

she is a wife and applicant No.2 Shivanjali

















































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