ANITA SONKAR Vs. BABLOO SONKAR

JUDGEMENT

(1.) THIS appeal has been preferred against the judgment dated 5th December, 1986 passed by the IV Additional Judge to the Court of District Judge, Jabalpur in C. S. No. 88a/95 dismissing the petition filed by the appellant/wife for grant of a decree of divorce against the husband on" the alleged ground of cruelty.

(2.) THE parties belong to Sonkar community. They were married on 18. 2. 1992. In the divorce petition pleading cruelty on several grounds, inter alia, it was stated that under the influence of liquor the respondent/husband and his relations Leelabai Raju, Sitaram and Seema beat the wife on 23. 3. 1995 and attacked her with weapons like sword and knife. It is alleged that the husband also tried to pour kerosene oil on her. Somehow she could escape and rush to the nearby telephone booth. She also reported the matter to police station specially set up for offences against women at Bilaspur.

(3.) THE wife entered the witness box as PW1 and in her deposition stated that the husband and his relations started making demand of Rs. 50,000/- from her and physically assaulted her. It is also stated that her mother and sister as also brother- in-law went to Bilaspur where a Panchayat was called. There also the husband and his relations refused to settle the matter amicably and tried to assault them. A police report of the incident was also made. She has examined her mother Raj kumari Bai (PW 2) who corroborated the version of the wife that on demand of a sum of Rs. 50,000/-the latter was assaulted.