PRAMILA DEI Vs. SANATANA JENA

JUDGEMENT

(1.) This revision directed against an order refusing to grant maintenance to the petitioner-wife under section 125, Cr. P. C. on the ground that she had failed to prove to have been neglected and refused to be maintained by the opposite party-husband for allegedly not having been paid the cash dowry of Rs. 2000.00 by her father.

(2.) The petitioner moved the court for maintenance with the facts that her marriage with opposite party had taken place according to Hindu rites and custom on 8/2/1981 after which she lived in his house for one and half years. Thereafter the opposite party took to drinks and fell in the company of women of ill repute and started demanding Rs. 7000.00 which her parents were alleged to have promised to pay at the time of her marriage. She was subjected to harassment and was tortured physically and mentally as also assaulted, deprived of her regular food was again assaulted on the night of 4/7/1982 and on the next day i.e., 5/7/1982 was left by the opposite party at her parents place. On 21/7/1983 an attempt was made by some gentlemen of the locality to take the petitioner to the house of the opposite party but however she was not allowed to enter inside the house. In his written statement the opposite party denied all the allegations of torture, assault and harassment to the petitioner as also the demand of dowry and further alleged that the petitioner had been living in adultery and that after some months of marriage she had developed illicit relationship with a co-villager which was objected to by his mother who scolded her as a result of which she on her own accord left for her fathers place. On 21/1/1983 she went accompanied by a stranger to the house of the opposite party but he did not like to live with her because of her living in adultery. The petitioner also did not like to go back to her parents place but stayed in another persons house till 19/8/1983. Evidence has been led by both the sides but the learned Subdivisional Judicial Magistrate found the admitted facts of the case to be that the petitioner had married opposite party on 8/2/1981 and had led a happy conjugal life for one and half years and thereafter strained relationship between them had developed; that she was abused subsequently by the opposite party and his mother on several occasions and ultimately she was deserted by the opposite party; that there was as attempt by the gentlemen of the locality on 21/8/1983 to reconcile the differences between them but she was not accepted by the opposite party on that date for which she bad been staying in the house of her parents till the date of her application.

(3.) As regards the allegation of torture, the learned Magistrate came to the conclusion as follows: On analysis of the evidence discussed above, it is held that though the O.P. has not strictly proved the fact of adultery but the petitioner has also not been able to prove that she has been neglected or refused to be maintained by her husband on the ground that her father has not paid the cash dowry of Rs. 2000.00. Simply crying before the court without any justifiable reason cannot invite the impression that she had been neglected or refused to be maintained by the O.P. Such reason assigned by the learned Magistrate to refuse maintenance to the wife is unacceptable and untenable. It has been settled by a series of authorities that if an allegation of unchastity is made against the wife and payment of maintenance is sought to be avoided on the ground of her living in adultery but the plea fails, such plea by itself is sufficient to entitle her to remain apart from her husband. Such allegation by the husband against the wife which causes mental anguish of the deepest character, and is a grave psychic assault on her, shatters the marital peace and makes living together incompatible. The learned Magistrate lost sight of such fact and hence even though she might not have been able to prove the case of demand of dowry, yet the plea of adultery having failed, it should have been held that she had become entitled to maintenance.