JUDGEMENT
SANDEEP MEHTA,J. -
(1.) he petitioner is the husband of the respondent Smt. Samudara. Neglected and left to dereliction, Smt. Samudara filed an application
under Section 125 Cr.P.C. against him in the Court of the learned Additional Chief
Judicial Magistrate, Jahajpur, District Bhilwara, which came to be registered as
Cri.Misc. Case No. 135/2015. The petitioner is posted as a Cattle Guard in the
Forest Department of the Govt. of Rajasthan. The application under Section 125
Cr.P.C. filed by the respondent came to be allowed by the Trial Court by order
dated 5.7.2019, whereby the petitioner was required to pay a sum of Rs.1500/- per
month to the respondent as maintenance. The Trial Court held that the
petitioner had treated his wife (respondent) with cruelty. The plea of the
petitioner before the Trial Court was that the respondent was not his legally
wedded wife and that she had put up a totally fraudulent case in the Trial Court
regarding her being the legally wedded wife of the appellant. The Trial Court
took note of the fact that the claimant Smt. Samudara examined herself as
A.W.1 in the evidence. She pertinently stated in her examination in chief that she
was the legally wedded wife of the petitioner herein. No question was put to
Smt. Samudara in her cross-examination controverting this specific assertion
made by her in the examination in chief. A case was filed by Smt. Samudara
against the petitioner for the offences under Sections 498A and 406 I.P.C.
wherein also, she was treated to be the legally wedded wife of the petitioner. In
view of the pertinent fact that the petitioner never disputed the sworn
testimony of the respondent that she was his legally wedded wife, by putting
any question in this regard in the cross-examination, there is no escape from the
conclusion that the petitioner acquiesced to this situation. The application filed
by Smt. Samudara came to be accepted by the learned ACJM, Jahajpur by order
dated 5.7.2019 and she was awarded a sum of Rs.1500/- per month as monthly
maintenance. The petitioner as well as Smt. Samudara assailed the order passed
by the learned Magistrate by filing separate Revisions No. 47/2019 (Mahesh Raj
Vs. Smt. Samudara) and 43/2019 (Smt. Samudara Vs. Mahesh Raj & Anr.). While
Smt. Samudara sought enhancement in the quantum of maintenance, the
petitioner questioned the very grant of maintenance to her. The Revisional Court
rejected the revision filed by the petitioner whereas, the revision filed by Smt.
Samudara was accepted and she was awarded enhanced maintenance @ Rs.5000/-
per month from the date of the application. The adverse order passed by the
Revisional Court in the two revisions is assailed by the petitioner by way of these
two misc. petitions.
(2.) Having heard and considered the submissions advanced by Shri Godara learned Counsel representing the petitioner and after going through the
impugned orders, I am of the firm opinion that the impugned order dated
9.10.2019 passed by the Revisional Court does not suffer from any illegality or irregularity whatsoever warranting interference therein. The petitioner is a
government servant drawing salary well in excess of Rs.40,000/- per month. He
took a totally false stance that Smt. Samudara was not his legally wedded wife
whereas, the facts indicate otherwise. Since no question was put up to Smt.
Samudara in her cross-examination on this aspect, her sworn testimony remains
uncontroverted. The pittance of Rs.1500/- per month awarded by the learned
Magistrate to Smt. Samudara by way of monthly maintenance is like adding
insult to injury. On the one hand, the lady (respondent) has been ditched by the
petitioner and in addition thereto, her fervent plea for appropriate maintenance
was not addressed properly. In this background, the Revisional Court was
perfectly justified in rejecting the petitioner's revision and in enhancing the
maintenance awarded to Smt. Samudara from Rs.1500/- per month to Rs.5000/- per
month while accepting her revision. The only indulgence which the petitioner
can be extended is to permit him to file an application before the Trial Court
within next 30 days with a prayer to be permitted to deposit the arrears of
accrued maintenance in easily instalments. In case, the petitioner moves such an
application before the Trial Court, the same shall be considered sympathetically.
(3.) ith these observations and directions, the misc. petitions are dismissed as being devoid of merit.;
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