Full Order Text
Final Order 1 · 07 May 2016 · CNR MHMM180057092018
Order Details: Copy of Judgment Pdf Text: … 1 … C.C.NO.11/DV/2013 Presented on : 01042013 Registered on : 01042013 Decided on : 05052016 Duration : 03Y 01M 04D IN THE COURT OF METROPOLITAN MAGISTRATE, 71st COURT, BANDRA, MUMBAI. ( Presided over by Vishwas S. Mane ) C.C.NO.11/DV/2013 Exh.15. Smt.Sulochana Bhoja Kulal Age : 42 years, R/o. 114/B.A. Room4, Robert Compound, Kalina, Kolivari Village, Santacruz(E), Mumbai. … Applicant. Vs. Bhoja Narasu Kulal Age : Adult, R/A, Pusparaj Hotel, Kalina Market, Church Road, Santacruz(E), Mumbai. … Respondent. For the Applicant : Adv. C.V. Shetty For the Respondent : Adv. Shanbag J U D G M E N T ( Delivered on 05052016 ) This is an application U/s 12 of Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act, 2005 ( hereinafter 'the Act' ) preferred by the petitioner wife against the respondent Bhoja Narsu Kulal (husband) with prayer for relief U/s. 18, 19 and 20 of the Act. 2. It is the case of applicant, in short, that on 23.02.2009, at Kalina the respondent caused muffled injury to the applicant and her -- 1 of 12 -- … 2 … C.C.NO.11/DV/2013 daughter and torn the cloths. He abused and insulted her. The respondent is not giving the school expenses of her daughter and not accepting his liability. She claimed protection order U/s 18 of the Act, order U/s 19 of the Act, monetary reliefs of Rs.10,000/ per month, U/s 20 of the Act. 3. The respondent resisted the application by filing reply at Exh.2. He stated that there is no cause of action to file this application against him as there is no domestic relations or matrimonial relations since last 4 years, because of cruelties, extra matrimonial relations of the applicant. The applicant has totally occupied the room premises standing in his name and he was driven out after brutal assault by the applicant and her goons. He suffered great mental agony and harassment from the applicant in the form of adultery. The applicant has destroyed the matrimonial relation by her own act of adultery since more than five years. He has submitted written complaint to Vakola police station on 30.11.2008. He was debarred entry in the rental room premises presently occupied by the applicant. He is ready with terms and conditions not to harass and assault him and there should be no concern with other person by the applicant. He is ready and willing to live matrimonial life with her with peace and love. He states that he is having income of Rs.4,000/ per month and has to maintain himself, to pay rental charges, to pay food and clothes and to pay medical charges of medical treatment and medicines for his bad health, as he suffering from various types of physical problems. The applicant is working at Ramdas Kamat Jwellers at Ghatkopar and getting salary of Rs.10,000/. He denied all the allegations made against him. He states to dismiss the application. -- 2 of 12 -- … 3 … C.C.NO.11/DV/2013 4. The applicant adduced her evidence on affidavit at Exh.6. She examined (AW2) Apeksha at Exh.9. The respondent had adduced his evidence vide Exh.11. Both the parties adduced documentary evidence as per record and filed notes of written argument at Exh.13 and 14. 5. Final arguments were heard on behalf of parties and record perused. 6. The points for determination along with my findings thereon as under : Sr. No. POINTS FINDINGS 1 Whether the applicant is an aggrieved party ? Yes. 2 Whether she was subjected to domestic violence ? Yes. 3 Whether she was entitled to monetary or other reliefs as provided under the Act ? Yes, partly. 4 What order ? The application is partly allowed. R E A S O N S As to point Nos. 1 & 2 : 7. Under the provision of Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act, 2005 woman has to establish that she is an "aggrieved person" as defined in Section 2(a) of Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act, 2005. In order to establish that she is an "aggrieved person as envisaged under Act, petitioner must establish that: -- 3 of 12 -- … 4 … C.C.NO.11/DV/2013 i) She lives or has lived in "domestic relationship" with respondent in shared household, within reasonable period of time before filing this petition. ii) She was subjected to domestic violence by respondent during subsistence of such domestic relationship. Section 2 (a) of the Protection of Woman from Domestic Violence Act, 2005 defines “aggrieved person”. Section 2(a) “aggrieved person” means any woman who is, or has been, in a domestic relationship with the respondent and who alleges to have been subjected to any act of Domestic Violence by the respondent. Section 3. Definition of Domestic Violence For the purposes of this Act, any act, omission or commission or conduct of the respondent shall constitute Domestic Violence in case it (a) harms or injures or endangers the health, safety, life, limb or well being, whether mental or physical, of the aggrieved person or tends to do so and includes causing physical abuse, sexual abuse, verbal and emotional abuse and economic abuse; or (b) harasses, harms, injures or endangers the aggrieved person with a view to coerce her or any other person related to her to meet any unlawful demand for any dowry or other property or valuable security; or (c) has the effect of threatening the aggrieved person or any person related to her by any conduct mentioned in Clause(a) or Clause(b); or -- 4 of 12 -- … 5 … C.C.NO.11/DV/2013 (d) otherwise injures or cause harm, whether physical or mental, to the aggrieved person. Explanation I. For the purpose of this section, (i) “physical abuse” means any act or conduct which is of such a nature as to cause bodily pain, harm or danger to life, limb, or health or impair the health or development of the aggrieved person and includes assault, criminal intimidation and criminal force; (ii) “sexual abuse” includes any conduct of a sexual nature that abuses, humiliates degrades or otherwise violated the dignity of woman; (iii) “verbal and emotional abuse” includes (a) insults, ridicule, humiliation, name calling and insults or ridicule specially with regard to not having a child or a male child; and (b) repeated threats to cause physical pain to any person in whom the aggrieved person is interested. (iv) “economic abuse” includes (a) deprivation of all or any economic or financial resources to which the aggrieved person is entitled under any law or custom whether payable under an order of a Court or otherwise or which the aggrieved person requires out of necessity including, but not limited to, household necessities for the aggrieved person and her children, if -- 5 of 12 -- … 6 … C.C.NO.11/DV/2013 any, stridhan, property, jointly or separately owned by the aggrieved person, payment of rental related to the shared household and maintenance; (b) disposal of household effects, any alienation of assets whether movable or immovable, valuables, shares, securities, bonds and the like or other property in which the aggrieved person has an interest or is entitled to use by virtue of the domestic relationship or which may be reasonably required by the aggrieved person or her children or her stridhan or any other property jointly or separately held by the aggrieved person; and (c) prohibition or restriction to continued access to resources or facilities which aggrieved person is entitled to use or enjoy by virtue of the domestic relationship including access to the shared household. Explanation II. For the purpose of determining whether any act, omission, commission or conduct of the respondent constitutes “Domestic Violence” under this section, the overall facts and circumstances of the case shall be taken into consideration. 8. In the present case in hand it is the case of respondent that the applicant started to live in adultery with one Ravi Naik in August, 2008 and she eloped with him for three times. The applicant had thrown him out of his own house in the year 2008 and filed present application in the year 2013, after a gap of more than four years. Her application is not maintainable. The learned advocate for the respondent relied on Sejal Ved Vs. The State of Maharashtra, 2014 -- 6 of 12 -- … 7 … C.C.NO.11/DV/2013 ALL MR(Cri.)636 , in which it is held that, “A wife who has returned from USA and consequently from the domestic relationship and lived in India for one year can not file an application with regard to that relationship after such time. Such wife can not be taken to be in any domestic relationship”. 9. The respondent produced documentary evidence about the applications given the police in the year 2008 as his wife was run away from him home. The documentary evidence adduced by the respondent is not sufficient to establish that, the applicant is living in adultery. The daughters of respondent are living with the applicant. There is nothing on record to show that the respondent had taken care of them and maintained them. The act of making allegations of adultery by the respondent against the applicant is the evidence of domestic violence on his part as per section 3 of the Act. The oral evidence of the applicant and her daughter, clearly shows that she is aggrieved person and subjected to domestic violence. Hence, point Nos.1 & 2 are answered in the affirmative. As to point No. 3 : 10. The applicant claimed protection order U/s 18 of the Act, prohibiting the respondent from entering in the school premises of her daughter. The oral and documentary evidence adduced by the applicant clearly shows that she was subjected to the domestic violence by the respondent. Therefore, it is necessary to provide protection order in favour of the applicant and prohibiting the respondent from entering in the school premises of her daughter. -- 7 of 12 -- … 8 … C.C.NO.11/DV/2013 11. The applicant further sought order U/s 19 of the Act, restraining the respondent from alienating the shared household and throwing her out from it. But the evidence on record shows that the respondent is not living with the applicant in the shared household. Therefore, there is no question of throwing out to the applicant from it. Also it is admitted fact that the shared household is not owned by the respondent. Therefore, there is no question of alienating it by the respondent. Hence, the applicant is not entitled for the relief u/sec.19 of the Act. 12. The applicant sought further relief of maintenance of Rs.10,000/ per month towards food, clothes, medicines. The applicant states that the respondent is running a pan bidi shop near Pusparaj Hotel, Kalina, Santacruz (E) and earns about Rs.20,000/ per month. The respondent denied that he earns Rs.20,000/ per month. He states in his affidavit of evidence that he could not run his pan bidi shop because of varicose disease. At the time of crossexamination of Apeksha (AW2), it was suggested on behalf of the respondent that whenever, she went to college she used to see her father at the bidi shop. This suggestion on behalf of the respondent clearly shows that the respondent is running the pan bidi shop. There is no reliable evidence about the income of respondent from said shop. However, in the city like Mumbai, a proprietor of pan bidi shop can definitely get income of more than Rs.10,000/. As per the case of the applicant, the two daughters are with her. At the time of filing the application, the elder daughter Apeksha was 18 years old. As per sec. 20(1)(d) of the Act, the aggrieved person is entitled for relief of maintenance for her children. As per section 2(b) of the Act, “Child” means any person -- 8 of 12 -- … 9 … C.C.NO.11/DV/2013 below the age of 18 years. In view of these provisions of the Act, the applicant is only entitled for maintenance of her minor daughter Apurva and for herself. Considering the income of respondent and day to day daily needs of the applicant and her minor daughter, it is proper to direct the respondent to pay maintenance of Rs.5,000/ per month to them. The interim maintenance amount paid by the respondent, if any, be adjusted against the total due amount. Considering all these facts, the applicant is only entitled for order restraining the respondent from entering in the school premises of her daughter and maintenance of Rs.5,000/ per month from the date of the application. She is not entitled for any other relief claimed in this application. Hence, the point No.3 is answered accordingly. As to point No.4 : 13. The applicant is an aggrieved party under the Act. She is entitled for partly reliefs claimed in this application against the respondents.. Therefore, her application is liable to be partly allowed. It is necessary to adjust the maintenance amount paid, if any, by the respondent by virtue of interim maintenance order. In the result, in answer to point No.4 following order is passed. : O R D E R : 1. The application is partly allowed. 2. The respondent is hereby restrained from entering in the school premises of the daughter of the applicant. 3. The respondent do pay maintenance of Rs.5,000/ (Rs. Five Thousand only) per month to the applicant, from date of application i.e. 01042013. The maintenance amount paid by the respondent towards the interim maintenance be adjusted against the due amount. -- 9 of 12 -- … 10 … C.C.NO.11/DV/2013 4. The other reliefs claimed in this application are rejected. 5. The respondent do pay cost of this application, Rs.500/ (Rs.Five Hundred only), to the applicant. 6. The copy of this order be provided to the concern as per section 24 of the Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act, 2005. ( Judgment is pronounced in open court ) sd/ ( Vishwas S. Mane ) Bandra, Mumbai. Metropolitan Magistrate, Date : 05052016 71st Court, Bandra, Mumbai. ard/ Dictated on : 05052016 Transcribed on : 07052016 Signed on : 07052016 -- 10 of 12 -- … 11 … C.C.NO.11/DV/2013 IN THE COURT OF METROPOLITAN MAGISTRATE, 71ST COURT, BANDRA, MUMBAI C.C.NO.11/DV/2013 Smt.Sulochana Bhoja Kulal … Applicant. Vs. Bhoja Narasu Kulal … Respondent. : O P E R A T I V E O R D E R : 7. The application is partly allowed. 8. The respondent is hereby restrained from entering in the school premises of the daughter of the applicant. 9. The respondent do pay maintenance of Rs.5,000/ (Rs. Five Thousand only) per month to the applicant, from date of application i.e. 01042013. The maintenance amount paid by the respondent towards the interim maintenance be adjusted against the due amount. 10. The other reliefs claimed in this application are rejected. 11. The respondent do pay cost of this application, Rs.500/ -- 11 of 12 -- … 12 … C.C.NO.11/DV/2013 (Rs.Five Hundred only), to the applicant. 12. The copy of this order be provided to the concern as per section 24 of the Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act, 2005. ( Judgment is pronounced in open court ) ( Vishwas S. Mane ) Bandra, Mumbai. Metropolitan Magistrate, Date : 05052016 71st Court, Bandra, Mumbai. -- 12 of 12 --
