Neha Alias Ananya Chandanani vs Sunil Chandanani

The instant Appeal is directed against the judgment and decree dated 22.12.2021 passed by the 1st Additional Principal Judge, Family Court, Raipur in HMA No.480/2017 whereby the suit filed by the appellant/wife for grant of decree of divorce on the ground of cruelty under Section 13 (v) of the Hindu Marriage Act, 1955 was dismissed. The appellant/wife is in Appeal before this Court.

The parties got married on 22.11.2012 as per Hindu custom and the parties have no issues out of their relations. The appellant/wife filed a petition under section 13 (1)(i-a) of the Hindu Marriage Act, 1955 on the ground of cruelty, inter alia, stating that after the marriage, while her stay at her in-laws’ house, her mother-in-law committed cruelty with her and her mother-in-law used to mentally harass her. Her mother-in-law neither allowed her to enter the kitchen nor allowed her to prepare the food. Her mother-in-law was not allowing to eat the food. After staying at her matrimonial home for about 2 months, the appellant started residing in a rented accommodation. Oftenly the respondent used to come late to the house and the respondent used to take liquor and also used to smoke. On objection raised by the appellant, the respondent used to commit Marpeet with her. The parents of the appellant got opened one Medical Store at Raipur for the respondent by spending Rs.2-3 lakhs. The respondent allured the appellant and took her to Champa and kept her in a rented accommodation. The respondent started running the Medical Store at Raipur. The respondent started wasting his money in liquor, gambling etc. The appellant started working in a Private School at Champa and thereby she was managing the rent of her private accommodation. After some days, the Medical Store was closed and the respondent became unemployed. The respondent started harassing the appellant because of which in the month of May, 2016, the appellant returned to her parental house at Raipur. The respondent with a malafide intention started threatening the appellant on mobile and also used to send SMSs. The appellant does not want to reside with the respondent. Thus the suit was filed.

Written statement has been filed by the respondent/husband denying the plaint averments. The respondent has stated that the marriage was solemnized in the year 2011 and it was love marriage. The appellant was already married, as she had already performed love marriage in the year 2011 and thereafter in the year 2012 the appellant performed love marriage with the respondent. The appellant is an unconventional lady and she wants to lead an independent life. However, the respondent wants to live with the appellant. The respondent had opened a Medical Store at Raipur after borrowing money from some people. At that time, the appellant was working as Teacher in a Private School at Champa. As monthly rent of the Medical Store was on higher side and the respondent also suffered some loss, he had to close the medical store and return the amount to the people from whom he had borrowed. The respondent ultimately returned to Champa. The appellant was not willing to reside with the family members of the respondent. The respondent is the only son of his parents. During his stay with the appellant, when the respondent used to give money to his parents and his handicapped sister, the appellant used to raise quarrel with him. The respondent has further stated that he loves the appellant very much and he wants to reside with the appellant.

On the basis of averments made by the parties, an issue was framed - whether the respondent/husband has treated his wife with cruelty? After affording an opportunity of hearing to the parties and after evaluating the entire fact and evidence, the learned family Court has answered the issue in negative and the suit was dismissed.

We have heard learned counsel for the parties, perused the judgment and record with utmost circumspection.

Shri Palash Tiwari, counsel for the appellant would submit that the appellant/wife has successfully proved the factum of cruelty, as the respondent/husband after consuming liquor used to beat her and her mother-in-law has also treated her in a cruel manner and the husband did not oppose the conduct of his mother. The learned Family Court erroneously on the ground that no independent witness has been examined has reached to the conclusion and also assigned wrong reason that the appellant/wife had taken divorce earlier and, therefore, the findings recorded by the family Court are perverse and not justifiable. Learned counsel prays to allow the Appeal and grant decree of divorce in favour of the appellant/wife.

Despite service no representation has been made on behalf of the respondent/husband.

In order to appreciate the arguments advanced on behalf of the appellant, we have examined the evidence available on record.

In the present case, the appellant/wife has examined herself as PW-1, her mother Smt. Asha Tolwani (PW-2) and her maternal uncle Devraj Gurnani (PW-3) whereas, the respondent/husband has examined himself as DW-1 and did not adduce any other evidence.

10.The appellant/wife (PW-1) has admitted in her cross-examination that her marriage was solemnized with the respondent in the year 2011 and both of them performed love marriage. Earlier, her family did not agree for the said marriage but later on, the family of her husband has accepted her. After taking divorce from her earlier husband, she got married with the respondent and after the marriage, she started residing at her matrimonial house at Champa wherein she lived for about 2-3 months and thereafter she and her husband both had shifted to a rented accommodation. In the year 2010, father of the respondent/husband expired. She also admits that in the family of the respondent/husband, her mother-in-law is a household lady and the sister of the respondent/husband is a deaf and dumb person, and the respondent is the only son of his parents.

11.Mother of the appellant namely, Smt. Asha Tolwani (PW-2) has stated that her daughter and the respondent both lived at Champa and the respondent was running a medical store. After some time, the said medical store was closed and her daughter had joined the job. So, parents of the appellant advised the respondent that if the medical store is not running well at Champa, then he should come to Raipur and they would arrange one medical store after taking borrowings. Thereafter the respondent has shifted to Raipur and started Geeta Medical Store. She has further deposed that as the respondent was not paying proper attention to his business and used to wake up late in the morning, the doctors have made complaints and after 9 months, the said medical store was also closed. She has further stated that the respondent had returned to Champa without any consultation with them and thereafter started consuming liquor and also started raising quarrel and he was not doing any job. So, for such reasons, in the month of May, 2016, her daughter had returned to her maternal house.

12.From the evidence of the appellant and her mother, it is explicit that the respondent is the only son of his parents and he has liability to maintain his mother and one sister who is deaf and dumb. Both the appellant and the respondent had performed love marriage despite resistance in the family. Earlier, the respondent was running a medical store at Champa after the marriage, though the family was small and father of the respondent has already expired in the year 2010, however, the respondent/husband took a rented accommodation and started living with his wife.

13.The respondent/husband (DW-1) has deposed at para-2 that his business was not running smoothly and he was to bear the expenses of two separate families, so, in such circumstances, in the year 2014, he closed the said medical store and joined the clinic of a doctor. The appellant/wife has also started the job of Teacher at Hasdeo Public School. On the advise of his in-laws to start a medical store at Raipur and for the said purpose they have also given financial help of Rs.35,000/-, he had opened the medical store at Raipur. But in the said business also, there was continuous loss and he was unable to cope up with the expenses of his mother, sister and wife and hence he returned to Champa. He has further deposed that there was no quarrel with the appellant. At the time of summer vacation, as usual, the appellant had gone to her parental house at Raipur and thereafter she never returned, though he has tried his level best and also tried at the social level to bring her back. Still he is willing to keep his wife with him and denied that he was in the habit of consuming liquor.

14.Devraj Gurnani (PW-3), maternal uncle of the appellant, has stated that parents of the appellant came to him along with the respondent and, therefore, he had given his shop to the respondent. Later on, he came to know that the respondent was in the habit of playing gamble and consuming liquor. The respondent could not manage his business properly and there was also some liability in the market and for such reasons, the shop was closed.

15.In para-2 of the plaint, the appellant/wife has made a specific allegation against her mother-in-law that after the marriage, her mother-in-law was not allowing her to enter the kitchen and prepare the food. In such circumstances, for about one year she has ordered the food from the hotel. But in her cross-examination at para-16, she has categorically admitted that after the marriage she resided at her matrimonial house for 2-3 months only and thereafter shifted to a rented accommodation at Champa.

16.Mother of the appellant in para-3 of her deposition has categorically deposed that the respondent had closed the shop at Raipur without any consultation with them and returned to Champa, and thereafter started consuming liquor and raising quarrel. Thereafter in the month of May, 2016, her daughter came to her maternal house. Though omnibus allegations have been made by the appellant/wife that the respondent after consuming liquor used to behave with her in a cruel manner and also used to beat her, but she neither made any complaint to the police nor mentioned any specific incident. The respondent/husband has categorically stated that as usual during summer vacation, his wife used to go to her maternal house and mother of the appellant has also stated that in the month of May, 2016, the appellant came to Raipur.

17.From the above evidence, it appears that general and omnibus allegations have been made by the appellant and no specific allegation has been substantiated by her. Instead, after the marriage, to save his married life, the respondent took a rented accommodation and also on the advise of his in-laws, started new business at Raipur, but for one or the other reason, the said business could not run well and the respondent became unemployed, though at that time the appellant was working as a Teacher, but instead of helping the respondent and his family, she returned to her parental house. Therefore, we are of the view that no allegation has been substantiated by the appellant/wife against the respondent/husband.

In the matter of Neelam Kumar Vs. Dayarani {(2010) 13 SCC 298}, it was observed by the Hon’ble Supreme Court that granting  decree of divorce would lead to give someone the benefit of his/her misdeeds.  It is also well settled that no decree of divorce could be granted unless the person seeking divorce proves the cruelty on the basis of pleading and evidence.

19.In Samar Ghosh Vs. Jaya Ghosh (2007) 4 SCC 511, the Hon’ble Supreme Court has indicated illustrative cases where inference of mental cruelty can  be drawn. They are reproduced as under:-

“101. No uniform standard can ever be laid down for guidance, yet we deem it appropriate to enumerate some instances of human behaviour which may be relevant in dealing with the cases of “mental cruelty”. The instances indicated in the succeeding paragraphs are only illustrative and not exhaustive:

xxxx xxxx xxxx

xxxx xxxx xxxx

(ix) Mere trivial irritations, quarrels, normal wear and tear of the married life which happens in day-to-day life would not be adequate for grant of divorce on the ground of mental cruelty.

(x) The married life should be reviewed as a whole and a few isolated instances over a period of years will not amount to cruelty. The ill conduct must be persistent for a fairly lengthy period, where the relationship has deteriorated to an extent that because of the acts and behaviour of a spouse, the wronged party finds it extremely difficult to live with the other party any longer, may amount to mental cruelty…………………………….”

20.In the light of aforesaid observations and on the basis of aforesaid discussion, this Court is of the view that the family Court has rightly reached to the conclusion that burden of proving cruelty has not been discharged properly by the appellant/wife to seek decree of divorce and the finding recorded by the learned family Court is just and proper and the same does not warrant any interference by this Court.

21.In the result, the Appeal being bereft of any substance deserves to be and is hereby dismissed.

22.Parties shall bear their own costs.

23.A decree be drawn up accordingly.