Sarvesh Kumar vs State of U.P., Smt. Kamini Singh and Chirag Under the natural guardianship of his Mother Smt. Kamini Singh

R.K. Rastogi, J.—This is an application u/s 482 of Cr.P.C. to quash the order dated 17.05.2007 passed by Principal Judge, Family Court, Moradabad in Misc. Case No. 82 of 2007 Sarvesh Kumar v. Smt. Kamini Singh, u/s 127 Cr.P.C.

I have heard learned Counsel for the applicant and the AGA for the State.

Since the point involved in this application is a legal point regarding interpretation of Section 127 Cr.P.C. I am deciding this application u/s 482 Cr.P.C. at the admission stage on merit.

The facts relevant for disposal of this application are that opposite parties No. 2 & 3 had filed an application u/s 125 Cr.P.C. against the present applicant in the Court of Principal Judge Family Court, Moradabad, which was registered as Case No. 74/11 of 2003. This case was contested by the present applicant and the learned Principal Judge, Family Court, after hearing both the parties awarded Rs.2,000/- (two thousand) per month to Opposite Party No. 2 and Rs. 1,000/- (one thousand) per month to Opposite'' Party No. 3 as maintenance vide his Judgment dated 07.12.2006. Thereafter the present applicant filed an application u/s 127 Cr.P.C. against Opposite Party No. 2 for cancellation of the order for maintenance on the ground of changed circumstances. This application was registered as Case No. 82 of 2007. The learned Presiding Officer of the Court after hearing both the parties rejected the above application vide his order dated 17.05.2007 on the ground that the application u/s 127 Cr.P.C dated 17.05.2007 could be filed by the applicants of Maintenance Case No. 74 of 2003 and not by Sri Sarvesh Kumar, who was opposite party in the above case.

Aggrieved with the above order Sri Sarvesh Kumar has filed this application u/s 482 Cr.P.C.

I have heard learned Counsel for the applicant as well as learned AGA. Section 127 of the Cr.P.C. runs as under:

Alteration in allowance. - (1) On proof of a change in the circumstances of any person, receiving, u/s 125 a monthly allowance, or ordered under the same section to pay a monthly allowance to his wife, child, father or mother, as the case may be, the Magistrate may make such alteration in the allowance as he thinks fit:

Provided that if he increases the allowance, the monthly rate of five hundred rupees in the whole shall not be exceeded.

(2) Where it appears to the Magistrate that, in consequence of any decision of a competent Civil Court, any order made u/s 125 should be cancelled or varied, he shall cancel the order or, as the case may be vary the same accordingly.

(3) Where any order has been made u/s 125 in favour of a woman who has been divorced by, or has obtained a divorce from, her husband, the Magistrate shall, if he is satisfied that-

(a) the woman has, after the date of such divorce, remarried, cancel such order as from the date of her remarriage;

(b) the woman has been divorced by her husband and that she has received, whether before or after the date of the said order, the whole of the sum which, under any customary or personal law applicable to the parties, was payable on such divorce, cancel such order.-

(i) in the case where such sum was paid before such order, from the date on which such order was made,

(ii) in any other case, from the date of expiry of the � period, if any, for which maintenance has been actually paid by the husband to the woman;

(c) The woman has obtained a divorce from her husband and that she had voluntarily surrendered her rights to maintenance after her divorce, cancel the order from the date thereof.

(4) At the time of making any decree for the recovery of any maintenance or dowry by any person, to whom a monthly allowance has been ordered to be paid u/s 125, the Civil Court shall take into account the sum which has been paid to, or recovered by, such person as monthly allowance in pursuance of the said order.

It would be clear from perusal of this Section that it has not been provided in it that an application under this Section can be moved by that person only who had filed the application u/s 125 Cr.P.C. On the other hand the Magistrate has been empowered to vary the order of maintenance on proof of changed-circumstances. The application for such alteration can be moved by either of the party who seeks benefit of such changed circumstances, and there is nothing in this Section to lead to a conclusion that the application can be moved by the applicant of an application u/s 125 Cr.P.C. only. On the other hand it is to be seen that an application under sub section 3 shall be invariably moved by the husband of the woman in wh6se favour the order for maintenance had been passed.

The position, in this way, is that the order of the learned Presiding Officer of the Family Court, that the application moved by the present applicant u/s 127 Cr.P.C. was not maintainable is totally erroneous, and so the order passed by him rejecting the application dated 03.04.2007 moved by the applicant u/s 127 Cr.P.C. is liable to set aside.

The present application u/s 482 is therefore allowed. The order passed by the Principal Judge Family Court on the applicant''s application dated 03.04.2007 moved u/s 127 Cr.P.C. is set aside and the matter is remanded to his Court for fresh disposal of the above application on merits after providing opportunity of hearing to both the parties.