Punjab-Haryana High Court
Rani Gill vs Satish on 19 September, 2022
TA-454-2021 (O&M) -1-
IN THE HIGH COURT FOR THE STATES OF PUNJAB AND
HARYANA AT CHANDIGARH
202
TA-454-2021 (O&M)
Date of decision: 19.09.2022
Rani Gill ...Petitioner
Versus
Satish ...Respondent
CORAM: HON'BLE MR. JUSTICE ARVIND SINGH SANGWAN
Present:- Mr. A. S. Sekhon, Advocate
for the petitioner.
None for the respondent.
ARVIND SINGH SANGWAN, J. (Oral)
While issuing notice of motion on 23.04.2021, the following
order was passed:
"The present application has been filed seeking
transfer of the petition filed by the respondent-husband
under Section 13 of the Hindu Marriage Act, 1955,
which is now pending before the Additional Principal
Judge, Family Court, Hisar.
Learned counsel for the applicant submits that the
said petition has been filed by the respondent-husband
only to harass the applicant-wife as the applicant has
already initiated the proceedings under Section 125 of
Cr.P.C at Faridkot, where she is residing. Learned
counsel for the applicant further submits that the
applicant-wife will have to travel 250 kms. to attend the
proceedings initiated by the respondent-husband and
keeping in view the law laid down by the Hon'ble
Supreme Court in Neelam Kanwar Vs. Devinder Singh
Kanwar, 2000(10) SCC 589 as well as in Sumita Singh
Vs. Kumar Sanjay and another, 2001 (10) SCC 41,
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the suit/proceedings between the parties ordinarily
should be tried at the place where the woman is residing
unless and until there are special reasons not to do so,
hence, the petition filed by the respondent-husband
under Section 13 of the Hindu Marriage Act, 1955 (as
amended upto date) be transferred from Hisar to
competent Court in Faridkot.
Notice of motion for 05.08.2021.
The trial Court is directed to adjourn the
proceedings of the petition filed by the respondent-
husband at Hisar, transfer of which is being sought in the
present application, beyond the date fixed by this Court."
Learned counsel has relied upon the judgments Sumita Singh
Vs. Kumar Sanjay, 2002 SC 396 and Rajani Kishor Pardeshi Vs. Kishor
Babulal Pardeshi, 2005(12) SCC 237, wherein the Hon'ble Supreme Court
observed that "while deciding the transfer application, the Courts are
required to give more weightage and consideration to the convenience of
the female litigants and transfer of legal proceedings from one Court to
another should ordinarily be allowed, taking into consideration their
convenience and the Courts should desist from putting female litigants
under undue hardships."
Learned counsel for the petitioner has further relied upon 2022
Live Law (SC) 627 N.C.V. Aishwarya vs. A.S. Saravana Karthik Sha,
wherein Hon'ble Supreme Court has held as under:
"9. The cardinal principle for exercise of power under
Section 24 of the Code of Civil Procedure is that the
ends of justice should demand the transfer of the suit,
appeal or other proceeding. In matrimonial matters,
wherever Courts are called upon to consider the plea of
transfer, the Courts have to take into consideration the
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economic soundness of both the parties, the social strata
of the spouses and their behavioural pattern, their
standard of life prior to the marriage and subsequent
thereto and the circumstances of both the parties in eking
out their livelihood and under whose protective umbrella
they are seeking their sustenance to life. Given the
prevailing socioeconomic paradigm in the Indian society,
generally, it is the wife's convenience which must be
looked at while considering transfer.
10. Further, when two or more proceedings are pending
in different Courts between the same parties which raise
common question of fact and law, and when the
decisions in the cases are interdependent, it is desirable
that they should be tried together by the same Judge so
as to avoid multiplicity in trial of the same issues and
conflict of decisions."
As per office report, the respondent is served, however, there is
no representation on his behalf.
It is well settled that while considering the transfer of a
matrimonial dispute/case at the instance of the wife, the Court is to consider
family condition of the wife, custody of the minor child, economic condition
of the wife, her physical health and earning capacity of the husband and
most important, convenience of the wife i.e. she cannot travel alone without
assistance of a male member of her family, connectivity of the place to and
fro from her place of residence as well as bearing of the litigation charges
and travelling expenses.
After hearing the counsel for the petitioner, considering the fact
that if the aforesaid petition is not transferred, the petitioner-wife will have
to bear the litigation expenses and transportation expenses and also in view
of the ratio of law laid down by Hon'ble Supreme Court in Sumita Singh's
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case (supra), Rajani Kishor Pardeshi's case (supra) and N.C.V.
Aishwarya's case (supra), this Court deems it appropriate to allow the
present petition, with the following directions:-
(i) The petition filed under Section 13 of the Hindu
Marriage Act, pending before the Family Court,
Hisar will be transferred to the competent Court
of jurisdiction at Faridkot.
(ii) The District Judge, Faridkot will assign the said
petition to the competent Court of jurisdiction.
(iii) The Family Court at Hisar is directed to transfer
all the record pertaining to the aforesaid case to
District Judge, Faridkot.
(iv) The parties are directed to appear before the trial
Court at Faridkot within a period of 01 month
from today.
(v) The Courts concerned, where the cases are
pending between the parties, will accommodate
them with one date in a calendar month.
However, liberty is granted to the respondent-husband to revive
this petition, if he intends to contest the same, provided that:-
(i) The respondent will clear all the arrears of
maintenance amount, if any, in terms of the
petition filed by the petitioner either under
Section 125 Cr.P.C. or Section 12 of the
Domestic Violence Act or Section 24 of the Hindu
Marriage Act.
(ii) The respondent will file an affidavit giving
undertaking to pay Rs.1,000/- per day, to the
petitioner for attending the Court proceedings at
Hisar, on each and every date of hearing.
(iii) The respondent will bring a demand draft of
Rs.25,000/- towards the litigation expenses of the
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petitioner to pursue the case at Hisar, in case the
respondent opts to contest this petition.
19.09.2022 (ARVIND SINGH SANGWAN)
Waseem Ansari JUDGE
Whether speaking/reasoned Yes/No
Whether reportable Yes/No
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