Bhagyashree v. Sagar Navtake

( , ( ( (IN(THE(HIGH(COURT(OF(KARNATAKA,((

KALABURAGI(BENCH(

THDATED(THIS(THE(28 (DAY(OF(OCTOBER,(2025(

PRESENT( THE(HON'BLE(MR.(JUSTICE(H.T.NARENDRA(PRASAD( (AND(( (THE(HON'BLE(MR.(JUSTICE(TYAGARAJA(N.(INAVALLY( ( MISCL.(FIRST(APPEAL(NO.201327(OF(2021((FC)( BETWEEN:(( (

MRS.,BHAGYASHREE,, AGED,ABOUT:,28,YEARS,, D/O,SAHEBGOUDA,BIRADAR,,

W/O.,SAGAR,NAVTAKE,, R/O.,DASHYAL,VILLAGE,, TALUK,AND,DISTRICT,BIJAPUR-586,130.,

, …APPELLANT, (BY,SRI.,BASAVARAJA,R.,MATH,,ADVOCATE),

,Digitallytisignedtiby RAMESH AND:( MATHAPATI Location:0HIGH ( COURT0OF MR.,SAGAR,NAVTAKE,, KARNATAKA AGED,ABOUT:,30,YEARS,, S/O.,MR.,SUBHASH,NAVTAKE,, R/O.,C/O.,MEENAKSHI,BALI,, BASAVA,NILAYA,,SWASTIK,NAGAR,, BEHIND,KARUNA,TOYOTA,, KALABURAGI-585,103., , …RESPONDENT, (BY,SRI.,ANIL,S.J.,,ADVOCATE,&, SRI.,SADANAND,M.,BIRADAR,,ADVOCATE), , ( , ( ( , THIS, MFA, IS, FILED, U/S., 19(1), OF, THE, FAMILY, COURT, ACT,, PRAYING, TO, CALL, FOR, RECORDS, AND, SET, ASIDE, THE, IMPUGNED, JUDGMENT, AND, AWARD, DATED, 21.09.2021, PASSED, BY, THE, PRINCIPAL, JUDGE,, FAMILY, COURT, AT, KALABURAGI,IN,M.C.,NO.12/2019,IN,RESPECT,OF,ALLOWING, OF, DIVORCE, PETITION, AND, PLEASED, TO, DISMISS, THE, M.C., CASE., , THIS,APPEAL,HAVING,BEEN,HEARD,AND,RESERVED,FOR, JUDGMENT, ON, 28.10.2025, AND, COMING, ON, FOR, 'PRONOUNCEMENT, OF, JUDGMENT',, THIS, DAY,, THE, COURT, DELIVERED,THE,FOLLOWING:, , CORAM:, HON'BLE,MR.,JUSTICE,H.T.NARENDRA,PRASAD, ,AND,, ,HON'BLE,MR.,JUSTICE,TYAGARAJA,N.,INAVALLY, ( CAV(JUDGMENT( (PER:,HON'BLE,MR.,JUSTICE,TYAGARAJA,N.,INAVALLY), , , This,appeal,is,the,result,of,the,judgment,and,decree, dated, 21.09.2021, passed, in, M.C.No.12/2019, by, the, learned, Principal, Judge,, Family, Court,, Kalaburagi, (hereinafter,referred,to,as,'the,Family,Court'),wherein,the, petition,filed,by,the,respondent,under,Section,13(1),(ia),&,

(ib),of,the,Hindu,Marriage,Act,(for,short,'the,HM,Act'),was, allowed, by, dissolving, his, marriage, with, appellant, ( , ( ( performed,on,12.06.2017.,Being,aggrieved,by,the,same,, the,appellant-wife,has,come,up,with,the,present,appeal.,

¶2Heard,the,argument,of,the,learned,counsel,for, the,appellant.,In,spite,of,appearance,through,the,counsel,, the,respondent, has,not, turned, up., Perused,the,oral,and, documentary, evidence, forthcoming, on, the, Trial, Court, records,and,also,relevant,materials,on,record.,

¶3The,facts,of,the,case,are,that,the,marriage,of, the, appellant, and, respondent, was, solemnized, on,

12.06.2017,as,per,the,customs,prevailing,among,Hindus, at, Muragod,, Tq:, Jamkhandi,, Dist:, Bagalkot., After, the, marriage,,the,respondent,took,the,appellant,to,his,house, at, Latur,, wherein, he, along, with, members, of, the, family, took, care, of, the, appellant, and, treated, her, as, their, own, daughter,with,love,and,affection.,After,one,month,of,the, marriage,,the,behaviour,of,the,appellant,was,not,normal, and, she, did, not, utter, a, single, word, to, his, parents, only, because,the,respondent,was,comparatively,rich,and,he,is, the,only,son,in,the,family.,The,appellant,had,an,intention, ( , ( ( to,live,a,lavish,life,style,and,she,did,not,want,interference, of, anyone, in, her, personal, and, married, life., Finally,, she, demanded, separate, house, from, the, parents, of, the, respondent., Hence,, the, respondent, moved, to, separate, house, at, Kalaburagi, till, the, date, of, separation., On, the, demand,of,appellant,,the,first,anniversary,of,marriage,was, celebrated, in, Belagavi., The, appellant, was, acting, like, committing,suicide,in,the,month,of,July,2018.,Thereafter,, in,the,month,of,October,2018,,she,went,to,her,parental, house, for, first, delivery., A, baby, boy, was, born, to, the, appellant, in, her, wedlock, with, the, respondent,, but, the, appellant, did, not, return, to, the, matrimonial, house., She, subjected, the, respondent, to, mental, and, physical, harassment, as, contended, in, the, petition., Therefore,, the, respondent,was,constrained,to,file,the,petition,for,divorce.,,

¶4In,spite,of,service,of,notice,,the,appellant,being, the, respondent, did, not, appear, before, the, Family, Court., However,, subsequently, when, the, case, was, posted, for, further,evidence,of,the,respondent/petitioner,as,PW1,,the, ( , ( ( appellant/wife,appeared,through,the,counsel,and,filed,her, objections, by, denying, the, petition, averments, and, she, alleged, mental, and, physical, harassment, to, her, by, the, respondent, and, his, parents, to, her., She, sought, for, compensatory, cost, of, Rs.20,00,000/-, and, the, interim, maintenance, of, Rs.5,00,000/-, per,month, for, herself,and, for, her, newly, born, baby, and, thereby, the, appellant/wife, prayed,for,dismissal,of,the,petition.,,

¶5In, order, to, prove, the, case,, the, respondent/petitioner,got, examined,himself,as, PW.1,and, got,marked,three,documents,at,Exs.P1,to,P3.,On,the,other, hand,,in,spite,of,filing,objection,,the,appellant/wife,has,not, chosen,to,adduce,any,evidence,on,her,behalf.,After,closing, of,the,evidence,of,both,the,parties,,the,learned,counsel,for, both,the,parties,did,not,choose,to,put,forth,their,argument, and,hence,,on,the,basis,of,the,evidence,and,the,material, forthcoming, on, record,, the, Family, Court, came, to, the, conclusion, that, the, appellant/wife, harassed, the, respondent/husband,physically,and,mentally,and,deserted, ( , ( ( the,respondent/husband,for,a,continuous,period,of,more, than, 2, years, without, reasonable, cause., Accordingly,, the, Family, Court, decreed, the, petition, under, the, impugned, judgment,and,decree.,,

¶6Now,the,point,for,our,consideration,is;, , "Whether,the,appellant/wife,has,made,out, sufficient, ground, to, set, aside, the, impugned, judgment, and, decree, of, the, Family, Court, as, prayed,for?",

¶7The,learned,counsel,for,the,appellant/wife,has, submitted,that,from,the,petition,averment,itself,,there,is, no,continuous,period,of,2,years,of,alleged,desertion,by,the, respondent/husband., Further,, there, is, no, physical, and, mental,harassment,meted,out,by,the,respondent/husband, for,granting,divorce,and,the,Family,Court,has,committed, an,error,in,allowing,the,petition.,Hence,,he,has,prayed,to, allow,the,appeal., ( , ( (

¶8,On,perusal,of,the,trial,Court,records,,it,would, be,clear,that,after,appearance,of,the,appellant,,she,being, the, respondent, before, the, Family, Court, and, filing, of, objections,,the,Family,Court,,instead,of,posting,the,case, for, conciliation, of, the, parties, or, referring, the, matter, to, mediation, for, conciliation,, proceeded, to, record, further, evidence,of,PW1.,Hence,,no,opportunity,was,given,to,the, parties,for,reconciliation,or,settlement,of,the,matter.,Even, in, the, appeal, on, hand,, though, the, matter, is, referred, to, mediation,for,settlement,,both,the,parties,failed,to,appear., Therefore,, on, this, ground, also,, an, opportunity, would, be, given, to, the, parties, for, reconciliation,, if, any,, of, their, marriage, or, to, explore, the, possibility, of, settlement, between,them.,,

¶9Furthermore,, as, submitted, by, the, learned, counsel, for, the, appellant,, the, order, sheet, of, the, Family, Court,would,clearly,reveal,that,the,Family,Court,took,up, the,matter, hurriedly,without,giving,sufficient, opportunity, to,the,appellant/wife,,she,being,the,respondent,to,adduce, ( , ( ( her,evidence,and,thereby,posted,the,matter,for,arguments, from, 07.09.2021, to, 13.09.2021., On, 13.09.2021,, even, though, both, the, parties, and, their, counsel, were, absent,, without, granting, time, for, arguments,, the, argument, of, both,the,parties,was,taken,as,not,addressed,and,posted, the, matter, for, judgment, to, 21.09.2021, and, passed, the, impugned,judgment,on,the,same,day,i.e.,,on,21.09.2021., This,would,also,reveal,that,the,Family,Court,has,failed,to, grant,sufficient,opportunity,to,the,appellant/wife,to,adduce, her, evidence, even, though, she, contested, the, matter, by, filing, objections., Hence,, we, are, of, the, considered, view, that, the, impugned, judgment, and, decree, of, the, Family, Court, is, liable, to, be, set, aside, and, the, matter, shall, be, remitted,back,to,the,trial,Court,for,considering,afresh,by, giving, reasonable, opportunities, to, both, the, parties, to, adduce,their,evidence,,if,they,so,intend.,Hence,,the,appeal, deserves,to,be,allowed,and,remanded.,,

¶10Accordingly,, answering, the, above, point, in, the, affirmative,,we,proceed,to,pass,the,following;, ( , ( ( ORDER(

(a) The,appeal,is,hereby,allowed,and,remanded.,

(b) Consequently,, the, judgment, and, decree, dated, 21.09.2021, in, M.C.No.12/2019, of, the, learned, Principal, Judge,, Family, Court,, Kalaburagi,,is,hereby,set,aside.,,

(c) The,matter,is,remanded,to,the,trial,Court,for, considering, the, matter, afresh, giving, sufficient,and,reasonable,opportunity,to,both, the, parties, to, adduce, their, evidence, and, proceed, with, the, matter, in, accordance, with, law,, without, influenced, by, any, of, the, observations,of,this,Court.,,

(d),Considering,the,age,of,both,the,parties,and, that, the, petition, is, for, divorce,, both, the, parties, shall, assist, the, Family, Court, to, dispose, of, the, matter, as, expeditiously, as, possible, without, asking, for, any, further, adjournment.( Sd/-( ((H.T.NARENDRA(PRASAD)( JUDGE( ( Sd/-( ((TYAGARAJA(N.(INAVALLY)( JUDGE( ( MSR, List,No.:,1,Sl,No.:,67/CT:,SB,