High Court Kerala High Court

Seemanthini vs G.Suresh Kumar on 6 September, 2010

Kerala High Court
Seemanthini vs G.Suresh Kumar on 6 September, 2010
       

  

  

 
 
  IN THE HIGH COURT OF KERALA AT ERNAKULAM

Tr.P(C).No. 73 of 2010()


1. SEEMANTHINI, D/O.DAMODARAN,
                      ...  Petitioner

                        Vs



1. G.SURESH KUMAR, S/O.GOPALAN,
                       ...       Respondent

                For Petitioner  :SRI.M.MUHAMMED SHAFI

                For Respondent  : No Appearance

The Hon'ble MR. Justice THOMAS P.JOSEPH

 Dated :06/09/2010

 O R D E R
                             THOMAS P. JOSEPH, J.
                            --------------------------------------
                              Tr.P.(C) No.73 of 2010
                            --------------------------------------
                   Dated this the 6th day of September, 2010.

                                         ORDER

Respondent is served on the petition but he has not responded. Heard

counsel for petitioner.

2. This petition is filed by the wife seeking transfer of O.P. (G&W)

No.786 of 2009 from Family Court, Palakkad to Family Court, Kozhikode.

That is a petition filed by the respondent/husband seeking custody of his eldest

child aged about seven years. It is stated that petitioner is a resident of

Mathara in Kozhikode District and she has to travel about 100 kms. from her

place of residence to contest the case pending in Family Court, Palakkad. It is

stated that petitioner filed M.C.No.259 of 2006 seeking maintenance for herself

and the children and that application was allowed in the year 2007. But

respondent did not pay any amount. Hence he was arrested and produced in

Family Court, Kozhikode in the year 2009. At that time he paid certain amounts.

It is thereafter that he filed O.P.(G&W) No.786 of 2009 in Family Court,

Palakkad. Learned counsel states that petitioner is aged 30 years and there is

nobody to accompany her to Family Court, Palakkad.

3. The Supreme Court in Sumitha Singh v. Kumar Sanjay

and another (AIR 2002 SC 396) and Arti Rani v. Dharmendra

Kumar Gupta [(2008) 9 SCC 353] has stated that while considering the

Tr.P.(C) No.73/2010

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request for transfer of matrimonial proceedings convenience of the wife has to

be looked into. True that does not mean that inconvenience if any of the

husband need not be considered.

4. Petitioner/wife is staying at Kozhilode and that is more than 100

kms. away from Family Court, Palakkad. In M.C.No.259 of 2006 Family Court,

Kozhikode has already directed respondent to pay maintenance. That is in the

execution stage. Having regard to the circumstances stated by petitioner I am

inclined to think that the comparative hardship of petitioner is more if request for

transfer is not allowed. Hence I am inclined to allow this petition.

Resultantly this petition is allowed in the following lines:

i. O.P. No.786 of 2009 pending in Family Court, Palakkad is

withdrawn from that court and made over to Family Court, Kozhikode for trial

and disposal.

ii. The transferor court shall, while transmitting records of the case to

the transferee court fix the date for appearance of parties in the transferee

court with due intimation to the counsel on both sides.

iii. It is made clear that except when physical presence of respondent

is required in the transferee court it is open to him to appear through counsel.

Tr.P.(C) No.73/2010

3

I.A.No.623 of 2010 will stand dismissed.

THOMAS P.JOSEPH,
Judge.

cks