ORDER
1. This revisional application is directed against the order dated 7-3-90 passed by the leacned District Judge, Howrah in Mis. Case No. 132 of 1989. The order impugned involves disposal of an application U/S. 24 of the Hindu Marriage Act for an order of alimony pendente lite in favour of the petitioner wife in Mis. Case No. 132 of 1989 arising out of an application for setting aside an ex parte decree under order 9 rule 13 of the CPC. The learned Judge held that since the Mis. Case under order 9 rule 1,3 of the CPC is pending no remedy U/s. 24 of the Hindu Marriage Act will be available to the wife.
According to the learned Judge unless the suit is restored to file there is no scope of passing an order u/s. 24 of the Hindu Marriage Act. In this view of the matter the ld. Judge allowed an application for stay of hearing of the petition u/s. 24 of the Hindu Marriage Act till disposal of the Mis. Case under Or. 9 Rule 13.
2. Mr. Chatterjee, ld. Advocate appealing for the petitioner has contended that the proceeding for setting aside an exparte decree in a matrimanial suit under the Hindu Marriage Act is a proceeding under the Hindu Marriage Act itself. This is so because of the provisions of Sec. 21 of the Hindu Marriage Act. Accordingly, he contended that the ld. Judge made an error in law in not disposing of the application U/s. 24 of the Hindu Marriage Act. It appears from the observations made by the ld. Judge in the order impugned that unless the ex parte decree is set aside proceedings under the Hindu Marriage Act is not revived and accordingly no application u/s. 24 is maintainable as such an application is maintainable in a proceeding arising out of the Act. In support Mr. Chatterjee has cited decision Rishi Dev Anand v. Smt. Devindar Kaur, a single bench of the court lays down that under the Hindu Marriage Act there is no provision for setting aside an ex parte decree. Accordingly, recourse has to be taken to the provisions of CPC for the purpose. In view of Sec. 21 of the Act a proceeding under Order 9 Rule 13 is maintainable. Such a proceeding under the CPC for setting aside ex-parte decree passed under the Hindu Marriage Act is a proceeding under the said Act and during the pendency of such proceedings an application u/s. 24 is maintainable. Mr. Chatterjee on the same contention has also relied on a decision Hemraj Shamrao. Umredkar v. Smt. Lila. It lays down that Sec. 21 of the Hindu Marriage Act engraves the relevant provisions of the code into the Act for regulating the procedure and independently of Sec. 21 the CPC would have no application. Therefore though the procedure for setting aside the ex parte decree would be regulated by the CPC it would only be a proceeding under the Act and application for interim maintenance is therefore maintainable. Mr. Chatterjee referred to a Division Bench decision of this court reported in 93 CWN 79 Apurba Mohan Ghosh v.
Manasi Ghosh, . The
court held that u/s,. 21 of the Hindu Marriage
Act , all proceedings under the , Hindu
Marriage Act shall be regulated as far as may
be by the-Code of Civil Procedure. From this
observation of the Division Bench Mr.
Chatterjee contended that under Or. 9 Rule
1,3 regulates the procedure for setting a decree
obtained” ex parte. But the proceeding is a
proceeding under the Hindu Marriage Act.
3. Mr. Chatterjee then contended that an appeal against an ex-parte decree is maintainable and since an appeal is the continuation of the suit itself relief u/s. 24 of the Hindu Marriage Act may continue in any apeal preferred against the decree passed in a matrimonial suit governed by Hindu Marriage Act. He has referred to a decision Arya Kumar Bal v. Smt. Ila Bal, a Division Bench of this Court held that a wife who has obtained an ex parte decree for annulment of her marriage that alimony pendente lite on the ground of physical impotency of her husband is entitled to claim interim maintenance from the husband during the pendency of an appeal against the decree filed by the husband. Mr. Chatterjee submitted that since a party aggrieved by an ex parte decree against him can take recourse to either preferring an appeal against the said decree or by setting it aside in terms of the provisions of Or. 9 Rule 13. It would be anomalous if an application u/s. 24 of the Hindu Marriage Act is maintainable in case an appeal is preferred against an ex parte decree but it would be maintainable if relief is sought for setting aside the same decree in a proceeding under Or. 9 Rule 13 of the CPC. Accordingly, Mr. Chatterjee contended that the order impugned cannot be sustained in law and the ld. Judge ought to have entertained the application u/ s. 24 of the Hindu Marriage Act and disposed of the same on merit during the pendency of the proceedings under Or. 9 Rule 13.
4. Mr. Mukherjee, on the other hand submitted that since the ex parte decree is still there in full force the status of the petitioner as a wife has ceased to exist. Accordingly, unless, the decree is set aside she is not entitled to maintenance pendente lite as contemplated by Sec. 24 of the Hindu Marriage Act. He also submitted that in the present case after obtaining the ex parte decree the opposite
party husband had married once again in terms of Sec. 15 of the Hindu Marriage Act. Accordingly, he contends that the status of the petitioner as a wife can no longer be accepted on its face value because of charge in circumstances prevailing between the parties. The status of the second wife married after the ex parte decree was passed cannot be altered on getting the decree set aside. In support of his contention Mr. Mukherjee relied on a decision Smt. Lila Gupta v. Laxmi Narain. The court held that a marriage contracted in contravention or violation of the proviso u/s. 15 is not void but merely invalid not effecting the core of marriage and the parties are subject to a binding tic of wedlock flowing from the marriage. Even non compliance of the proviso u/s. 15 does not render a marriage void. This decision was made in case in which the question was if the wife married u/s. 15 of the Hindu Marriage Act can be treated as a heir of her husband if the marriage had taken place in violation of the provision of Sec. 15 of the Act. The context in this case is altogether different. Here the reliefs sought for is setting aside the ex-parte decree obtained by the petitioner. If the application is allowed there will be no decree annulling the previous marriage. Thereafter the question will crop up whether if any marriage solemnized in terms of Sec. 15 after obtaining an ex-parte decree which has been subsequently set aside can be treated as a valid marriage. We do not consider it necessary to consider this aspect of the matter at this stage and keep it open for decision if required in future,
5. Mr. Mukherjee then contended that the application under Or. 9 Rule 13 has been filed beyond the period of limitations and accordingly is accompanied by an application u/S. 5 of the Limitation Act for condonation of delay. The application under Or. 9 Rule 13 cannot be maintained unless the delay is condoned. Since delay has not yet been condoned there is no proceeding under Or. 9 Rule 13 pending before the ld. Judge. Accordingly, he cannot maintain an application u/ s, 24 of the Hindu Marriage Act. In support Mr. Mukherjee placed his reliance on a Full Bench decision of this court (Mamuda Knateem v. Benian Bibi). The court observed “it seems to us that when an appeal is barred by limitation and an
application is made u/s. 5 of the Limitation Act for condonation of delay along with the Memorandum of Appeal until the application u/s. 5 is allowed the appeal cannot be filed or admitted at all. In other words, till a favourable order is made on the application u/s. 5 the appeal is non est. In that event the question of rejecting of memorandum of appeal does not arise at all at this stage.” Drawing similarity between this decision and the instant case before us Mr. Mukherjee submitted that since no application u/s. 5 of the Limitation Act has yet been disposed of proceeding under 0.9 Rule 13 is non est before the ld. Judge. We are unable to agree with the submissions of Mr. Mukherjee. In an appeal a provision is there in the CPC for admission of appeals under Or. 41 but in a proceeding arising out of an application under Or. 9 Rule 13 there is no provision for admission of the same application. At the time of the disposal of the application the, question of its maintainability as it was found beyond the period of limitation will be considered by the ld. Judge. There is no doubt that the proceeding under Or. 9 Rule 13 has been registered as a miscellaneous case on which the order impugned has been passed. Accordingly, it is futile to urge that the proceeding under Or. 9 Rule 13 is non-est.
6. Considering the submissions made by both the parties we are of the view that a proceeding under 0.9 R. 13 of the CPC is a proceeding under the provisions of the Hindu Marriage Act if the proceeding is initiated for setting aside a decree obtained ex parte in a proceeding under the said Act. Accordingly, an application u/s. 24 of the Hindu Marriage Act is maintainable in such a proceeding. If such an application is filed it is open to the court to decide the same on merit but it cannot be held that such application cannot be disposed of till the proceedings under 0.9 R. 13 terminate and the decree is set aside.
7. In this view of the matter we allow this
application set aside the order impugned and
direct the ld. Judge to dispose of the applica
tion u/s. 24 of the Hindu Marriage Act in
accordance with law. There will be no order as
to costs.
Abani Mohan Sinha, J.
8. I agree.
9. Application allowed.