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Gopali (Smt.) Vs. Laxmi Narain - Court Judgment

SooperKanoon Citation

Subject

Family

Court

Rajasthan High Court

Decided On

Judge

Reported in

RLW2007(1)Raj592

Appellant

Gopali (Smt.)

Respondent

Laxmi Narain

Disposition

Appeal allowed

Excerpt:


.....to be examined whether the person was fully integrated into the employers concern or has remained apart from and independent of it. the other facts which may be relevant are as to who has the power to select and dismiss, to pay remuneration, to organize the work, etc. a full time worker usually works in a week for 40 hours or more depending on the award or agreement. if a person falls under the definition of workman under section 2(s) and does not fall in any excluded category, he will be covered by the definition of workman under the i.d. act, and he will be entitled to all the benefits under the said act. a perusal of section 2(s) indicates that it does not specifically refer to a part-time workman nor does it specifically exclude a part-time workman from the definition of :workman. since the number of hours is not the determining criterion for deciding whether a person falls within the definition of workman or not, it cannot be said that a part-time worker is not a workman within the meaning of the provisions of the i.d. act. however, to decide the status of a worker rendering services for less than 40 hours a week, various aspects are required to be considered. the..........no. 1, jaipur whereby the decree of divorce was granted in favour of the respondent husband on the ground of cruelty and desertion.2. contextual facts depict that the respondent husband in the petition under section 13 of the hindu marriage act averred that he entered into the marriage with gopali (appellant) on may 12, 1981 and from their wedlock a male child was born on february 10, 1982. the wife thereafter treated him cruelly and left his house in may, 1982 leaving behind the child. the application seeking restoration of conjugal rights was filed by the wife which stood disposed of in july, 1984 on the basis of compromise and she started residing with him. since she treated him cruelly and deserted him, he was entitled to the decree of divorce.3. the appellant wife submitted reply to the application denying the allegations levelled against her in the application. as many as three issues were framed on the basis of pleadings of the parties. thereafter both the parties examined their witnesses. on hearing final submissions learned court below held that since the wife treated the husband cruelly and deserted him, he was entitled to decree of divorce.4. we have heard the.....

Judgment:


Shiv Kumar Sharma, J.

1. The appellant wife seeks to quash the order dated October 12, 1998 of Family Court No. 1, Jaipur whereby the decree of divorce was granted in favour of the respondent husband on the ground of cruelty and desertion.

2. Contextual facts depict that the respondent husband in the petition under Section 13 of the Hindu Marriage Act averred that he entered into the marriage with Gopali (appellant) on May 12, 1981 and from their wedlock a male child was born on February 10, 1982. The wife thereafter treated him cruelly and left his house in May, 1982 leaving behind the child. The application seeking restoration of conjugal rights was filed by the wife which stood disposed of in July, 1984 on the basis of compromise and she started residing with him. Since she treated him cruelly and deserted him, he was entitled to the decree of divorce.

3. The appellant wife submitted reply to the application denying the allegations levelled against her in the application. As many as three issues were framed on the basis of pleadings of the parties. Thereafter both the parties examined their witnesses. On hearing final submissions learned court below held that since the wife treated the husband cruelly and deserted him, he was entitled to decree of divorce.

4. We have heard the submissions advanced before us.

5. Having scanned the statements of Laxmi Narain, the respondent husband, we notice that all the alleged acts of cruelty were prior to 1986. After the parties lived as wife and husband continuously for a period of nine years and carried on their marital ties, it will be deemed that the husband condoned all those cruel acts allegedly committed by the wife prior to 1986.

6. We also find that there is no trustworthy evidence on-record to establish that the wife had deserted the husband. After the wife and husband continuously resided together For nine years after the compromise entered between them in 1986, it is difficult to believe that the wife deserted the husband without any reasonable cause. The husband from his testimony as well as from the evidence of other witnesses viz. Vasudev Prasad (PW. 2), Banwari Lal (PW. 3) and Om Prakash (PW. 4) could not establish that there was animus-deserandi Learned Court below In our opinion did not consider the evidence properly and committed Illegality In passing the decree of divorce.

7. For these reasons, the appeal stands allowed and the impugned judgment and decree dated October 12, 1998 are set aside. There shall be no order as costs.


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