Case: MR. ANURAG MITTAL Vs. MRS. SHAILY MISHRA MITTAL

1. By a judgment dated 31.08.2009, the Additional District Judge, North, Tis Hazari Court, Delhi allowed the petition filed by Ms. Rachna Aggarwal under Section 13 (1) (i) (a) of the Hindu Marriage Act, 1955 (hereinafter referred to as the Act?) and dissolved the marriage between her and the Appellant. By the said judgment the petition filed under Section 9 of the Act by the Appellant for restitution of conjugal rights was dismissed. The Appellant filed appeals against the said judgment and the operation of the judgment and decreeIn the meanwhile, the Appellant married the Respondent on 06.12.2011. Matrimonial discord between the Appellant and the Respondent led to the filing of a petition by the Respondent for declaring the marriage as void under Section 5 (i) read with Section 11 of the Act. The main ground in the petition was that the appeal filed by the Appellant against the decree of divorce dated 31 st August, 2009 was pending on the date of their marriage i.e. 06.12.2011. The Family Court dismissed the petition filed by the Respondent. The Respondent challenged the judgment of the Family Court in the High Court. By a judgment dated 10.08.2016, the High Court set aside the judgment of the Family Court and allowed the appeal of the Respondent and declared the marriage between the Appellant and the Respondent held on 06.12.2011 as null and void. Aggrieved by the judgment of the High Court, the Appellant has approached thiswas held by the Family Court that the judgment and decree of divorce dated 31.08.2009 is a judgment in rem which was neither reversed nor set aside by a superior court. As the judgment was confirmed by the High Court, the marriage between the parties stood dissolved w.e.f. 31.08.2009 itself. The Family Court also observed that there is no provision in the Act which declares a marriage in contravention of Section 15 to be void. It was further held by the Family Court that the effect of stay of the judgment by a superior court is only that the decree of divorce remained in abeyance but it did not becomeOn the other hand, the High Court framed a question whether the Appellant could have contracted a second marriage after the decree of divorce was passed on 31.08.2009 notwithstanding the operation of the decree being stayed. The High Court was of the opinion that any marriage solemnized by a party during the pendency of the appeal wherein the operation of the decree of divorce was stayed, would be in contravention of Section 5 (i) of the Act.

Reasoning: 7. In the said judgment, this Court also had occasion to deal with the continuance of the marital tie even after the decree of divorce for the period of incapacity as provided in the Proviso to Section 15 of the Act. In the said context, this Court held as follows:13. T o say that such provision continues the marriage tie even after the decree of divorce for the period of incapacity is to attribute a certain status to the parties whose marriage is already dissolved by divorce and for which there is no legal sanction. A decree of divorce breaks the marital tie and the parties forfeit the status of husband and wife in relation to each other. Each one becomes competent to contract another marriage as provided byMerely because each one of them is prohibited from contracting a second marriage for a certain period it could not be said that despite there being a decree of divorce for certain purposes the first marriage subsists or is presumed to subsist. Some incident of marriage does survive the decree of divorce; say, liability to pay permanent alimony but on that account it cannot be said that the marriage subsists beyond the date of decree of divorce. Section 13 which provides for divorce in terms says that a marriage solemnised may on a petition presented by the husband or the wife be dissolved by a decree of divorce on one or more of the grounds mentioned in that section. The dissolution is complete once the decree is made, subject of course, to appeal. But a final decree of divorce in terms dissolves the marriage. No incident of such dissolved marriage can bridge and bind the parties whose marriage is dissolved by divorce at a time posterior to the date of decree. An incapacity for second marriage for a certain period does not have effect of treating the former marriage as subsisting. During the period of incapacity the parties cannot be said to be the spouses within the meaning of clause (i),(1) of Section 5. The word ?spouse? has been understood to connote a husband or a wife which term itself postulates a subsisting marriage. The word ?spouse? in(1) of Section 5 cannot be interpreted to mean a former spouse because even after the divorce when a second marriage is contracted if the former spouse is living that would not prohibit the parties from contracting the marriage within the meaning of clause (i) of(1) of Section 5. The expression ?spouse? in clause (i), subsection (1) of Section 5 by its very context would not include within its meaning the expression ?former spouse?. (underliningAfter a comprehensive review of the scheme of the Act and the legislative intent, this Court in Lila Gupta (supra) held that a marriage in contravention of the proviso to Section 15 is not void. Referring to Sections 5 and 11 of the Act, this Court found that a marriage contracted in breach of only some of the conditions renders the marriage void. This Court was also conscious of the absence of any penalty prescribed for contravention of the proviso to Section 15 of the Act. This Court referred to the negative expression ?it shall not be lawful? used in proviso to Section 15 which indicates that the prohibition was absolute. In spite of the absolute prohibition, this Court was of the view that a marriage contracted in violation of the proviso to Section 15 was not void. There was a further declaration that the dissolution of a marriage is in rem and unless and until a Court of appeal reversed it, marriage for all purposes was not subsisting. The dissolution of the marriage is complete once the decree is made, subject of course to appeal. This Court also decided that incapacity for second marriage for a certain period of time does not have the effect of treating the former marriage as subsisting and the expression ‘spouse? would not include within its meaning the expression ‘former spouse?.9. The majority judgment was concerned only with the interpretation of proviso to Section 15 of the Act. Justice Pathak in his concurring judgment referred to Section 15, but refrained from expressing any opinion on its interpretation.There is no dispute that the application for withdrawal of the appeal was filed on 28.11.2011 i.e. prior to the date of the marriage on 06.12.2011. We proceed to consider the point that whether the date of dismissal of the appeal relates back to the date of filing of the application for withdrawal of the appeal. Order XXI Rule 89 (2) of the Code of Civil Procedure, 1908 (hereinafter referred to as ?the CPC?) provides that unless an application filed under Order XXI Rule 90 of the CPC is withdrawn, a person shall not be entitled to make or prosecute an application under Order XXI Rule 89 of the CPC. In Shiv Prasad v. Durga Prasad,the contention of the Appellant therein that an application filed under the aforesaid Rule 90 does not stand withdrawn until an order to the effect is recorded by the Court, was not accepted. It was held that every applicant has a right to unconditionally withdraw his application and his unilateral act in that behalf is sufficient. No order of the Court is necessary permitting the withdrawal of the application. This Court concluded that the act of withdrawal is complete as soon as the applicant intimates the Court that he intends to withdraw the application. The High Court of Bombay in Anil Dinmani Shankar Joshi v. Chief Officer, Panvel Municipal Council, Panvelfollowed the judgment of this Court in Shiv Prasad (supra) and held that the said judgment is applicable to suits also. The High Court recognized the unconditional right of the plaintiff to withdraw his suit and held that the withdrawal would becomplete as soon as the plaintiff files his purshis of withdrawal.We have already noted that Justice Pathak refrained from expressing any view on the expression of Section 15 of the Act. However, the scope and purport of Section 15 of the Act arise for consideration in the present case. Interpretation of Section 15 Interpretation has been explained by Cross in Statutory Interpretationhe meaning that the Court ultimately attaches to the statutory words will frequently be that which it believes members of the legislature attached to them, or the meaning which they would have attached to the words had the situation before the Court been present to their minds. Interpretation is the process by which the Court determines the meaning of a statutoryprovision for the purpose of applying it to the situation before it?.The Hindu Marriage Act is a social welfare legislation and a beneficent legislation and it has to be interpreted in a manner which advances the object of the legislation. The Act intends to bring about social reforms. 9 It is well known that this Court cannot interpret a socially beneficial legislation on the basis as if the words therein are cast in stone. 1015. The predominant nature of the purposive interpretation was recognized by this Court in Shailesh Dhairyawan v. Mohan Balkrishna Lulla 11 which is as follows:33. We may also emphasise that the statutory interpretation of a provision is never static but is always dynamic. Though the literal rule of interpretation, till some time ago, was treated as the ?golden rule?, it is now the doctrine of purposive interpretation which is predominant, particularly in those cases where literal interpretation may not serve the purpose or may lead to absurdity. If it brings about an end which is at variance with the purpose of statute, that cannot be countenanced. Not only legal process thinkers such as Hart and Sacks rejected intentionalism as a grand strategy for statutory interpretation, and in its place they offered purposivism, this principle is now widely applied bya v.the courts not only in this country but in many other legal systems as well.Section 15 of the Act provides that it shall be lawful for either party to marry again after dissolution of a marriage if there is no right of appeal against the decree. A second marriage by either party shall be lawful only after dismissal of an appeal against the decree of divorce, if filed. If there is no right of appeal, the decree of divorce remains final and that either party to the marriage is free to marry again. In case an appeal is presented, any marriage before dismissal of the appeal shall not be lawful. The object of the provision is to provide protection to the person who has filed an appeal against the decree of dissolution of marriage and to ensure that the said appeal is not frustrated. The purpose of Section 15 of the Act is to avert complications that would arise due to a second marriage during the pendency of the appeal, in case the decree of dissolution of marriage is reversed. The protection that is afforded by Section 15 is primarily to a person who is contesting the decree of divorce.19. Aggrieved by the decree of divorce, the Appellant filed an appeal and obtained a stay of the decree. During the pendency of the appeal, there was a settlement between him and his former spouse. After entering into a settlement, he did not intend to contest the decree of divorce. His intention was made clear by filing of the application for withdrawal. It cannot be said that he has to wait till a formal order is passed in the appeal, or otherwise his marriage dated 06.12.2011 shall be unlawful. Following the principles of purposive construction, we are of the opinion that the restriction placed on a second marriage in Section 15 of the Act till the dismissal of an appeal would not apply to a case where parties have settled and decided not to pursue the appeal.