Judgment Case ID: 5630

Judgment:
ION: Special Leave Petition (Civil) No. 13306 of 1986. From the Judgment and order dated 16.7.1986 of the High Court of Punjab and Haryana in First Appeal from Order No. 110/M of 1986	 and Civil Misc. No. 3087 C11 of 1986. Mrs. Sarla Chandra and Girish Chandra for the Petitioner. Mukul Mudgal and P.K. Jain for the Respondent. The Judgment of the Court was delivered by SEN	 J. In this special leave petition by the wife against the decree for dissolution of marriage granted by the Additional District Judge	 Patiala dated 29th March	 1986 on the ground of cruelty under section 13(ia) of the 	 against which the petitioner wife had preferred an appeal to the Punjab & Haryana High Court and which the High Court by its order dated 16th July	 1986 dismissed in limine	 a preliminary objection is raised that the petition has become infructuous inasmuch as the respondent husband has in the meanwhile married again on 17th August	 1986 i.e. just after a month of the dismissal of her appeal. It is not necessary to state the facts in any detail. It is enough to say that the learned District Judge held the wife guilty of mental cruelty for having voluntarily deprived the husband of her society and cohabitation for a long period as	 according to him	 marriage without sex is an anathema. He further held that the wife had falsely charged the husband with adultery. It is quite evident on these facts that the marriage has irretrievably broken. 1101 We heard learned counsel for the parties and the question is whether the condition pre requisite before a lawful marriage can take place after a decree for dissolution of marriage under section 15 of the Act has been fulfilled. Prior to its amendment by the Marriage Laws (Amendment) Act	 1976 by which the proviso was deleted	 section 15 was in these terms: "15. When a marriage has been dissolved by a decree of divorce and either there is no right of appeal against the decree or	 if there is such a right of appeal	 the time for appealing has expired without an appeal having been presented	 or an appeal has been presented but has been dismissed	 it shall be lawful for either party to the marriage to marry again. Provided that it shall not be lawful for the respective parties to marry again unless at the date of such marriage at least one year has elapsed from the date of the decree in the court of the first instance. " Emphasis supplied Prior to the Amendment Act of 1976	 the proviso to section 5 laid down a period of waiting of one year between the passing of a decree for divorce by the Court of first instance and the remarriage of any of the spouses. The Allahabad High Court in Lila Gupta vs Laxminarayan	 ILR (1969) 1 All 92 and the Calcutta High Court in Uma Charan Roy vs Smt. Kajal Roy	 AIR (1971) Cal. 307 held that such period of waiting was enjoined on the parties in the interests of public policy and morality so as to discourage divorcees from entering into fresh matrimony and to avoid confusion of parentage. It was pointed out that even in Mohammadan law a divorced wife is expected to marry any other man only after the expiry of the period of iddat to avoid a danger of confusion of paternity. It was accordingly held that the prohibition being mandatory	 if any divorced party married again within a period of one year	 such marriage was nullity. That view however did not find favour with this Court in Lila Gupta vs Laxmi Narain & Ors.	 ; and it was held that a marriage contracted in contravention of the rule relating to one year laid down in the proviso would not be void. The Court referred to the following observations of Dr. Lushington in Catterall vs Sweetman	 [1845] 9 Jur. 951	 954: "The words in this section are negative words	 and are clearly prohibitory of the marriage being had without the 1102 prescribed requisites	 but whether the marriage itself is void . . is a question of very great difficulty. It is to be recollected that there are no words in the Act rendering the marriage void	 and I have sought in vain for any case in which a marriage has been declared null and void unless there were words in the statute expressly so declaring it . From this examination of these Acts I draw two conclusions. First	 that there never appears to have been a decision where words in a statute relating to marriage	 though prohibitory and negative	 have been held to infer a nullity	 unless such nullity was declared in the Act. Secondly	 that	 viewing the successive marriage Acts	 it appears that prohibitory words	 without a declaration of nullity	 were not considered by the legislature to create a nullity. " It was observed that a decree for divorce breaks the marital tie and the parties forfeit the status of husband and wife in relation to each other. But there was nothing in section 15 of the Act to make that marriage a nullity. The reason for this was an incapacity for second marriage for a certain period does not have the effect of treating the former marriage as subsisting. Under the law laid down in this enactment	 monogamy is the rule and a party can only contract a valid second marriage after the first ceases to exist in the manner envisaged by section 15. The rule laid down in this section is an integral part of the proceedings by which alone both the parties to the decree of divorce can be released from their incapacity to contract a fresh marriage. The Law Commission in its 59th Report on and however suggested the deletion of the proviso to section 15 which laid down that it shall not be lawful for the respective parties to marry again unless at the date of such marriage at least one year has elapsed from the date of the decree in the Court of the first instance	 for the reason extracted below: "The consideration of the parties	 freedom to marry and the inconvenience caused by the prohibition to remarry	 out weighed the two fold purpose	 i.e. avoiding confusion of parentage and checking an attempt to obtain divorce from one woman with the specific object of marrying another woman." 1103 Parliament accordingly by the Marriage Laws (Amendment) Act	 1976 has done away with the period of waiting by deleting the proviso. In Lila Gupta 's case	 this Court held that the effect of deleting the proviso is that parties whose marriage is dissolved by a decree for divorce can contract marriage soon thereafter provided	 of course	 the period of appeal has expired and that all pending proceedings have to be decided as if the proviso had not been applicable. The deletion of the proviso has given rise to a question of great difficulty. The section when it speaks of a case where there is a 'right of appeal ' does not in terms cover a case of an application for special leave to appeal to the Supreme Court under article 136 of the Constitution. In Chandra Mohini Srivastava vs Avinash Prasad Srivastava & Anr.	 ; 	 on somewhat similar facts it was held that though section 15 in terms does not apply to a case of special leave to appeal to the Supreme Court	 a spouse who has won in the High Court and got a decree of dissolution of marriage cannot by marrying immediately after the High Court 's Judgment take away the right of presenting an application for special leave to appeal from the other spouse. It was further held that the successful party must wait for a reasonable time and make sure whether an application for special leave has been filed in this Court. Wanchoo	 J. speaking for a two Judge Bench said: "It is true that section 15 does not in terms apply to a case of an application for special leave to this Court. Even so	 we are of opinion that the party who has won in the High Court and got a decree of dissolution of marriage cannot by marrying immediately after the High Court 's decree take away from the losing party the chance of presenting an application for special leave. Even though section 15 may not apply in terms and it may not have been unlawful for the first respondent to have married immediately after the High Court 's decree	 for no appeal as of right lies from the decree of the High Court to this Court in this matter	 we still think that it was for the first respondent to make sure whether an application for special leave had been filed in this Court and he could not by marrying immediately after the High Court 's decree deprive the appellant of the chance to present a special leave petition to this Court. If a person does so	 he takes a risk and cannot ask this Court to revoke the special leave on this ground. " In the present case	 the respondent in the counter affidavit has 1104 denied any knowledge of the fact that an appeal had been preferred in the High Court or of its dismissal and therefore asserts that he was justified in contracting a second marriage on 17th August	 1986 i.e. immediately after the expiry of one month from the date of the decree of dissolution of marriage passed by the learned Additional District Judge. This fact is controverted by the petitioner in her affidavit in reply. She has placed a copy of the registered notice dated 31st May	 1986 intimating the respondent of the filing of the appeal. In view of this	 it was incumbent on the respondent to have enquired about the fate of the appeal. At any rate	 the High Court having dismissed the appeal on 16th July	 1986 the petitioner could have presented a special leave petition within ninety days therefrom under article 133(c) of the i.e. till 14th September	 1986. Till that period was over	 it was not lawful for either party to marry again as provided by section 15. It was incumbent on the respondent	 as observed in Lila Gupta 's case to have apprised himself as to whether the appeal in the High Court was still pending; and if not	 whether the period for filing a special leave petition to this Court had expired. We must accordingly overrule the preliminary objection following the views expressed in Chandra Mohini 's and Lila Gupta 's cases. We wish to add that in the subsequent decision in Lila Gupta the Court while dealing with the effect of deletion of the proviso observed: "The net result is that now since the amendment parties whose marriage is dissolved by a decree of divorce can contract marriage soon thereafter provided of course the period of appeal has expired." The Court adverted to the word of caution administered by Wanchoo	 J. in Chandra Mohini 's case and reiterated: "Even	 though it may not have been unlawful for the husband to have married immediately after the High Court 's decree for no appeal as of right lies from the decree of the High Court to this Court	 still it was for the respondent to make sure whether an application for special leave had been filed in this Court and he could not	 by marrying immediately after the High Court 's decree	 deprive the wife of the chance of presenting a special leave petition to this Court. If a person does so	 he takes a risk and could not ask the Court to revoke the special leave on that ground." 1105 We must for this reason overrule the preliminary objection and direct the special leave petition to be placed for hearing. There shall be no order as to costs.

Summary:
% Section 15 of the provided that when a marriage was dissolved by a decree of divorce	 it shall be lawful for either of the spouses to marry again	 where either there was no right of appeal or where there was such a right of appeal	 the time for appealing	 had expired	 without the appeal being presented or the appeal having been presented	 was dismissed. Proviso to the section provided that it shall not be lawful for either of them to remarry unless at the date of such marriage at least one year had elapsed from the date of decree in the court of first instance. This proviso was deleted by the Marriage Laws (Amendment) Act	 1976. A decree for dissolution of marriage was granted by the Additional District Judge against the petitioner wife on the ground of cruelty under section 13(i a) of the . The petitioner wife 's appeal to the High Court was dismissed in limine. The petitioner wife filed a Special Leave Petition in this Court. A preliminary objection was raised on behalf of the respondent husband 1099 that the petition had become infructuous inasmuch as the respondent husband had meanwhile married again on 17th August	 1986	 just a month after the dismissal of the petitioner 's appeal by the High Court. Over ruling the preliminary objection and directing the Special Leave Petition to be placed for hearing	 ^ HELD: Under the law laid down in the 	 monogamy is the rule and a party can only contract valid second marriage after the first ceases to exist in the manner envisaged by section 15. This rule is an integral part of the proceedings by which alone both the parties to the decree can be released from their incapacity to contract a fresh marriage. [1102E F] Prior to the Amendment Act of 1976	 the proviso to section 15 laid down a period of waiting of one year between the passing of a decree for divorce by the court of first instance and the remarriage of any of the spouses. The deletion of this proviso	 by the Marriage Laws (Amendment Act)	 1976 and doing away with the period of waiting has given rise to a question of great difficulty. [1103A B] The section	 when it speaks of a case where there is a "right of appeal" does not in terms cover the case of an application for special leave to appeal to the Supreme Court under Article 136 of the Constitution. [1103B C] Under Article 133(c) of the a special leave petition can be filed within 90 days from the date of the disposal of the appeal by the High Court. Therefore	 a successful party cannot take away the right of presenting an application from the other spouse by marrying immediately after the High Court 's judgment and must wait till that period was over and make sure whether an application for special leave has been filed in the Supreme Court. [1103C D] Chandra Mohini Srivastava vs Avinash Prasad Srivastava Ors. ; 	 	 followed. In the instant case	 the High Court having dismissed the appeal on 16th July	 1986	 the petitioner could have presented a special leave petition within ninety days therefrom i.e. till 14th September	 1986. Till that period was over	 it was not lawful for either party to marry again as provided by section 15. [1104C D] 1100 Though the respondent has denied any knowledge of the filing of the appeal in the High Court or of its dismissal	 and has justified the second marriage on August 17	 1986	 this has been controverted by the petitioner	 by filing a copy of the registered notice dated May 31	 1986	 intimating the respondent of the filing of the appeal. It was	 therefore	 incumbent on the respondent to have apprised himself as to whether the appeal in the High Court was still pending; and if not	 whether the period for filing a special leave petition to this Court had expired. [1104A C] Catterall vs Sweetman	 [1845] 9 Jur. 951	 954	 referred to.