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2014 DIGILAW 434 (JK)

Rinkash Singh Rakwal v. Shivani Rakwal

2014-10-30

TASHI RABSTAN

body2014
JUDGMENT : Tashi Rabstan, J.:- 1. Petitioner through the medium of instant petition under Section 104 of the Constitution of the Jammu and Kashmir has invoked writ jurisdiction of this Court for setting aside order dated 30.09.2013 passed by learned Additional District Judge (Matrimonial Cases), Jammu in case titled as Rinkash Rakwal v. Shivani Rakwal (hereinafter for short as 'impugned order') by virtue of which learned trial Court has dismissed the application filed by the petitioner seeking quashment of medical report submitted by Dr. J.R. Thappa, Head of the Department of Psychiatry, Govt. Medical College, Jammu dated 02.05.2012, and to implement order dated 16.04.2012 and also to medically diagnose and treat the respondent No. 1 by an expert Psychiatric Doctor for curing Neurotic and Psychiatric ailment of respondent No. 1 on the grounds taken in the memo of petition. As per the averments made in the petition, it appears that petitioner has filed petition under Section 9 of the Jammu and Kashmir Hindu Marriage Act, seeking restitution of conjugal rights which is pending disposal before learned Additional District Judge (Matrimonial Cases), Jammu since 03.06.2010. It is contended that subsequent to filing of said petition, respondent No. 1 on the instigation of respondent No. 2, who is father-in-law of petitioner has also filed petition under Sections 13, 30 and 33 of Hindu Marriage Act against petitioner. It is contended that petitioner tried to bring respondent No. 1 back to matrimonial home, but respondent No. 2 did not allow her. It is further contended that marriage between petitioner and respondent No. 1 was solemnized on 20.10.2009, but the fact of the matter is that respondent No. 1 was suffering from psychiatric disorder/ailments much prior to her marriage which is evident from prescriptions dated 20.02.2004, 18.03.2005, 16.10.2006, 13.09.2006 and 13.01.2009 issued by different Medical Consultants/Doctors including Medical Consultants/Doctors from Jammu and Chandigarh. Prescription dated 16.10.2006 issued by Doctor of Govt. Medical Hospital, Jammu clearly demonstrates that respondent No. 1 was advised to have certain medicines which clearly substantiates that she was suffering from disease. Prescription dated 16.10.2006 issued by Doctor of Govt. Medical Hospital, Jammu clearly demonstrates that respondent No. 1 was advised to have certain medicines which clearly substantiates that she was suffering from disease. It is further contended that despite subsistence of valid marriage, respondent No. 2 has got respondent No. 1's name registered with Tuli Wedding Hub a matrimonial bureau and even tried to re-marry respondent No. 1 to someone else, to which petitioner was constrained to institute a Civil Suit for Permanent Prohibition Injunction against respondent No. 2 for contracting second marriage of respondent No. 1. Keeping in view psychiatric conditions of respondent No. 1, the petitioner moved an application seeking directions against respondent No. 2 to produce respondent No. 1 for medical diagnosis and treatment by an expert Psychiatric Doctor/Medical Board, to which learned trial Court vide order dated 16.04.2012 directed respondent No. 2 to produce respondent No. 1 for medical diagnosis and treatment by a Psychiatric Doctor and Medical Board for curing a Neurotic and Psychiatric ailments of respondent No. 1. Medical Board vide its report dated 02.05.2012 submitted that as per current mental status examination, she (respondent No. 1 herein) is fit to participate in the court proceedings. Petitioner being aggrieved of the said medical report, which was in consonance with order dated 16.04.2012, filed application seeking quashment of report dated 02.05.2012 and directing the Board to file report in terms of order dated 16.04.2012, but the court below dismissed the said application vide order dated 30.09.2013. It is this order, which is called-in-question in the present petition on the grounds set out in it. 2. Respondents have filed objections and refuted all the allegations levelled against them. 3. Heard learned counsel for the parties and perused the record. 4. Precisely, the case of the petitioner is that impugned order has been passed in hot haste; without application of mind and without taking into consideration the grounds taken by the petitioner in the application. It is not in dispute that petition under Section 9 of the Hindu Marriage Act is pending consideration before the Court of learned Additional District Judge (Matrimonial Cases), Jammu. It is not in dispute that petition under Section 9 of the Hindu Marriage Act is pending consideration before the Court of learned Additional District Judge (Matrimonial Cases), Jammu. However, learned counsel contended that the court below without appreciating the written arguments and without appreciating the facts that the medical board completely failed to comply with order dated 16.04.2012 passed by the court below, dismissed the application of the petitioner vide impugned order dated 30.09.2013. 5. Now, before deciding the controversy raised in the present petition, the question for consideration would be whether the present petition filed under Section 104 of the Constitution of State of Jammu & Kashmir would be maintainable? The answer is negated for the following reasons. 6. Petitioner has not questioned the competence-jurisdiction of the trial Court. Petitioner has also not averred in the petition that trial Court or appellate Court has passed the order without or in excess of jurisdiction. 7. The maintainability of the petition is put under cloud by its very own averments on the ground that Civil Procedure Code has undergone a sea change with the amendment of 2009. The amendment has restricted the powers of the revisional Court. Virtually, petition is in the nature of revision petition and if such a practice is adopted and allowed that will render the aim and object of the amendment in fructuous and meaningless. The fact of this Court having vast powers under Articles 226 and 227 is undisputed, but care has to be taken when the same is warranted to be exercised, because the powers under such Articles has to be utilized very cautiously, carefully, sparingly and in rarest of the rare cases. 8. The Apex Court in case titled Shalini Shyam Shetty v. Rajendra Shankar Patil reported as 2010 AIR SCW 6387has observed that there is tendency in High Courts to entertain petition under Article 227 of the Constitution against the orders against which revision is barred in terms of amended Act of CPC. It is apt to reproduce paragraph Nos. 80, 81 and 82 of the judgment supra herein:- "80. We may also observe that in some High Courts there is tendency of entertaining petitions under Article 227 of the Constitution by terming them as writ petitions. It is apt to reproduce paragraph Nos. 80, 81 and 82 of the judgment supra herein:- "80. We may also observe that in some High Courts there is tendency of entertaining petitions under Article 227 of the Constitution by terming them as writ petitions. This is sought to be justified on an erroneous appreciation of the ratio in Surya Dev (supra) and in view of the recent amendment to Section 115 of the Civil Procedure Code by Civil Procedure Code (Amendment) Act, 1999. It is urged that as a result of the amendment, scope of Section 115 of CPC has been curtailed. In our view, even if the scope of Section 115 CPC is curtailed that has not resulted in expanding High Court's power of superintendence. It is too well known to be reiterated that in exercising its jurisdiction, High Court must follow the regime of law. 81. As a result of frequent interference by Hon'ble High Court either under Article 226 or 227 of the Constitution with pending civil and at times criminal cases, the disposal of cases by the civil and criminal courts gets further impeded and thus causing serious problems in the administration of justice. 82. This Court hopes and trusts that in exercising its power either under Article 226 or 227, Hon'ble High Court will follow the time honoured principles discussed above. Those principles have been formulated by this Court for ends of justice and the High Courts as the highest Courts of justice within their jurisdiction will adhere to them strictly." 9. The Apex Court in a case titled Kokkanda B. Poondacha & others v. K.D. Ganapathi & another reported as 2011 AIR SCW 1737, held that invoking of writ or supervisory jurisdiction against interlocutory orders is permissible only when any subordinate Court has acted without or in excess of jurisdiction and not otherwise. 10. The Apex Court in a case titled Kokkanda B. Poondacha & others v. K.D. Ganapathi & another reported as 2011 AIR SCW 1737, held that invoking of writ or supervisory jurisdiction against interlocutory orders is permissible only when any subordinate Court has acted without or in excess of jurisdiction and not otherwise. 10. This Court also in case titled Abdul Rehman Dar and others v. Showkat Ali Bhat and others reported in 2011 (4) JKJ 334 [HC] and in case titled Kuldip Singh and others v. Krishna Devi and others passed by the Hon'ble Division Bench of this Court in LPAOW No. 30/2013 dated 16.04.2013, while following the aforesaid judgments of the Apex Court, has laid down the same principle that if a party which loses the case before the trial Court or before the appellate Court is allowed to file writ petition and thereafter if such writ petition is entertained without any check and balance that will amount to beating litigation and in breach of the purpose, aim and object of the legislation which was made basis for amendment of the CPC. 11. In Shalini Shyam Shetty (supra) Hon'ble Supreme Court has surveyed judicial pronouncements as to the nature of the power of superintendence and control conferred on the High Courts under Article 227 of the Constitution (Section 104 of the Constitution of Jammu and Kashmir). Hon'ble Supreme Court in this case has started with the constitutional Bench's judgment of the Court in Waryam Singh v. Amar Nath, AIR 1954 SC 215 , where the Court, while relying upon a Special Bench judgment delivered by Harries, C.J., in Dalmia Jain Airway Ltd. v. Sukumar Mukherjee, AIR 1951 Cal. 193 , had held that the power of superintendence conferred by Article 227 is to be exercised most sparingly and only in appropriate cases in order to keep the Subordinate Courts within the bounds of their authority and not for correcting mere errors. Hon'ble Supreme Court has also referred to another constitution Bench judgment in State of Gujarat v. Vakhat Singh Ji Vajesingh Ji Vaggekam, AIR 1968 SC 1481 , in which the Court has opined that the supervisory power under Art. 227 is meant to keep the subordinate Tribunal within the limits of their authority and to ensure that they obey law. 12. 12. Apex Court in case Shalini Shyam Shetty's case (supra) also held that if the litigating parties are private and not State functionaries, the writ is also not maintainable and a distinction has been made with respect to the powers of High Court under Article 226 and 227 of the Constitution of India. On the analysis of the aforesaid and other decisions Hon'ble Supreme Court in para No. 62 has formulated the following principles on the exercise of High Courts power under Article 227 of the Constitution. It is apt to reproduce paragraph No. 62 here as under:- "62. On an analysis of the aforesaid decisions of this Court, the following principles on the exercise of High Court's jurisdiction under Article 227 of the Constitution may be formulated: (a) A petition under Article 226 of the Constitution is different from a petition under Article 227. The mode of exercise of power by High Court under these two Articles is also different. (b) In any event, a petition under Article 227 cannot be called a writ petition. The history of the conferment of writ jurisdiction on High Courts is substantially different from the history of conferment of the power of Superintendence on the High Courts under Article 227 and have been discussed above. (c) High Courts cannot, on the drop of a hat, in exercise of its power of superintendence under Article 227 of the Constitution, interfere with the orders of tribunals or Courts inferior to it. Nor can it, in exercise of this power, act as a Court of appeal over the orders of Court or tribunal subordinate to it. In cases where an alternative statutory mode of redressal has been provided, that would also operate as a restrain on the exercise of this power by the High Court. (d) The parameters of interference by High Courts in exercise of its power of superintendence have been repeatedly laid down by this Court. In this regard the High Court must be guided by the principles laid down by the Constitution Bench of this Court in. Waryam Singh (supra) and the principles in Waryam Singh (supra) have been repeatedly followed by subsequent Constitution Benches and various other decisions of this Court. In this regard the High Court must be guided by the principles laid down by the Constitution Bench of this Court in. Waryam Singh (supra) and the principles in Waryam Singh (supra) have been repeatedly followed by subsequent Constitution Benches and various other decisions of this Court. (e) According to the ratio in Waryam Singh (supra), followed in subsequent cases, the High Court in exercise of its jurisdiction of superintendence can interfere in order only to keep the tribunals and Courts subordinate to it, 'within the bounds of their authority'. (f) In order to ensure that law is followed by such tribunals and Courts by exercising jurisdiction which is vested in them and by not declining to exercise the jurisdiction which is vested in them. (g) Apart from the situations pointed in (e) and (f), High Court can interfere in exercise of its power of superintendence when there has been a patent perversity in the orders of tribunals and Courts subordinate to it or where there has been a gross and manifest failure of justice or the basic principles of natural justice have been flouted. (h) In exercise of its power of superintendence High Court cannot interfere to correct mere errors of law or fact or just because another view than the one taken by the tribunals or Courts subordinate to it, is a possible view. In other words the jurisdiction has to be very sparingly exercised. (i) High Court's power of superintendence under Article 227 cannot be curtailed by any statute. It has been declared a part of the basic structure of the Constitution by the Constitution Bench of this Court in the case of L. Chandra Kumar v. Union of India & others, reported in (1997) 3 SCC 261 and therefore abridgement by a Constitutional amendment is also very doubtful. (j) It may be true that a statutory amendment of a rather cognate provision, like Section 115 of the Civil Procedure Code by the 4Civil Procedure Code (Amendment) Act, 1999 does not and cannot cut down the ambit of High Court's power under Article 227. At the same time, it must be remembered that such statutory amendment does not correspondingly expand the High Court's jurisdiction of superintendence under Article 227. (k) The power is discretionary and has to be exercised on equitable principle. In an appropriate case, the power can be exercised suo moto. At the same time, it must be remembered that such statutory amendment does not correspondingly expand the High Court's jurisdiction of superintendence under Article 227. (k) The power is discretionary and has to be exercised on equitable principle. In an appropriate case, the power can be exercised suo moto. (l) On a proper appreciation of the wide and unfettered power of the High Court under Article 227, it transpires that the main object of this Article is to keep strict administrative and judicial control by the High Court on the administration of justice within its territory. (m) The object of superintendence, both administrative and judicial, is to maintain efficiency, smooth and orderly functioning of the entire machinery of justice in such a way as it does not bring it into any disrepute. The power of interference under this Article is to be kept to the minimum to ensure that the wheel of justice does not come to a halt and the fountain of justice remains pure and unpolluted in order to maintain public confidence in the functioning of the tribunals and Courts subordinate to High Court. (n) This reserve and exceptional power of judicial intervention is not to be exercised just for grant of relief in individual cases but should be directed for promotion of public confidence in the administration of justice in the larger public interest whereas Article 226 is meant for protection of individual grievance. Therefore, the power under Article 227 may be unfettered but its exercise is subject to high degree of judicial discipline pointed out above. (o) An improper and a frequent exercise of this power will be counter-productive and will divest this extraordinary power of its strength and vitality." 13. Parties in this case are private persons and not the State and, therefore, a question arises as to whether Writ Petition is maintainable against an individual in his/her personal capacity? The answer is in negative. 14. It is beaten law of the land that Writ Petition is a remedy in public law, which can be filed by any person, but the main respondent should either be Govt. Agency or a State or its instrumentalities within the meaning of Article 12. Private persons cannot be said to be the State or instrumentalities of the State and all the respondents in the writ petition cannot be private parties. Agency or a State or its instrumentalities within the meaning of Article 12. Private persons cannot be said to be the State or instrumentalities of the State and all the respondents in the writ petition cannot be private parties. Under Article 226 of the Constitution of India, High Court can issue writ against any person, but the persons must have some statutory or public function to perform. It is apt to reproduce paragraph No. 64 of the judgment passed in case Shalini Shyam Shetty (supra) herein as under:- "64. It is well settled that a writ petition is a remedy in public law which may be filed by any person but the main respondent should be either Government, Governmental agencies or a State or instrumentalities of a State within the meaning of Article 12. Private individuals cannot be equated with State or instrumentalities of the State. All the respondents in a writ petition cannot be private parties. But private parties acting in collusion with State can be respondents in a writ petition. Under the phraseology of Article 226, High Court can issue writ to any person, but the person against whom writ will be issued must have some statutory or public duty to perform." 15. Moreover, the Apex Court in its latest judgment titled as Jacky v. Tiny alias Antony and others 2014 AIR SCW 2235 has also held in paragraph No. 17 as under:- 17. A petition under Article 226 or Article 227 of Constitution of India can neither be entertained to decide the landlord-tenant dispute nor it is maintainable against a private individual to determine an intense dispute including the question whether one party harassing the other party. The High Court under Article 227 has the jurisdiction to ensure that all subordinate courts as well as statutory or quasi-judicial tribunals, exercise the powers vested in them within the bounds of their authority but it was not the case of the 1st respondents that the order passed by the Munsiff Court was without any jurisdiction or was so exercised exceeding its jurisdiction. If a suit is not maintainable, it was well within the jurisdiction of the High Court to decide the same in appropriate proceedings but in no case power under Articles 226 and 227 of Constitution of India can be exercised to question a plaint." 16. If a suit is not maintainable, it was well within the jurisdiction of the High Court to decide the same in appropriate proceedings but in no case power under Articles 226 and 227 of Constitution of India can be exercised to question a plaint." 16. It is not the case of the petitioner that trial Court has acted without or in excess of jurisdiction; nor is the State party herein, therefore, the writ petition cannot stand the test laid down by the Apex Court in the judgments reproduced hereinbefore. Even otherwise, the order passed by the Matrimonial Court does not warrant exercise of extra ordinary or supervisory jurisdiction of the Court, for, neither the decision making process of the Matrimonial Court suffers from any vice nor does the order cause any miscarriage of justice or otherwise suffers from any error of law. 18. For all what has been said hereinabove, this petition fails and is, accordingly, dismissed along with connected CMA(s), if any. However, keeping in view the nature of controversy involved in the petition raising matrimonial disputes involving two young lives, I deem it proper to direct the learned trial Court to proceed in the matter expeditiously and conclude the proceedings within reasonable dispatch.