Delhi High Court: A Single Judge Bench comprising of Rajiv Sahai Endlaw, J. rejected a petition filed a father against the order of Principal Judge (Family Courts) whereby he was directed to pay monthly maintenance to his daughter.
The petitioner was directed to pay a sum of Rs 11,000 as litigation expenses and Rs 10,000 as interim maintenance to his daughter every month. Aggrieved thereby, he preferred the present petition. The Court referred to Manish Aggarwal v. Seema Aggarwal, 2012 SCC OnLine Del 4816 wherein it was held that Section 24 to 27 of the Hindu Marriage Act, 1955 was appealable under Section 19(6) of the Family Courts Act, 1984.
It was held by the High Court that the reasons which prevailed in Manish Aggarwal for holding interim maintenance under Section 24 HMA to be appealable under Section 19(1) of the Family Courts Act equally apply to grant of interim maintenance under Section 20 of Hindu Adoption and Maintenance Act, 1956. Furthermore, once the legislature has prescribed a remedy of appeal, the principle that Writ Court should abstain from exercising jurisdiction when an alternative remedy is available comes into play. In light of the above, the petition was rejected. [Jayanti Prasad Gautam v. Pragya Gautam,2018 SCC OnLine Del 11535, decided on 19-09-2018]
