Renukamma D/O Govinda v. Smt. Mahadevamma @ Gattu Mahadevi and Anr

( , ( ( (IN(THE(HIGH(COURT(OF(KARNATAKA,((

KALABURAGI(BENCH(

THDATED(THIS(THE(09 (DAY(OF(JANUARY,(2026(

PRESENT( THE(HON'BLE(MR.(JUSTICE(H.T.(NARENDRA(PRASAD( (AND(( (THE(HON'BLE(MR.(JUSTICE(TYAGARAJA(N.(INAVALLY( ( MISCELLANEOUS(FIRST(APPEAL(NO.202666(OF(2019((FC)( BETWEEN:( ( RENUKAMMA,D/O,GOVINDA,, AGE:,26,YEARS,,OCC:,HOUSEHOLD,, &,ASHA,WORKER,, IN,JAYAMMA,ANGANAWADI,SCHOOL,, R/O.,NEAR,ANJANEYA,&,NARASAPPA,TEMPLES,, OPP.,RAICHUR,VANI,PRESS,, TIMMAPURPET,,RAICHUR,–,584,101., ((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((...APPELLANT, ( (BY,SRI.,SACHIN,M.,MAHAJAN,,ADVOCATE), (Digitallytisignedtiby VARSHA0N AND:( RASALKAR , Location:0HIGH

1.,, SMT.,MAHADEVAMMA,@,GATTU,,MAHADEVI,COURT0OF KARNATAKA , W/O,LATE,BASAVARAJ,,AGE:,28,YEARS,, , OCC:,HOUSEHOLD,,R/O.,H.NO.6-5-78,, , , TIMMAPURPET,,BEHIND,HANUMAN,TEMPLE, , NEAR,RAICHUR,VANI,OFFICE,, , RAICHUR,–,584,101., , ,

2., THE,COMMISSIONER, , CITY,MUNICIPAL,COUNCIL,, , RAICHUR,–,584,101.(((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((( (,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,…RESPONDENTS, ( (BY,SRI.,HARSHAVARDHAN,R.,MALIPATIL,,ADV.,FOR,R1;, ,,,,,,SRI.,GOURISH,S.,KHASHAMPUR,,ADV.,FOR,R2), ( , ( ( THIS, MFA, IS, FILED, UNDER, SECTION, 19(1), OF, THE, FAMILY, COURT, ACT, 1984,, PRAYING, TO, 1), SET, ASIDE, THE, IMPUGNED,JUDGMENT,AND,DECREE,DATED,11.10.2019,IN,OS, NO.5/2019,PASSED,BY,THE,PRINCIPAL,JUDGE,,FAMILY,COURT, AT,RAICHUR,AND,ETC.,, ,,, THIS,APPEAL,HAVING,BEEN,HEARD,AND,RESERVED,FOR, JUDGMENT, ON, 17.11.2025, AND, COMING, ON, FOR, 'PRONOUNCEMENT, OF, JUDGMENT', THIS, DAY,, THE, COURT, DELIVERED,THE,FOLLOWING:, , CORAM:, HON'BLE,MR.,JUSTICE,H.T.,NARENDRA,PRASAD, AND,, HON'BLE,MR.,JUSTICE,TYAGARAJA,N.,INAVALLY, ( CAV(JUDGMENT( (PER:,HON'BLE,MR.,JUSTICE,TYAGARAJA,N.,INAVALLY), ( This,appeal,filed,under,Section,19(1),of,Family,Court, Act,,1984,is,filed,by,the,appellant,,praying,for,an,order,to, set,aside,the,impugned,judgment,dated,11.10.2018,of,the, learned, Principal, Judge,, Family, Court,, Raichur, (for, short, 'Family,Court'),in,OS,No.5/2019,,wherein,,the,suit,filed,by, the,respondent,No.1,is,decreed,and,it,is,declared,that,she, is, legally, wedded, wife, of, the, deceased, Basavaraj., Consequently,, respondent, No.2, is, directed, to, make, necessary,changes,in,the,death,certificate,of,the,deceased, ( , ( ( Basavaraj, in, column, No.7, and, enter, the, name, of, the, respondent,No.1,by,deleting,the,name,of,appellant.,, ,

¶2The, appellant, is, defendant, No.1, and, the, respondent, No.1, and, 2, are, plaintiff, and, defendant, No.2, respectively,in,the,suit,before,the,Family,Court,and,for,the, sake, of, convenience,, the, parties, to, this, appeal, are, hereinafter,referred,in,their,rank,before,the,Family,Court, in,the,suit., ,

¶3The, plaintiff, filed, the, suit, in, OS, No.5/2019, against,the,defendant,No.1,and,2,before,the,Family,Court, for,the,relief,of,declaration,that,she,is,the,legally,wedded, wife, of, the, deceased, Basavaraj, and, also, for, direction, to, the, defendant, No.2, for, issuing, death, certificate, in, her, favour,by,mentioning,her,name,as,wife,in,column,No.7,of, the, death, certificate, by, deleting, the, name, of, defendant, No.1.,, ,

¶4The, brief, facts, of, the, case, of, the, plaintiff, are, that, the, plaintiff, is, legally, wedded, wife, of, the, deceased, ( , ( ( Basavaraj.,Their,marriage,was,solemnized,on,20.05.2009, at,Anjaneya,Swami,Temple,,Chatnapalli,village,as,per,the, customs, prevailing, in, their, Hindu, community., The, deceased, Basavaraj, is, none, other, than, the, younger, brother,of,the,mother,of,plaintiff.,Their,engagement,was, performed,on,05.10.2008.,After,their,engagement,,as,the, plaintiff,and,the,deceased,Basavaraj,were,relatives,,at,the, time,of,marriage,the,plaintiff,was,pregnant,of,about,4,to,5, months., The, plaintiff, led, marital, life, with, Basavaraj, at, Raichur, and, in, their, marriage, a, female, child, by, name, Pooja,was,born,on,19.09.2009,and,a,son,by,name,Shivaji, was, born, on, 28.06.2014., Basavaraj, died, intestate, on,

09.10.2016, leaving, behind, the, plaintiff, and, his, two, children, as, his, legal, heirs,, they, being, successors, to, his, estate, and, property, left, behind, him., Except, the, plaintiff, and, her, children,, there, are, no, other, legal, heirs, to, the, deceased,Basavaraj.,The,plaintiff,and,her,children,resided, with,the,deceased,Basavaraj,till,his,last,days,at,Raichur,in, the, house, bearing, Municipal, No.6-5-78, (old),, 6-5-91, ( , ( (

(new),,measuring,1089,Sq.ft.,The,said,house,property,is, standing,in,the,name,of,deceased,Basavaraj.,After,death, of,Basavaraj,,the,plaintiff,has,approached,defendant,No.2, for,issuing,death,certificate,of,her,husband/Basavaraj,and, filed,application,for,mutation,entry,in,respect,of,the,house, property,in,her,name.,But,the,defendant,No.2,issued,the, death,certificate,dated,16.06.2016,by,registering,his,date, of, death, as, per, Register, No.367/2016-2017, dated,

27.10.2016,, wherein, in, column, No.7, the, name, of, the, defendant, No.1, is, mentioned, as, wife, of, the, deceased., Such, entry, is, without, any, basis, and, it, is, illegal, without, making,any,proper,enquiry.,The,defendant,No.1,is,not,at, all, concerned, with, the, deceased., After, knowing, the, said, fact,, once, again, the, plaintiff, approached, the, defendant, No.2, and, filed, application, for, making, correction, of, the, death,certificate,mentioning,her,name,in,column,No.7,in, the,place,of,name,of,defendant,No.1.,But,once,again,the, defendant, No.2, issued, certificate, dated, 26.10.2018, entering, the, same, as, earlier., Thereafter,, the, plaintiff, ( , ( ( issued,legal,notice,to,the,defendant,No.2,for,mentioning, her, name, as, wife, of, the, deceased, Basavaraj, in, column, No.7,of,the,death,certificate.,But,there,was,no,response, from,the,defendant,No.2.,The,defendant,No.1,is,no,way, concerned,with,the,deceased,Basavaraj,,but,she,has,been, claiming, that, she, is, the, second, wife, of, the, deceased, without,any,basis,and,proof.,The,deceased,Basavaraj,at,no, point,of,time,married,defendant,No.1,during,subsistence,of, his, marriage, with, the, plaintiff., Hence,, the, plaintiff, was, constrained, to, file, suit, before, the, Family, Court, and, she, prayed,for,necessary,relief.,, ,

¶5In, pursuance, of, service, of, summons,, the, defendant, No.1, and, 2, appeared, through,their, respective, counsels,and,filed,their,separate,written,statements.,, ,

¶6The,defendant,No.1,filed,statement,denying,the, plaint, averments., She, submitted, that, the, plaintiff, is, stranger, and, she, did, not, reside, in, the, house, of, the, deceased, Basavaraj., Actually,, the, defendant, No.1, is, the, only,legally,wedded,wife,of,the,deceased.,The,plaintiff,is, ( , ( ( not, at, all, concerned, with, the, family, of, the, deceased, Basavaraj., It, is, false, that, the, children, were, born, to, the, plaintiff,and,the,deceased,Basavaraj.,Hence,,the,question, of,mutation,of,khata,of,the,house,property,in,the,name,of, plaintiff,did,not,arise.,There,is,no,cause,of,action,to,file,the, suit.,The,defendant,No.1,produced,necessary,document,to, show, that, she, is, the, wife, of, the, deceased, Basavaraj., Further,,the,partition,held,between,the,family,members,of, the, deceased, Basavaraj, on, 27.08.2014, would, show, that, the, house, property, fell, to, the, share, of, the, deceased, Basavaraj, and,he,in,turn,gifted,the, said,property,to, the, defendant, No.1, through, registered, gift, deed., In, view, of, the,said,gift,deed,,the,defendant,No.1,has,been,in,physical, possession,of,the,house,property,since,2014,and,she,is,in, enjoyment, of, the, house, property,, paying, property, tax, continuously, from, the, date, of, gift, deed., Therefore,, the, defendant, No.1, prayed, for, dismissal, of, the, suit, of, the, plaintiff,with,costs.,, ( , ( (

¶7The, defendant, No.2, filed, separate, written, statement, submitting, that, the, suit, filed, by, the, plaintiff, seeking, direction, against, the, defendant, No.2, is, not, maintainable,either,in,law,or,on,the,facts,of,the,case.,The, plaintiff, has, no, locus, standi, to, file, the, suit, claiming, correction,of,the,name,in,the,death,certificate,issued,by, the, Municipality., The, competent, jurisdiction, lies, under, provisions, of, Birth, and, Death, Act, before, the, competent, jurisdictional,Magistrate.,Therefore,,the,suit,of,the,plaintiff, for, change, of, name, in, the, death, certificate, is, not, maintainable.,The,plaint,averments,are,denied,as,false.,It, is, further, submitted, that, the, alleged, matrimonial, relationship, between, the, plaintiff, and, the, deceased, Basavaraj,etc.,,is,not,within,the,knowledge,of,defendant, No.2.,The,Court,has,no,power,to,allow,the,suit,or,issue, direction,for,correction,of,the,death,certificate.,In,view,of, Section,15,of,Birth,and,Death,Act,,the,suit,of,the,plaintiff, is, misconceived, and, bad, in, law, and, the, same, is, not, ( , ( ( maintainable., Therefore,, the, defendant, No.2, prayed, for, dismissal,of,the,suit.,, ,

¶8On, the, basis, of, pleadings, of, both, the, parties,, the,Family,Court,framed,following,issues,for,consideration:,

1.,Whether, the, plaintiff, proves, that, she, is, the, legally, wedded, wife, of, deceased, Basavaraj,S/o,Yenkanna?,,,

2.,Whether,the,plaintiff,is,entitled,for,the, relief,of,declaration,as,sought?,

3.,What,order,or,decree?, Addl.( Issue( No.1:, Whether, the, defendant, No.1, proves, that,, she, is, the, only,legally,wedded,wife,of,deceased,Sri, Basavaraj?, ,

¶9In, support, of, the, case, of, plaintiff, she, got, examined, herself, as, PW1, and, also, examined, three, witnesses, as, PW2, to, PW4., The, plaintiff, produced, documents,at,Ex.P.1,to,Ex.P.17.,Per,contra,,the,defendant, No.1, examined, as, DW1, and, examined, two, witnesses, as, DW2, and, DW3, and, produced, documents, at, Ex.D.1, to, Ex.D.23.,, ( , ( (

¶10After,hearing,the,arguments,of,both,the,parties, and, on, considering, relevant, materials, on, record,, the, Family, Court, by, answering, the, issue, No.1, and, 2, in, the, affirmative,and,the,additional,issue,No.1,in,the,negative,, has,decreed,the,suit,of,the,plaintiff,under,the,impugned, judgment,and,decree,dated,14.10.2019.,, ,

¶11Being,aggrieved,by,the,impugned,judgment,and, decree,,the,defendant,No.1,has,approached,this,Court,by, filing,the,present,appeal.,, ,

¶12The, argument, of, the, learned, counsel, for, the, defendant,No.1,is,that,the,impugned,judgment,and,decree, of,the,trial,Court,is,contrary,to,material,facts,,documents, and,evidence,on,record,and,same,is,liable,to,be,set,aside., The, trial, Court, has, not, considered, the, fact, that, the, witnesses,examined,on,behalf,of,plaintiff,are,none,other, than, the, grandmother, and, brother, of, the, plaintiff., They, are, interested, witnesses., The, Family, Court, has, not, considered, the, evidence, of, defendant, No.1, that, her, marriage,was,performed,with,the,deceased,Basavaraj,on, ( , ( (

25.04.2008,at,Paguntaswamy,Devastan,Gadwal,Road,and, their,marriage,was,love,marriage.,Only,the,friends,of,the, deceased,Basavaraj,were,present,at,the,time,of,marriage, and,hence,,no,marriage,card,or,photographs,were,taken, regarding,the,marriage.,The,Family,Court,is,not,justified,in, not, considering, the, documents, at, Ex.D.1, to, Ex.D.23,, especially, the, gift, deed, at, Ex.D.3, executed, by, deceased, Basavaraj, in, favour, of, defendant, No.1, gifting, the, house, property., The, Family, Court, is, also, not, considered, the, document, at, Exs.D.10, and, D.11,, which, are, birth, certificates,of,the,children,of,the,defendant,No.1,and,the, Bank,passbook,of,the,deceased,Basavaraj,at,Ex.D.19.,The, Family, Court, has, exceeded, its, jurisdiction, and, granted, relief, of, direction, against, the, defendant, No.2, to, make, necessary, corrections, in, the, death, certificate, of, the, deceased.,Under,the,provisions,of,Birth,and,Death,Act,,the, jurisdictional,Magistrate,is,competent,authority,and,hence,, viewed, from, any, angle,, the, impugned, judgment, of, the, ( , ( ( trial, Court, is, against, the, facts,, probability, and, equity, of, case,and,it,is,liable,to,be,set,aside,in,the,Family,Court.,, ,

¶13On,the,other,hand,,the,argument,of,the,learned, counsel,for,the,plaintiff,is,that,the,Family,Court,has,rightly, appreciated,the,oral,and,documentary,evidence,on,record, in, proper, perspective, and, thereby, decreed, the, suit, and, hence,,he, supports, the, impugned,judgment, and,thereby, he,has,sought,for,dismissal,of,the,appeal.,, ,

¶14In, the, background, of, argument, of, both, the, parties,,it,is,relevant,to,consider,the,evidence,forthcoming, on,record.,It,is,pertinent,to,note,that,the,suit,is,filed,by, the, plaintiff, for, the, relief, of, declaration, that, she, is, the, legally, wedded, wife, of, the, deceased, Basavaraj., On, the, other,hand,,the,defendant,No.1,has,contented,that,she,is, the,legally,wedded,wife,of,the,deceased,Basavaraj.,Hence,, in, view, of, rival, contentions, of, the, plaintiff, and, the, dependent,No.1,,the,evidence,forthcoming,on,record,from, the,both,the,parties,should,be,appreciated.,, ( , ( (

¶15The,plaintiff,got,herself,examined,as,PW1.,She, has, filed, her, affidavit, as, evidence, in, chief, examination, reiterate,the,facts,averred,in,the,petition.,The,plaintiff,has, produced,wedding,card,and,four,marriage,photos,,copies, of, Aadhar, cards,, engagement, photos, regarding, her, marriage, with, the, deceased, as, per, Exs.P.1, to, P.9, respectively.,Further,,the,LIC,bond,of,Pooja,,the,daughter, of, the, plaintiff,, application,, death, certificates, of, the, deceased,, legal, notice, with, postal, receipt, and, acknowledgment,card,and,Birth,certificates,of,the,children, of, the, plaintiff, born, to, Basavaraj, are, produced, as, per, Exs.P.10,to,P.17,respectively.,, ,

¶16Moreover,,the,plaintiff,has,examined,one,Smt., Jambalamma,as,PW2.,She,is,maternal,grandmother,of,the, plaintiff,and,also,mother,of,the,deceased,Basavaraj.,PW2, has, filed, an, affidavit, as, evidence, in, chief, examination,, wherein,she,has,clearly,stated,that,the,defendant,No.1,is, no, way, concerned, to, her, family, and, the, deceased, Basavaraj,never,married,the,defendant,No.1.,She,has,also, ( , ( ( deposed, that, the, marriage, of,the,plaintiff, with, deceased, Basavaraj, was, solemnized, on, 20.05.2009, at, Anjaneyaswamy, Temple,, Chatnapalli, village, i.e.,, at, the, native,place,of,her,daughter,Smt.,Laxmi,,who,is,also,the, mother,of,the,plaintiff,and,the,elder,sister,of,the,deceased, Basavaraj.,, ,

¶17It, is, not, in, dispute, that, there, is, custom, prevailing,in,the,community,of,plaintiff,that,the,girls,would, marry,their,maternal,uncle.,There,is,absolutely,no,material, in,the,cross,examination,of,PW2,to,disbelieve,the,evidence, of,PW2.,, ,

¶18PW3, Smt., Nagalakshmi, is, the, resident, of, Chatnapalli, village,, which, is, native, of, the, mother, of, plaintiff., PW3, has, filed, her, affidavit,, wherein, she, has, deposed,that,the,plaintiff,married,the,deceased,Basavaraj, on,20.05.2009,and,she,attended,the,said,marriage.,She, identified,the,photo,at,Ex.P.5,,wherein,she,appears,,as,the, photo,of,the,marriage,of,plaintiff,with,deceased,Basavaraj.,, ( , ( (

¶19PW4, Urukundappa, has, filed, affidavit, as, evidence,in,chief,examination,,wherein,he,stated,that,his, sister,by,name,Smt.Urukundamma,was,given,in,marriage, to,elder,brother,of,the, deceased,Basavaraj,and,the,said, Huligeppa,, and, the, plaintiff, and, PW4, are, residing, at, Raichur., PW4, attended, and, participated, in, the, marriage, function,and,arrangement,of,the,marriage,of,plaintiff,with, the, deceased, Basavaraj, solemnized, on, 20.05.2009., Further,, he, identified, the, photo, at, Ex.P.2,, which, is, marriage, photo, of, the, plaintiff, with, the, deceased, Basavaraj,,and,PW4,is,appearing,in,the,said,photo.,There, is,no,material,in,the,cross,examination,of,PW4,to,make,his, evidence,disbelievable.,, ,

¶20However,,the,contention,of,the,defendant,No.1, in,one,of,the,grounds,of,appeal,is,that,the,PW2,and,PW4, are, relatives, of, the, plaintiff, and, they, are, interested, witnesses.,But,it,is,very,pertinent,to,note,that,to,prove,the, marriage, of, the, plaintiff,, the, relatives, and, friends,, who, attended, the, marriage,, are, material, witnesses., It, is, not, ( , ( ( disputed, by, defendant, No.1, that, the, PW2, is, maternal, grandmother,of,the,plaintiff,and,the,PW4,is,brother-in-law, of, the, plaintiff, i.e.,, PW4, is, brother, of, the, co-sister, of, plaintiff., There, is, absolutely, no, reason, to, disbelieve, the, evidence,of,PW2,to,PW4,,which,would,prove,the,marriage, of,plaintiff,with,the,deceased,Basavaraj.,, ,

¶21The, defendant, No.1, got, herself, examined, as, DW1, and, she, filed, her, affidavit, as, evidence, in, chief, examination, reiterating, the, facts, averred, in, the, written, statement.,However,,in,the,evidence,of,chief,examination, defendant,No.1,as,DW1,has,stated,that,her,marriage,with, Basavaraj,was,held,on,25.04.2008.,But,the,said,fact,is,not, pleaded, in, the, written, statement., Moreover,, there, is, correction, of, the, date,, which, was, earlier, mentioned, as,

20.07.2010, and, subsequently, it, was, corrected, as,

25.04.2008.,, ,

¶22As, submitted, by, the, learned, counsel, for, the, plaintiff,,only,to,make,out,a,case,that,the,defendant,No.1, married,the,deceased,Basavaraj,earlier,to,the,marriage,of, ( , ( ( the, plaintiff,, the, date, would, has, been, mentioned, as,

25.04.2008, by, correcting, the, same,, which, is, only, an, afterthought,of,the,defendant,No.1.,, ,

¶23Moreover,, there, is, absolutely, no, document, forthcoming, from, the, defendant, No.1, to, prove, her, marriage,with,the,deceased,Basavaraj.,It,is,true,that,the, defendant, No.1, has, produced, Partition, Deed,, Mutation, Extract,,Gift,Deed,,Mutation,Receipt,,Khata,Challan,,Khata,, Tax, Paid, Receipt,, Death, Certificate,, Ration, Card,, Birth, Certificates, of, her, children,, Tayee, (mother, card),, Form, No.1,, Bhagyalaxmi, Bond,, Aadhar, cards,, Vidhava, Vetana, Form,, Ayushman, Bharat, Yojane, card,, Syndicate, Bank, passbook,of,the,deceased,,PACL,India,Limited,,Six,photos,, Original, Bills, and, One, C.D., as, per, Ex.D.1, to, Ex.D.23, respectively.,, ,

¶24It, is, the, case, of, the, defendant, No.1, that, the, photo, at, Ex.D.21, is, the, birthday, photos, of, the, son, of, defendant, No.1, and, in, the, said, photo, the, deceased, Basavaraj,and,his,mother,appear.,But,mere,fact,that,the, ( , ( ( mother, of, the, deceased, Basavaraj, is, appearing, in, the, photo,of,birthday,of,the,son,of,the,defendant,No.1,cannot, be,a,ground,to,come,to,the,conclusion,that,the,defendant, No.1,is,the,legally,wedded,wife,of,the,deceased,Basavaraj., Even, if,it,is, true,that,the,two, children,were,born,to, the, defendant, No.1, by, the, deceased, Basavaraj,, such, fact, cannot, be, a, ground, to, come, to, the, conclusion, that, the, defendant,No.1,is,the,legally,wedded,wife,of,the,deceased.,, ,

¶25Mere,fact,that,the,deceased,Basavaraj,executed, the,gift,deed,at,Ex.D.3,in,favour,of,the,defendant,No.1,on,

31.12.2014,cannot,be,a,ground,to,come,to,the,conclusion, that,the,defendant,No.1,is,the,legally,wedded,wife,of,the, deceased.,The,mention,in,the,gift,deed,that,the,defendant, No.1, is, wife, of, Basavaraj,, does, not, prove, that, she, is, legally,wedded,wife,of,the,deceased,Basavaraj.,, ,

¶26Moreover,, as, held, by, the, Family, Court, in, the, impugned, judgment,, even, though, in, the, evidence, of, defendant,No.1,as,DW1,she,has,stated,that,she,married, the,deceased,Basavaraj,on,25.04.2008,,as,per,the,Aadhar, ( , ( ( card,of,the,defendant,No.1,produced,at,Ex.D.16,the,year, of,birth,of,the,defendant,No.1,is,1992.,Hence,,if,at,all,it,is, accepted,that,the,defendant,No.1,married,to,the,deceased, Basavaraj,in,the,year,2008,,she,should,have,been,aged,16, years,at,the,time,of,her,marriage.,It,is,not,the,case,of,the, defendant, No.1, in, her, written, statement, that, when, she, was,minor,and,she,was,studying,either,in,SSLC,or,PUC,, she,married,the,deceased,Basavaraj.,, ,

¶27The,defendant,No.1,has,examined,one,Eresh,as, DW2,,an,independent,witness,in,support,of,her,case.,DW2, has, filed, his, affidavit, as, evidence, in, chief, examination,, wherein, he, has, deposed, that, the, marriage, of, defendant, No.1,with,one,Basavaraj,was,held,on,25.04.2008,and,he, was,invited,to,the,said,marriage,and,thus,the,plaintiff,is, stranger, to, the, family, of, the, defendant, No.1, and, Basavaraj.,In,the,evidence,in,cross,examination,of,DW2,,it, is,stated,that,the,deceased,Basavaraj,is,his,uncle,,but,he, is, not, the, blood, relative, of, the, deceased., On, the, other, hand,, they, are, belonging, to, same, caste., He, did, not, ( , ( ( receive, any, marriage, invitation, of, the, marriage, of, the, defendant,No.1,and,Basavaraj.,, ,

¶28Further,,it,is,very,interesting,to,note,that,DW2, in, his, evidence, is, cross, examination, has, stated, that, the, parents,,brothers,,sisters,and,neighbouring,people,of,the, deceased, Basavaraj, were, not, present, in, the, , alleged, marriage, of, the, defendant, No.1, with, the, deceased, Basavaraj.,Further,,as,per,the,evidence,of,DW2,in,cross, examination,,the,defendant,No.1,was,aged,19,years,at,the, time, of, the, alleged, marriage., But, as, discussed, herein, above,,if,the,date,of,birth,of,the,defendant,No.1,on,the, basis,of,the,concerned,document,produced,by,her,is,taken, into,consideration,,she,should,be,aged,16,years,only,and, she,was,minor,at,the,time,of,the,alleged,marriage.,, ,

¶29The, defendant, No.1, also, examined, her, father, Govindappa, as, DW3., The, DW3, has, filed, his, affidavit, as, evidence,in,chief,examination.,But,it,is,very,pertinent,to, note,that,the,DW3,has,not,deposed,regarding,the,alleged, marriage,of,defendant,No.1,with,the,deceased,Basavaraj., ( , ( ( The, evidence, of, DW3, in, chief, examination, is, that, two, children, were, born, to, the, defendant, No.1, from, the, deceased,Basavaraj,and,in,the,death,certificate,,the,name, his, daughter/, defendant, No.1, is, shown, as, wife, of, the, deceased.,But,,as,argued,by,the,learned,counsel,for,the, plaintiff,, the, said, death, certificate, of, the, deceased, Basavaraj, is, questioned, by, the, plaintiff, in, the, suit., Moreover,,in,the,evidence,in,cross,examination,DW3,,who, is, father, of, the, defendant, No.1,, has, deposed, that, the, stdefendant,No.1,studied,1 ,PUC.,He,has,also,deposed,that, there,was,marriage,invitation,done,regarding,the,marriage, of, the, defendant, No.1, and, deceased, Basavaraj., But, the, DW3, has, not, produced, any, such, invitation, card, and, marriage,photos,of,the,defendant,No.1,in,the,suit.,, ,

¶30As,discussed,herein,above,,even,if,it,is,accepted, as, true, that, the, deceased, Basavaraj, executed, the, gift, deed,at,Ex.D.3,in,favour,of,defendant,No.1,,it,cannot,be,a, ground,to,come,to,the,conclusion,that,the,defendant,No.1, is, the, legally, wedded, wife, of, the, deceased, Basavaraj., ( , ( ( Moreover,,it,is,not,the,case,of,the,defendant,No.1,that,she, married,Basavaraj,at,her,age,of,16,years,when,she,was, minor., Further,, the, oral, evidence, and, the, documents, forthcoming, from, the, defendant, No.1, do, not, help, the, defendant, No.1,to,falsify,the,case,of,plaintiff.,Therefore,, the,Trial,Court,has,rightly,come,to,the,conclusion,that,the, plaintiff,has,proved,that,she,is,the,legally,wedded,wife,of, the,deceased,Basavaraj.,, ,

¶31The, submission, of, the, learned, counsel, for, the, defendant,No.2,is,that,,the,defendant,No.2,has,filed,the, written,statement,submitting,that,in,view,of,the,provisions, of,the,Registration,of,Births,and,Deaths,Act,,the,direction, sought, by, the, plaintiff, against, the, defendant, No.2, to, correct,the,name,of,the,wife,of,the,deceased,Basavaraj,in, the, death, certificate, of, the, deceased, Basavaraj,, is, not, maintainable., But, in, support, of, such, contention, the, learned, counsel, for, the, defendant, No.2, has, neither, put, forth, any, argument, before, the, Trial, Court, nor, produced, ( , ( ( any, evidence, in, support, of, their, written, statement, averments.,, ,

¶32On,the,other,hand,,as,submitted,by,the,learned, counsel, for, the, plaintiff,, the, suit, is, for, the, relief, of, declaration,that,the,plaintiff,is,the,legally,wedded,wife,of, the,deceased,and,she,has,sought,correction,in,the,death, certificate,of,the,deceased,to,mention,her,name,as,wife,of, the, deceased, instead, of, the, name, of, defendant, No.1., Hence,,the,relief,of,declaration,sought,against,defendant, No.2,is,not,for,entry,of,the,date,of,death,of,the,deceased, in,the,concerned,register,of,defendant,No.2.,Further,,even, if,defendant,No.2,is,not,a,party,to,the,suit,,if,the,plaintiff, is,declared,as,legally,wedded,wife,of,deceased,by,the,suit,, such,relief,is,binding,on,defendant,No.2,,as,the,impugned, judgment, and, decree, passed, in, the, suit, is, judgment, in, rem.,, ,

¶33Further,, the, contention, of, the, defendant, No.2, that,the,suit,is,not,maintainable,without,prior,notice,to,the, defendant, No.1,, also, does, not, stand, for, consideration., ( , ( ( From, the, documentary, evidence, on, record,, it, would, be, clear,that,the,plaintiff,issued,legal,notice,to,the,defendant, No.2,as,per,Ex.P.14,which,is,dated,15.11.2018.,The,said, notice,was,served,to,the,defendant,No.2,as,per,the,postal, acknowledgment, at, Ex.P.15., The, plaintiff, filed, the, suit, before, the, Family, Court, on, 22.02.2019, i.e.,, after, more, than,2,months,from,the,date,of,service,of,the,notice,at, Ex.P.14,to,the,defendant,No.2.,Hence,,on,this,ground,also,, the,contention,of,the,defendants,No.1,and,2,that,the,suit, is,not,maintainable,against,defendant,No.2,,does,not,have, legs,to,stand,on,the,facts,of,the,case,and,also,in,law.,, ,

¶34The, meticulous, consideration, of, the, reasoning, of, the, Family, Court, in, the, impugned, judgment, would, clearly, show, that, the, Family, Court, has, appreciated, the, oral, and, documentary, evidence, forthcoming, on, record, from, both, the, parties, in, proper, perspective, and, thereby, the,Family,Court,has,come,to,the,correct,conclusion,that, the,plaintiff,is,entitled,to,the,relief,sought,for,in,the,suit., Hence,,any,of,the,grounds,urged,by,the,defendant,No.1,in, ( , ( ( the, present, appeal, does, not, merit, consideration, to, set, aside, the, impugned, judgment, and, decree, of, the, Family, Court, at, the, hands, of, this, Court, in, the, present, appeal., Consequently,, we, are, of, the, considered, view, that, the, appeal,filed,by,defendant,No.1,is,liable,to,be,dismissed.,, ,

¶35In,the,result,,we,proceed,to,pass,the,following:, , O(R(D(E(R,

(i), The, appeal, filed, by, the, defendant, No.1/appellant,is,hereby,dismissed.,,

(ii), Consequently,, the, judgment, and, decree, dated, 11.10.2019, of, the, learned,Principal, Judge,,Family, Court,, Raichur, in, OS, No.5/2019, shall, stand, confirmed.,,

(iii), In, the, circumstance,,there,shall, be, no,order,as,to,costs., , ( , ( (

(iv),, The, Trial, Court, Record, shall, be, returned, to, the, Family, Court, along, with,copy,of,this,judgment., , Sd/-( (H.T.(NARENDRA(PRASAD)( JUDGE( ( ( ((((((((((((((((((((((((((((Sd/-( ((TYAGARAJA(N.(INAVALLY)( JUDGE( , , , AMM, List,No.:,1,Sl,No.:,2, ,