Time period for appeal in kashmir
PLJ 2009 Sh.C. (AJ&K) 17 · Azad Jammu & Kashmir High Court
This case involved a husband, Muhammad Javaid, who was appealing against two ex-parte court decisions against him involving his wife, Mst. Zarria Begum. She had filed two cases, one seeking recovery of dower money and another seeking dissolution of the marriage. When the husband did not respond, the Family Court decided both cases against him without his participation and issued decrees on 24.11.2005.
The husband later tried to appeal these decisions, but he filed his appeals on 5.1.2006, well after the deadline. Under the AJ&K Family Courts Act, 1993, and related procedural rules, appeals against Family Court decisions must be filed within 30 days, though time spent obtaining certified copies of the judgment can be excluded from that count.
The husband argued he was not at fault because of delays in receiving copies of the decisions. However, the court calculated that even after deducting the two days he spent obtaining copies, his appeals were still filed nine days too late.
The AJ&K High Court, relying on an earlier Supreme Court interpretation of what counts as time "requisite for obtaining copies," ruled that the appeals were filed well beyond the permitted period. As a result, the court dismissed both appeals as time-barred, without even examining the merits of the husband's case.
This case is significant because it reinforces strict adherence to limitation periods in family law appeals, showing that even valid grievances cannot be heard if procedural deadlines are missed.
یہ مقدمہ ایک شوہر، محمد جاوید، سے متعلق ہے جس نے اپنی اہلیہ مسماۃ زریعہ بیگم کے خلاف عدالت کے دو یک طرفہ فیصلوں کے خلاف اپیل دائر کی تھی۔ اہلیہ نے دو مقدمات دائر کیے تھے، ایک حق مہر کی وصولی کے لیے اور دوسرا تنسیخ نکاح کے لیے۔ جب شوہر نے جواب دہی نہ کی تو فیملی کورٹ نے دونوں مقدمات اس کی عدم موجودگی میں ہی طے کر دیے اور 24 نومبر 2005 کو ڈگریاں جاری کر دیں۔
شوہر نے بعد میں ان فیصلوں کے خلاف اپیل کرنے کی کوشش کی، مگر اس نے اپنی اپیلیں 5 جنوری 2006 کو، یعنی مقررہ مدت گزر جانے کے کافی عرصے بعد دائر کیں۔ آزاد جموں و کشمیر فیملی کورٹس ایکٹ 1993 اور متعلقہ طریقہ کار کے قواعد کے تحت، فیملی کورٹ کے فیصلوں کے خلاف اپیل 30 دن کے اندر دائر کی جانی چاہیے، البتہ فیصلے کی تصدیق شدہ نقل حاصل کرنے میں صرف ہونے والا وقت اس مدت میں شمار نہیں کیا جاتا۔
شوہر نے دلیل دی کہ اس میں اس کا کوئی قصور ن