Can an application for alteration, modification or revocation filed under Section 25(2) relate to any period prior to the order being passed?
Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act, 2005; Section 12,25– Any alteration, modification or revocation of an order passed under Section 12 of the Act owing to a change in circumstances could only be for a period ex post facto, i.e., post the period of an order being made in a petition under Section 12 of the Act and not to a period prior thereto. Thus, such an application for alteration, modification or revocation filed under sub-section (2) of Section 25 of the Act cannot relate to any period prior to the order being passed, inter alia, under Section 12 of the Act (Para 17) – for the invocation of Section 25(2) of the Act, there must be a change in the circumstances after the order being passed under the Act- Thus, an order for alteration, modification or revocation operates prospectively and not retrospectively. Though the order for grant of a maintenance is effective retrospectively from the date of the application or as ordered by the Magistrate, the position is different with regard to an application for alteration in an allowance, which may incidentally be either an increase or a reduction – to take effect from a date on which the order of alteration is made or any other date such as from the date on which an application for alteration, modification or revocation was made depending on the facts of each case. (Para 14) S Vijikumari vs Mowneshwarachari C 2024 INSC 732
What is the scope of expression ‘change in circumstances’ under Section 25(2)?
Change in the Circumstances -the Magistrate has to adjudge the change in the circumstances based on the material put forth by the parties in a case and having regard to the circumstances of the said case. A change in the circumstances under the Act may be of either a pecuniary nature, such as a change in the income of the respondent or an aggrieved person or it could be a change in other circumstances of the party paying or receiving the allowance, which would justify an increase or decrease of the maintenance amount ordered by the Magistrate to pay or any other necessary change in the relief granted by the Magistrate including a revocation of the earlier order. The phrasing of the provision is wide enough to cover factors like the cost of living, income of the parties, etc. Further, a change in the circumstances need not just be of the respondent but also of the aggrieved person. For example, a change in the financial circumstances of the husband may be a vital criterion for alteration of maintenance but may also include other circumstantial changes in the husband or wife’s life which may have taken place since the time maintenance was first ordered. (Para 12-13) S Vijikumari vs Mowneshwarachari C 2024 INSC 732