Schedule 1 of The Divorce Act, 1869
17 THE SCHEDULE ______________ SCHEDULE OF FORMS No. 1. —P ETITION by husband for a dissolution of marriage with damages against co-respondent, by reason of adultery. (See sections 10 and 34). In the (High) Court of
| To the Hon’ble Mr. Justice | [or To the Judge of | ] | |
|---|---|---|---|
| The | day of | 186 | . |
The petition of A.B., of S HEWETH,
| 1. That your petitioner was on the | day of | , | one | thousand | eight | hundred |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| and | , lawfully married to C.B., then C.D., spinster at | . | (a) |
2. That from his said married, your petitioner lived and cohabited with his said wife at
and at , in , and lastly at , in , and that your
petitioner and his said wife have had issue of their said marriage, five children, of whom two sons only survive, aged respectively twelve and fourteen years.
| 3. That during the three years immediately preceding the | day of | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| one thousand eight hundred and | , X.Y. | was | constantly | with | a | few | exceptions, |
residing in the house of your petitioner at aforesaid, and that on diverse occasions during the said period, the dates of which are unknown to your petitioner, the said C.B. in your petitioner’s said house committed adultery with the said X.Y. 4. That no collusion or connivance exists between me and my said wife for the purpose of obtaining a dissolution of our said marriage or for any other purpose. Your petitioner, therefore, prays that this (Hon’ble) Court will decree a dissolution of the said marriage, and that the said X.Y. do pay the sum of rupees 5,000 as damages by reason of his having committed adultery with your petitioner’s said wife, such damages to be paid to your petitioner, or otherwise paid or applied as to this (Hon’ble) Court seems fit. (Signed) A. B. (a) Form of Verification I, A.B., the petitioner named in the above petition, do declare that what is stated therein is true to the best of my information and belief. _________ No. 2.—Respondent’s statement in answer to No. 1
In the court of the day of ,
Between A.B., petitioner, C.B., respondent, and X.Y., co-respondent. C.B., the respondent, by D.E. her attorney (or vakil), in answer to the petition of A.B. says that she denies that she has on diverse or any occasions committed adultery with X.Y., as alleged in the third paragraph of the said petition. Wherefore the respondent prays that this (Hon’ble) Court will reject the said petition. (Signed) C.B. ______________________________________________________________________________
- (a)If the marriage was solemnized out of India, the adultery must be shown to have been committed in India.
- (b)The petition must be signed by the petitioner. 18 No. 3. —Co-respondent’s statement in answer to No. 1 In the (High) Court of The day of Between A.B., petitioner, C.B., respondent, and X.Y., co-respondent. X.Y., the co-respondent, in answer to the petition filed in this cause, saith that he denies that he committed adultery with the said C.B., as alleged in the said petition. Wherefore the said X.Y., prays that this (Hon’ble) Court will reject the prayer of the said petitioner and order him to pay the costs of and incident to the said petition. (Signed) X.Y. _____ No. 4. —PETTION for Decree of Nullity of Marriage (See section 18) In the (High) Court of
| To the Hon’ble Mr. Justice | [or To the | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Judge of | ]. | ||
| The | day of | , 186 | . |
The Petition of A.B, falsely called A.D., S HEWETH,
1. That on the day of , one thousand
eight hundred and , your petitioner, then a spinster, eighteen years of age, was married in fact, though not in law, to C.D., then a bachelor of about thirty years of age, at [some place in India].
| 2. That from the said | day of | , one thousand |
|---|---|---|
| eight hundred and | , until the month of | , your petitioner lived |
and cohabited with the said C.D., at diverse places, and particularly at aforesaid. 3. That the said C.D. has never consummated the said pretended marriage by carnal copulation. 4. That at the time of the celebration of your petitioner’s pretended marriage, the said C.D. was, by reason of the impotency or malformation, legally incompetent to enter into the contract of marriage. 5. That there is no collusion or connivance between her and the said C.D. with respect to the subject of this suit. Your petitioner therefore prays that this (Hon’ble) Court will declare that the said marriage is null and void. (Signed) A.B. Form of Verification: See No. 1 __________ No. 5. —PETITION by wife for judicial separation on the ground of her husband’s adultery (See section 22)
In the (High) Court of To the Hon’ble Mr. Justice
[or
| To the Judge of | ]. | |
|---|---|---|
| The | day of | , 186. |
| The petition of C.B., of | the wife of A.B. |
S HEWETH,
| 1. That on the | day of | , one thousand eight | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| hundred and sixty | your | petitioner, | then C.D., | was | lawfully |
| married to A.B., at the Church of | , in the |
19
2. That after her said marriage, your petitioner cohabited with the said A.B. at and
that your petitioner and her said husband have issue living of their said marriage, three children, to wit, etc., etc., (a). 3. That on diverse occasions in or about the months of August, September and October, one
thousand eight hundred and sixty the, said A.B., at
aforesaid, committed adultery with E.F., who was then living in the service of the said A.B., and your
petitioner at their said residence aforesaid.
4. That on diverse occasions in the months ofOctober, Novemberand December, one thousand
eight hundred and sixty the said A.B.,at
aforesaid, committed adultery with G.H., who was then living in the
service of the said A.B. and your petitioner at their said residence aforesaid.
5. That no collusion or connivance exists between your petitioner and the said A.B., with respect to the subject of the present suit. Your petitioner, therefore, prays that this (Hon’ble) Court will decree a judicial separation to your petitioner from her said husband by reason of his aforesaid adultery. (Signed) C.B. (b) Form of Verification : See No. 1 ________ No. 6.—Statement in answer to No. 5 In the (High) Court of B. against B.
The day of
The respondent, A.B. by W.Y., his attorney [or vakil] saith, — 1. That he denies that he committed adultery with E.F. as in the third paragraph of the petition alleged. 2. That the petitioner condoned the said adultery with E.F., if any. 3. That he denies that he committed adultery with G.H., as in the fourth paragraph of the petition alleged. 4. That the petitioner condoned the said adultery with G.H., if any. Wherefore this respondent prays that this (Hon’ble) Court will reject the prayer of the said petition. (Signed) A.B. _________ No. 7.—Statement in reply to No. 6 In the (High) Court of B. against B.
The day of
The petitioner, C.B., by her attorney [or vakil], says — 1. That she denies that she condoned the said adultery of the respondent with E.F. as in the second paragraph of the statement in answer alleged.
2. That even if she had condoned the said adultery, the same has been revived by the subsequent
adultery of the respondent with G.H., as set forth in the fourth paragraph of the petition. (Signed) C.B __________ ________________________________________________________________________________
- (a)State the respective ages of the children.
- (b)The petition must be signed by the petitioner. 20 No. 8 —PETITION for a judicial separation by reason of cruelty (See section 22) In the (High) Court of
| To the Hon’ble Mr. Justice | [or To the Judge of | ]. |
|---|---|---|
| The | day of | 186 |
The petition of A.B. (wife of C.B.) of SHEWETH,
1. That on the day of , one thousand eight hundred and ,
your petitioner, then A.D., spinster, was lawfully married to C.B., at 2. That from her said marriage, your petitioner lived and cohabited with her said husband
at until the day of , one thousand eight
hundred and , when your petitioner separated from her said husband as hereinafter more particularly mentioned, and that your petitioner and her said husband have had no issue of their said marriage. 3. That from and shortly after your petitioner’s said marriage, the said C.B. habitually conducted himself towards your petitioner with great harshness and cruelty, frequently abusing her in the coarsest and most insulting language, and beating her with his fists, with a cane, or with some other weapon. 4. That on an evening in or about the month of one thousand eight hundred
| and | , the said C.B.in the highway and opposite to the house |
|---|---|
| in which your petitioner and the said C.B. were then residing at | aforesaid, |
endeavoured to knock your petitioner down, and was only prevented from so doing by the interference of F.D., your petitioner’s brother.
5. That subsequently on the same evening, the said C.B. in his said house at aforesaid,
struck your petitioner with his clenched fists a violent blow on her face.
| 6. That on one Friday night in the month of | one |
|---|---|
| thousand eight hundred and | , the said C.B., in |
without provocation, threw a knife at your petitioner, thereby inflicting a severe wound on her right hand.
| 7. That on the afternoon of the | day of | one |
|---|---|---|
| thousand eight hundred and | , your petitioner, by reason of the great and |
continued cruelty practised towards her by her said husband, with assistance withdrew from the house of her said husband to the house of her father at that from and after the said day of , one thousand eight hundred and your petitioner hath lived separate and apart from her said husband, and hath never returned to his house or to cohabitation with him. 8. That there is no collusion or connivance between your petitioner and her said husband with respect to the subject of the present suit. Your petitioner, therefore, prays that this (Hon’ble) Court will decree a judicial separation between your petitioner and the said C.B., and also order that the said C.B., do pay the costs of and incident to these proceedings. (Signed) A.B. Form of Verification : See No. 1 ______ No. 9.—Statement in answer to No. 8 In the (High) Court of The day of Between A.B., petitioner, and C.B., respondent C.B., the respondent, in answer to the petition filed in this cause by W.J. his attorney [or vakil] saith that he denies that he has been guilty of cruelty towards the said A.B., as alleged in the said petition. (Signed) C.B. _______ 21 No. 10 .—PETITION for reversal of decree of separation (See section 24)
| In the (High) Court of | To the |
|---|---|
| Hon’ble Mr. Justice | [or To the Judge of |
].
The day of 186
The petition of A.B., of S HEWETH,
1. That your petitioner was on the day of
lawfully married to
| 2. That on the | day of | this (Hon’ble) |
|---|---|---|
| Court at the petition of | , | pronounced a decree affecting the petitioner to the |
effect following, to wit, — [Here set out the decree] 3. That such decree was obtained in the absence of your petitioner, who was then residing at [State facts tending to show that the petitioner did not know of the proceedings; and further, that had he known he might have offered a sufficient defence.] or That there was reasonable ground for your petitioner leaving his said wife, for that his said wife [Here state any legal grounds justifying the petitioner’s separation from his wife.] Your petitioner, therefore, prays that this (Hon’ble) Court will reverse the said decree. (Signed) A.B. Form of Verifications: See No. 1. ________ No. 11. —PETITION for Protection-order (See section 27)
| In the (High) Court of | To the |
|---|---|
| Hon’ble Mr. Justice | [or To the Judge of |
].
| The | day of | 186 | . |
|---|---|---|---|
| The petition of C.B., of | the | wife | of |
A.B. S HEWETH,
That on the day of she was lawfully married to
A.B., at That she lived and cohabited with the said A.B. for
| years at | , and also at | , and hath |
|---|---|---|
| had | children, issue of her said marriage, of whom | are now living |
with the applicant, and wholly dependent upon her earnings.
That on or about the said A.B., without any reasonable cause,
deserted the applicant, and hath ever since remined separate and apart from her. That since the desertion of her said husband, the applicant hath maintained herself by her own industry [or on her own property, as the case may be], and hath thereby and otherwise acquired
certain property consisting of [here state generally the nature of the property].
Wherefore she prays an order for the protection of her earnings and property acquired since the
said, day of, from the said A.B.,
and from all creditors and persons claiming under him. (Signed) C.B. ______ 22 No. 12. —PETITION for Alimony pending the suit (See section 36) In the (High) Court of B. against B.
To, the Hon’ble Mr. Justice [or To the Judge of
].
The day of 186 .
The petition of C.B., the lawful wife of A.B. S HEWETH,
1. That the said A.B. has for some years carried on the business of , at
, and from such business derives the net annual income of from Rs. 4,000 to 5000. 2. That the said A.B. is possessed of plate, furniture, linen and other effects at his said house, aforesaid, all of which he acquired in right of your petitioner as his wife, or purchased with money he acquired through her, of the value of Rs. 10,000. 3. That the said A.B. is entitled, under the will of his father, subject to the life interest of his mother therein to property of the value of Rs. 5,000 or some other considerable amount (a). Your petitioner, therefore, prays that this (Hon’ble) Court will decree such sum or sums of money by way of alimony, pending the suit, as to this (Hon’ble) Court may seem meet. (Signed) C.B. Form of Verification : See No. 1 ________ No. 13. —Statement in answer to No. 12 In the (High) Court of B, against B. A.B., of , the above-named respondent, in answer to the petition for alimony, pending the suit, of C.B., says — 1. In answer to the first paragraph of the said petition, I say that I have for the last three years
carried, on the business of , at and
that, from such business, I have derived a net annual income of Rs. 900, but less than Rs. 1,000. 2. In answer to the second paragraph of the said petition, I say that I am possessed of plate, furniture, linen and other chattels and effects at my said house aforesaid, of the value of Rs. 7,000, but as I verily believe of no larger value. And I say that a portion of the said plate, furniture and other chattels and effects of the value of Rs. 1,500 belonged to my said wife before our marriage, but the remaining portions thereof I have since purchased with my own monies. And I say that, save as hereinbefore set forth, I am not possessed of the plate and other effects as alleged in the said paragraph in the said petition, and that I did not acquire the same as in the said petition also mentioned. 3. I admit that I am entitled under the will of my father, subject to the life-interest of my mother therein, to property of the value of Rs. 5,000, that is to say, I shall be entitled under my said father’s will, upon the death of my mother, to a legacy of Rs. 7,000, out of which I shall, have to pay to my father's executors the sum of Rs. 2,000 the amount of a debt owing by me to his estate, and upon which debt I am now paying interest at the rate of five per cent per annum. 4. And, in further answer to the said petition, I say that I have no income whatever except that
| derived from | my aforesaid business, that such income, since my said wife left me, which she did on | |
|---|---|---|
| the | day of | last, has been considerably |
diminished, and that such diminution is likely to continue. And I say that out of my said income, I have to pay the annual sum of Rs. 100 for such interest as aforesaid to my late father's executors, and also to support myself and my two oldest children. ________________________________________________________________________________
- (a)The Petitioner should state her husband’s income as accurately as possible 23 5. And, in further answer to the said petition, I say that, when my wife left, my dwelling-house on the day of last,
she took with her, and has ever since withheld and still withholds from me, plate, watches and other
effects in the second paragraph of this my answer mentioned, of the value of, as I verily believe, Rs. 800 at the least; and I also say “that, within five days of her departure from my house as aforesaid, my said wife received bills due to me from certain lodgers of mine, amounting in the aggregate to
Rs. and that she has ever since withheld and still withholds from me the
same sum. (Signed) A.B. _______ No. 14. —UNDERTAKING by minor’s next friend to be answerable for respondent’s costs (See section 49)
| In the (High) Court of | I, | ||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| the undersigned A.B., of | being the next friend of C.D. | ||||||||||||||
| who | is a | minor, | and | who is | desirous | of | filing | a | petition | in this | Court, | under the | Indian | Divorce | Act, |
| against D.D. of | , hereby undertake to be responsible for the costs of |
the said D.D. in such suit, and that, if the said C.D. fail to pay to the said D.D. when and in such manner as the court shall order all such costs of such suit as the court shall direct him [or her] to pay to the said D.D., will forthwith pay the same to the proper officer of this court.
Dated this. day of 186 .
(Signed) A.B. _______
Summary
- The schedule provides a set of fourteen specific templates, or forms, that people can use for different court petitions and statements.
- These forms cover legal actions like asking for a dissolution of marriage, a decree of nullity, judicial separation, protection orders, and alimony.
- People are not forced to copy the exact words, they are allowed to change or vary the forms to fit the specific circumstances of their own case.
- The forms include required procedural elements, such as declaring that there is no collusion and a verification section where the petitioner swears the statements are true.
- The forms also act as guides for how a respondent or co-respondent should format their written answers to the court.
Practical examples
FAQ
1. Do I have to use the exact wording provided in the schedule's forms?
No, the schedule explicitly allows you to make variations as the specific circumstances of your case require.
2. What types of legal documents are included in the schedule?
It includes templates for initial petitions (like filing for divorce or alimony), statements in answer to those petitions, and undertakings for court costs.
3. What must a petitioner do at the very end of a petition like Form No. 1?
They must sign a Form of Verification, declaring that the statements in the petition are true to the best of their information and belief.
Test yourself
Q1.Under Schedule 1 of The Divorce Act, 1869, what are users permitted to do with the wording of the forms provided?
Q2.Under Schedule 1 of The Divorce Act, 1869, which specific form template is provided for a husband seeking a dissolution of marriage with damages against a co-respondent?
Q3.Schedule 1 of The Divorce Act, 1869, provides Form No. 1 for dissolution of marriage, which references Section 10. Under Section 10 of The Divorce Act, 1869, what is one of the valid grounds that allows a person to seek this dissolution?
Q4.Schedule 1 of The Divorce Act, 1869, provides Form No. 4 for a Decree of Nullity of Marriage, referencing Section 18. Under Section 18 of The Divorce Act, 1869, who is permitted to present a petition to the District Court praying that their marriage be declared null and void?
Q5.Schedule 1 of The Divorce Act, 1869, features Form No. 1, which notes it is by reason of adultery and references Section 34. What specific request does the text of Form No. 1 instruct the petitioner to make regarding the co-respondent?