Following directions are issued to be followed by the District Judges of the Punjab and the Family Courts in future:

 PLD 2022 Lahore 600

In order to avoid technical trapping, there remains no need to transfer the execution petition to any other Court out of one district to the other district where the judgment debtor resides. The learned Executing Court seized of the matter may adopt procedure provided under law by sending a precept through proper channel to the Court where the judgment debtor resides or has movable/immovable property so as to attach the same and recover the decretal amount as arrears of land revenue, following the methodology as provided in section 46 of the Code of Civil Procedure, 1908.

Following directions are issued to be followed by the District Judges of the Punjab and the Family Courts in future:-

1. While passing the money decree in respect of maintenance allowance, alternate prices of dower or dowry articles, the provisions of section 13(3) of the Family Courts Act, 1964 should be adhered to, which provides that, „Where a decree relates to the payment of money and the decretal amount is not paid within the time specified by the Court [not exceeding thirty days] the same shall, if the Court so directs, be recovered as arrears of land revenue, and on recovery shall be paid to the decree-holder.‟

2. The District Judge will designate a Civil Judge as Executing Court in the District as well as Tehsils, as the case may be, where the execution petitions for satisfaction of decrees passed by the Judge Family Court will be filed and executed/satisfied in accordance with law by adopting all measures in this regard.

3. In case the judgment debtor resides in some other District and owns property, precept will be transmitted for attachment purposes and further proceedings will be taken in accordance with law

Family Courts, 1964 is a special statute and has been enacted with a specific purpose to precede expeditious settlement and disposal of disputes relating to marriage and family affairs and also matters connected therewith. Furthermore, the purpose of enacting special law regarding family disputes is advancement of justice and to avoid technicalities which are hindrance in the ultimate justice between the parties. Family Court has to proceed on the premises that every procedure is permissible unless a clear prohibition is found in law. The Court can exercise its own powers to prevent the course of justice being refracted from the path;

The main object of this enactment is for protection and convenience of the weaker and vulnerable segments of the society i.e. women and children; it is due to this reason that “Nikah” is to be registered where the bride is living; if bridegroom fails to pay maintenance, application for securing maintenance is competent before Union Council where the bride resides and in case permission is required to be sought by the bridegroom for contracting second marriage, application has to be submitted to the Chairman Union Council where the wife resides; same like Talaq proceedings are to be carried out in the Union Council where the wife resides and if any offence relating to offences detailed in the Family Courts Act, 1964, its trial has to be conducted by Family Court within the precincts where the wife resides; moreover, if a father intends to get custody of the minor children, he has to initiate proceedings at a place where the children reside. All these go to divulge that the main purpose of the enactment is to accommodate the women and the children, weaker segments of the society, due to this reason under section 14(3) of the Act, 1964 provides that no appeal or revision shall lie against an interim order passed by a Family Court.

When after passing of a decree by a Family Court, the execution petition is filed, the Family Court executing the decree has to proceed with the same under Section 13 of the Act, 1964 and sub-section 4 of the said Section is relevantSection 13(4) of the Act, 1964 has two parts: first part says that a decree can be executed by the Court itself and second part says that a decree can be executed by the Civil Court as directed by general or special order by the District Judge; meaning thereby when a Civil Court is designated and entrusted with duties to execute the decrees passed by a Court: Civil or Family, it enjoys powers vested under Order XXI of the Code of Civil Procedure, 1908, though section 17 of the Family Courts Act, 1964 provides that the provisions of Qanun-eShahadat Order, 1984 and Code of Civil Procedure, 1908 except sections 10 & 11 shall not apply to the proceedings before any Family Court.