Man ordered to pay maintenance to deserted wife
After years of fighting in court, Madhuri Joshi (name changed) finally got justice. Madhuri was allegedly deserted by her husband when she was pregnant. Judicial magistrate first class (JMFC) H U Joshi passed an interim order directing her husband Nikhil Joshi (name changed) to pay7,000 towards accommodation and maintenance of his child.
The court directed Nikhil to pay4,000 per month towards the rent of alternate accommodation,3000 per month towards maintenance of the child from the date of order till final disposal of the case.
After their marriage in Begaum in 2004, Madhuri and Nikhil shifted to Pune. On April 13, 2006, after some differences of opinion, Nikhil went to Dubai for a job without informing Madhuri, who was pregnant then. Madhuri tried to contact him, but Nikhil did not respond to any of her attempts.
On December 22, 2006, Madhuri gave birth to a son. Her in-laws used to allegedly harass her during pregnancy and after delivery. Even after the son was born, her in-laws refused to take her home. Her attempts to get in touch with Nikhil failed too, she stated in her complaint. Madhuri also found out that Nikhil had concealed his marital status on his passport and mentioned his status as ‘single’.
Finally, on September 1, 2008, she lodged a complaint with the police. But Nikhil failed to turn up even after a case under The Protection of Women against Domestic Violence Act, 2005 was lodged. “I had been trying to serve him the notice for almost a year and was successful only in March 2009 when the notice was sent to the Consulate General India desk in Dubai,” Madhuri said. Trying to avoid court proceedings, Nikhil requested to be represented by his father whom he had given the power of attorney but the request was turned down by the court.
When Nikhil finally appeared before the court, he denied all allegations. He submitted that Madhuri wanted to stay separately and that in February 2005, she had aborted a foetus without informing him. He also submitted an affidavit, stating he was driven out of Dubai because of complaints lodged by Madhuri and that he is unable to secure a job because of her.
After hearing both sides, the court observed that the relation between the couple was soured for some reason or the other. Considering that Madhuri is not in a sound financial condition, and it is also the duty of the child’s father to contribute towards his maintenance, the court passed the interim order even as the trial would continue.
https://www.indianexpress.com/news/man-ordered-to-pay-maintenance-to-deserted-wife/790991/2
