Court asks man to pay Rs. 1 lakh interim maintenance to wife

A local court has ordered a Raipur-based businessman to pay a monthly interim maintenance of Rs 1 lakh to his estranged wife and two daughters who are staying in Mumbai.
The case relates to a marital dispute between one Deepak Mahaveerprasad Gupta and his wife Sonu. They married in February 1997 and have two daughters. The couple have been living separately since 2002.
In her recent order, the Thane additional sessions judge UM Nandeshwar also asked Gupta to pay Rs 30,000 per month towards house rent of his wife and daughters.
Gupta had filed a petition for divorce in 2006 before the district and sessions judge, Delhi, which directed him to pay the sum of Rs 20,000 per month to his wife.
The petition was then transferred to a family court in Mumbai on the transfer application filed by the wife, which is at present pending before the family court at Bandra and is at the stage of evidence.
She had filed a complaint before a Navi Mumbai court in 2010 against Gupta under section 12 of the Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act, 2005 alleging physical and mental harassment and sought interim relief.
After hearing both the counsels, the sessions judge said: “However, in the facts of the case as from record, it appears that the financial condition of the husband is prima facie very sound and considering the status of parties, the wife and daughters are required the interim maintenance equal to the status of husband and father.”
The woman had contended that her husband was well-off and the Hindu Undivided family of the respondent owns business in various sectors like steel, power, transportation and finance, while she is unemployed.
She had stated in her complaint that Gupta was irregular in paying the amount directed by the Delhi court and the amount is very meagre considering the high living cost in Mumbai with education expenses of her daughters.