The Thane Sessions Court has revised the monthly maintenance awarded to a 27-year-old Kalwa resident, granting her ₹40,000 per month and an additional ₹10,000 for her 3-year-old child. The court, in its order, noted that the wife is well-educated and was employed before her marriage. The decision was made after the 35-year-old Ghatkopar resident, her estranged husband, appealed to reduce the maintenance amount from ₹45,000 for the wife and ₹12,000 for the child to the revised figures.
The couple is already involved in a legal dispute before the family court, where the wife has filed a domestic violence case against her husband and in-laws, alleging mental and physical harassment. Following the alleged harassment, the woman has been living separately from her husband. In 2023, the Junior Magistrate First Class (JMFC) court directed the husband to pay ₹45,000 per month to his estranged wife and ₹12,000 for their child.
The husband’s salary slip, submitted as evidence in court, revealed that he earns ₹1.8 lakh per month. However, he filed an appeal requesting a reduction in the monthly maintenance payments. Advocate Rajan Salunkhe, representing the wife, said, “The husband expressed his willingness to pay the arrears of maintenance in a lump sum but requested the court to reduce the monthly amount.”
In its order, the Thane Sessions Court stated: “It is worth mentioning here that the estranged wife has not challenged the interim maintenance order passed by the learned Magistrate, indicating her acceptance of it. Under the impugned order, the husband was directed to pay ₹45,000 for the wife and ₹12,000 for the child. Considering that the wife is well-educated and was employed prior to marriage, interim maintenance of ₹40,000 for the wife and ₹10,000 for the child, who is about 3 years old, appears reasonable. The husband, to demonstrate his bona fides, has agreed to pay a consolidated amount of ₹50,000 per month, effectively requesting a reduction of ₹7,000. This request appears practical and justifiable.”
The court has directed the husband to clear all pending dues within four weeks.
