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Supreme Court directs retired Army Major to pay interim maintenance to estranged wife
The retired Army officer had married the woman in 2014. This was the second marriage for both.
The Supreme Court on Wednesday ordered a retired Army Major to pay interim maintenance of ₹20,000 per month to his estranged wife.
The ruling came in an appeal filed by the woman against a May 2019 ruling of the Telangana high court which had cleared the former Army officer of maintenance and domestic violence case on the ground that her first marriage to another person was yet to be dissolved.
The top court also allowed ₹1 lakh as a lumpsum amount towards arrears of maintenance.
The case was remitted back to the lower court for arriving at a final decision on maintenance claim.
The retired Army officer had married the woman in 2014. This was the second marriage for both.
Differences cropped up soon after the marriage and the woman left the retired Army officer’ house accusing him of torture and harassment for dowry. She filed cases against him for domestic violence and maintenance.
The ex-Armyman had produced documents which showed that the woman’s first marriage was still subsisting when she entered into wedlock with him.
In fact, the high court had noted that the woman’s appeal against a lower court decision which had granted a divorce decree with respect to her first marriage was still pending when she married the former Army officer.
The high court, taking note of the above facts, had allowed the retired Army major’s plea on the ground that the woman was still validly married at the time of her wedding to him and had ruled that th e-Armyman is not liable to pay maintenance to the woman.
