Change attitude to solve marital dispute, court tells woman

The Bombay high court (HC) recently advised a middle-aged woman involved in a marital dispute to change her attitude towards her husband to ensure amicable resolution of their issues.

The Bombay high court (HC) recently advised a middle-aged woman involved in a marital dispute to change her attitude towards her husband to ensure amicable resolution of their issues.

HT Image

The court was hearing an application filed by the woman seeking enhancement of the maintenance amount granted to her minor daughter and her by a family court earlier. The husband was willing to part with half his salary, which amounts to Rs 24,000 a month.

The court also expressed unhappiness on learning that the minor daughter did not interact with her father because she is asleep when he returns home from work.

A division bench of justice AM Khanwilkar and justice AR Joshi said that this attitude has to change. A father and a daughter are supposed to share a special relationship. “It all depends on how you groom her,” the court told the woman. “She is not a small kid, she can stay awake and greet her father when he returns from work.”

The woman also sought to restrain her husband from creating a third party right in the flat in which they are presently residing. The court noted that the husband is using the same premises and the wife is seeking a direction to dispossess him from the flat.

A normal person is bound to become abnormal if he is treated like this, justice Khanwilkar told the wife, adding that “it is inhuman” of her to do so.

Justice Khanwilkar reminded the woman that not only is her husband willing to part with half his monthly income of Rs48,000 per month, but he is also paying society maintenance, housing loan and electricity bill. The husband, meanwhile, has agreed to not create any third party rights on the flat.

“We expect the parties to amicably resolve the problems within two weeks,” the court said.