New Delhi:
A Delhi court has directed a government servant to pay maintenance of Rs 30,000 a month to his spouse and children and restrained him and his mother from committing domestic violence against the estranged wife.
While awarding maintenance to the woman, the court noted it was the husband's "moral obligation" to maintain his wife who has deposed that she was unemployed and had no source of income to maintain herself and her children.
"Respondents (husband and his mother) are restrained from committing any further act of domestic violence against the complainant (wife) and are restrained from causing any harassment or cruelty against the complainant from date of this order onwards," Metropolitan Magistrate Manu Vedwan said.
The court also asked the man, working with Life Insurance Corporation (LIC) of India, to pay Rs 4,000 towards litigation expenses to his wife who has been residing separately with her two children.
"It cannot be disputed that it is the moral obligation of respondent number one (husband) to maintain the complainant (wife) who is his legally-wedded wife," the court said.
"The complainant is held entitled for maintenance at Rs 30,000 per month from the date of the judgment which includes maintenance of her both children and for alternate accommodation," it said.
The court's order came on a complaint filed under the Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act by the wife who alleged that after she got married in October 1998, she was subjected to cruelty and dowry was demanded from her.
In August 2005, when her husband beat her, the police came and her husband had apologised before them. The woman also said that in February 2012, she was again beaten up by her husband and mother-in-law and their attitude towards her worsened.
The man and her mother refuted the charges before the court and said they were always against dowry. They accused the woman of starting to quarrel with them on petty issues.