The Madras High Court Bench here has refused to interfere with an order passed by a lower court last year directing a person who was a lawyer by qualification and a businessman by profession to pay maintenance at the rate of Rs.30,000 every month to his estranged wife.
Dismissing an appeal preferred by him challenging the order for payment of alimony passed by a Family Court here on November 27 last year, a Division Bench of Justices M. Sathyanarayanan and J. Nisha Banu held that the amount could not be termed exorbitant in view of his economic status.
On perusal of the case records, the judges found that the petitioner had got married in 2006 and was now father of a six-year-old girl residing with her mother.
Stating that her husband had driven her out of the matrimonial house about two years ago without any reason and had also filed divorce proceedings before the Family Court here in 2014, the woman laid a claim for maintenance of Rs.1 lakh a month on the ground that her husband was a man of means.
Pointing out that he was the son of the former chairman of Usilampatti municipality, she said that his was a well known family in the municipality and they own several acres of farm lands and shopping complexes apart from showing interest in various other businesses and taking dealership of a popular two-wheeler brand.
In reply, the petitioner rebutted the claim of owning agricultural lands.
Though he admitted to have taken dealership of a motorcycle brand after spending considerable amount of money, he claimed that he was yet to make any profit in the business and hence not in a position to pay alimony as claimed by his wife.
However, the judges rejected his plea considering the fact that he hails from a reputed family which was reportedly involved in several businesses including transport, oil, explosives, gas and others whereas his wife lacks any independent source of income since she had to discontinue her studies after marriage.