Pune: A local court has sentenced a husband to one month of simple imprisonment for failing to pay the alimony granted to his wife. The case was heard by Judicial Magistrate (First Class) V. S. Khandare, who ruled against the husband after he defaulted on alimony payments totaling ₹14 lakh.
The court further directed that the husband could only be released if he paid at least ₹1.62 lakh towards the pending alimony. The non-payment of alimony had put the wife in severe financial distress, leading her to seek legal intervention.
Background of the Case
Ramesh and Rasika (names changed) got married on January 17, 2013, and have a daughter. According to Rasika, her husband frequently taunted her for not bringing dowry and subjected her to both physical and mental harassment. The abuse escalated to the extent that Ramesh allegedly attempted to kill her. Unable to bear the suffering, Rasika decided to separate from him and sought legal recourse.
She later filed a case under the Domestic Violence Act, demanding alimony. In 2022, the court ordered Ramesh to pay ₹27,000 per month as interim alimony. However, he failed to comply, leading to unpaid dues accumulating to ₹14 lakh.
Court’s Action Against Husband
As the husband continued to ignore the court’s alimony order, Rasika approached the judiciary again, seeking enforcement of the ruling. The court initially issued summons to Ramesh, but he failed to respond. Consequently, an arrest warrant was issued against him.
The police subsequently took Ramesh into custody and presented him before the court. However, he refused to make any payment towards the alimony. After hearing the arguments presented by Rasika’s legal representatives, Advocates Jaipal Patil and Sukhdev Sanap, the court decided to impose a one-month simple imprisonment sentence.
The court has made it clear that Ramesh will only be released if he makes a partial payment of ₹1.62 lakh towards the outstanding dues.