Pune: A family court in Pune has sentenced a businessman to one month in jail for failing to pay ₹14 lakh in pending alimony to his wife. Despite a court order to pay ₹27,000 per month as interim maintenance, he had repeatedly defaulted on payments.
The court had instructed him to pay ₹1.62 lakh, equivalent to six months’ alimony, but he expressed inability to do so. As a result, Judicial Magistrate First Class (JMFC) V. P. Khandare sentenced him to one month in jail and ordered his transfer to Yerawada Jail. However, he will be released immediately if he clears the pending dues.
The businessman, Ravi More (name changed), married Raveena More (name changed) on January 17, 2013, and the couple has one daughter. According to Raveena, her husband frequently taunted her for not bringing dowry and subjected her to physical and mental harassment. She also alleged that he attempted to kill her, forcing her to separate from him.
In 2022, she filed a case under the Domestic Violence Act, seeking financial support. The court granted her ₹27,000 per month as interim alimony, but Ravi failed to comply. His lawyers filed an appeal, but the higher court had not issued a stay on the order. Meanwhile, the total outstanding alimony reached ₹14 lakh.
After waiting for two years without receiving any payments, Raveena’s legal team—Adv. Jaipal Patil, Adv. Rahul Dhale, and Adv. Sukhdev Sanap—filed a petition seeking strict enforcement of the court’s order. The court directed Ravi to pay ₹1.62 lakh (six months' alimony), but when he refused, he was sentenced to one month in jail.
Due to non-compliance, the court issued an arrest warrant against Ravi. The Chakan police arrested him and presented him before JMFC V. P. Khandare. Since he failed to provide a valid reason for non-payment, the court ordered his immediate imprisonment in Yerawada Jail. He will remain in custody unless he clears his dues.