Woman's alimony hiked due to raise in estranged hubby's salary

The alimony of a government official's estranged wife has been hiked by a Delhi court by Rs 2,000 a month on the ground of raise in his salary.

While raising the maintenance of the woman, a North West Delhi resident, Additional Sessions Judge (ASJ) Poonam A Bamba also asked her to provide the school fees receipts of their minor children to her husband to let him have the educational expenses reimbursed from the government.

The sessions court ruling came on the woman's appeal against a September 2009 order of the magisterial court, which had asked her husband to pay her and their two minor children a maintenance of Rs 3,500.

The court raised her maintenance to Rs 5,500 on her plea that it was hard for her to maintain herself and her two children on paltry sum of Rs 2,500 while her husband salary had been raised to above Rs 38,000 from 2010.

"I am of considered opinion that a sum of Rs 5,500 towards maintenance of the appellant, the children and rent shall meet the ends of justice," the ASJ said.

"In view of increase in respondent number two (husband's) salary in 2010, this enhancement is allowed with effect from October 2010," the judge added.

Refuting his wife's claim, the man had said he was not earning as much as alleged by his wife but he can pay the educational expenses of the children as they are reimbursable from his office.

While opposing the woman's plea, her husband counsel argued that there was no need to interfere with the magisterial court's order and that his client's wife was also running a shop and was earning from it.The court, however, rejected his arguments.