Raghubir gets 2 months to clear alimony dues

Noted actor Raghubir Yadav, who has challenged a magistrate’s order directing him to pay monthly alimony of Rs 40,000 to his estranged wife, has been asked by a court here to clear the dues he owed to her in two months or his plea would be dismissed.

Yadav, who has featured in many bollywood films had moved the sessions court against an order of a magisterial court in October last year asking him to pay the maintenance saying that he was doing well in commercial cinema.

An additional sessions judge granted time to Yadav to pay arrears to his estranged wife observing that his revision petition would be heard on merits only after he will comply with the order of the magistrate.

During the arguments on the plea, counsel appearing for the woman had told the court that the revision petition cannot be entertained unless Yadav deposits the up to date arrears of alimony of over Rs 10 lakh.

The court agreed and that only after dues are deposited by Yadav, his petition may be “dismissed as not maintainable”.

The judge said if Yadav will deposit the arrears in court, half of the money would be released to the woman while the rest would be paid after disposal of the revision petition.

The magisterial court had earlier directed Yadav to pay interim maintenance of Rs 40,000 per month to his wife from the date of its order till the pendency of the case.
Yadav has been working in the film industry for over two decades.

‘Deserted me’

The woman, in her plea, had told the court that she had married Yadav in Jabalpur in June 1988 but he deserted her in 1995. She added she had been living along with their son in Delhi.

The court had refused to accept Yadav’s contention that his wife, who has worked as a dance teacher for the last few years in National School of Drama (NSD), was earning Rs 12 lakh yearly and needs no maintenance from him, and that Yadav was only earning Rs 2.26 lakh annually.

A Madhya Pradesh court too had earlier ordered Yadav to pay alimony to his wife but he had refused to pay the same, prompting the court to issue a warrant against him leading to his arrest. The woman later moved the Supreme Court for adjudication.