Maharashtra Minister Dhananjay Munde ordered to pay ₹2 lakh interim maintenance to wife, daughter

A court in Mumbai on February 4 ordered Maharashtra Minister Dhananjay Munde, a senior leader of the Ajit Pawar faction of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), to pay interim maintenance of ₹2 lakh per month to his estranged wife and daughter [Karuna v Dhananjay].The Court’s ruling came as part of a case filed under the Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act, 2005.Judicial First Class Magistrate AB Jadhav, while partially allowing the applications filed by the estranged wife and two children, observed that Munde had "prima facie" subjected her to domestic violence. The Court highlighted Munde’s contradictory statements, noting that he had previously admitted in various official documents to being married to her and acknowledged their children as his dependents."The respondent has executed one Vasiyatnama dated 18/07/2017, which is notarized document, where in the respondent admitted that, applicant No.1 is his first wife and Rajashree is his second wife. Further, one acknowledgment letter ¼Lohd`rh i=½ which is alleged to be executed by the respondent admitted that, he married with the applicant No.1 on 09/01/1998," said Magistrate Jadhav..The estranged wife claimed that she had gotten married to Munde in 1998 and it was a "love marriage and inter-caste marriage,".She alleged that Munde's behavior changed in 2018 when he began neglecting her and later married another woman under family pressure. She accused Munde of threatening her, saying her presence in his native place would "destroy his political career." She also accused him of physical and emotional abuse, and claimed that Munde’s associates assaulted her and harassed her sister..In his defense, Munde denied the marriage and argued that there was no domestic relationship between them. He claimed the petitioner, a successful businesswoman with multiple income sources, did not need maintenance.Munde also alleged that her petition was a retaliatory action against a civil suit he had filed against her in the Bombay High Court for defamation.However, the court rejected Munde’s defense, pointing to evidence that contradicted his claims. “Further, from the affidavit submitted by the respondent to election commission dated 23/10/2024 for the election of Parli legislative constituency, the respondent has shown the applicant No.2 and No.3 are depend upon him,” the court noted, adding that this contradicted his denial of a domestic relationship with the estranged wife.Regarding the issue of maintenance, the Court acknowledged that while Kar had some income, Munde’s financial situation was stronger.As a result, Munde was ordered to pay ₹1.25 lakh per month to the estranged wife and ₹75,000 per month to his daughter as interim maintenance, effective from the date of the application. However, the court denied maintenance for his son after noting that he has reached adulthood. The Court also directed Munde to pay ₹25,000 towards legal costs and prohibited him from causing any further harm to Karuna until the final decision of the case..[Read Order]