This isn't talaq, pay your wife maintenance, says court

The sessions court recently turned down a man's plea which challenged payment of interim maintenance to his wife on the grounds that she was the one who had opted for talaq.

The court said that the 'talaq' the man, a Parbhani resident, was referring to was invalid as it did not fulfil legal requirements. The woman had given talaq by khula, which empowers a Muslim woman to initiate divorce with mutual consent.

The judge held that the marriage between the estranged couple was not yet over and asked him to abide by its order of paying Rs 10,000 as interim maintenance.

The court order said the woman, who in 2015 had filed a domestic violence case 15 years after their marriage, had proved that she was physically abused and assaulted.

The case was heard by the metropolitan magistrate's court, which held that documents produced by the woman were sufficient to hold that there was abuse amounting to domestic violence.