Bombay HC Grants Interim Relief To Dhananjay Munde In Domestic Violence Case; Stays Maintenance Order With 50% Deposit Condition

Mumbai: In a reprieve to Nationalist Congress Party (Ajit Pawar faction) leader and former Maharashtra minister Dhananjay Munde, the Bombay High Court on Thursday granted interim relief by staying a lower court’s order directing him to pay interim maintenance to a woman claiming to be his first wife. The stay is subject to Munde depositing 50% of the amount.

Justice Manjusha Deshpande passed the order on Thursday, staying the April 5 decision of a sessions court that had upheld a February 4 ruling by a Bandra magistrate. The magistrate had directed Munde to pay Rs 1.25 lakh per month to the woman, Karuna Sharma, and Rs 75,000 per month to their daughter, under the Protection of Women from Domestic Violence (DV) Act.

Munde challenged the orders, stating that he is legally married to Rajshri Munde since 2001 and has three children with her. He denied being married to Sharma, arguing that the DV Act was not applicable in this case. He maintained that Sharma was fully aware of his marital status when they entered into a personal relationship and alleged that she later began making unreasonable financial demands.

His petition, filed through advocate Sayli Sawant, contended that the magistrate’s order was arbitrary and lacked judicial reasoning. It further argued that Sharma’s use of Munde’s surname on social media and official records was misleading, and that he had never shared a household with her.

“Petitioner (Munde) was never married to the Respondent No.1 (Sharma) in any manner or form and remains legally married to Smt. Rajshri Munde. At no point did he share a household with the Respondent No.1,” his plea added.

Sharma, on the other hand, claimed she married Munde in 1999 and lived with him in Indore before moving to Mumbai. She alleged that he refused to acknowledge their relationship publicly and subjected her to physical and emotional abuse. In her 2022 petition, she sought Rs 5 lakh per month each for herself and her two children, and Rs 25 crore as compensation.

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