Patna: Patna high court, in a significant judgement, has held that granting a divorce decree does not end a court’s responsibility to consider the financial consequences for an estranged wife. The court directed a man to transfer one kattha of agricultural land, which was exclusively his share in the family property, to his divorced wife and pay her a monthly maintenance of Rs10,000 to support her financial stability and dignity.A division bench of Justices Bibek Chaudhuri and Rana Vikram Singh passed the order on Monday while disposing of a miscellaneous appeal filed by a woman, who had challenged the divorce decree passed by the Sheohar family court on June 30, 2022, in a case filed by her husband.The bench considered the income and asset statements submitted by the couple as part of the proceedings. The court noted that the husband had purchased an SUV on a monthly EMI of Rs17,000, which he was paying from income from agriculture and a grocery business. The court also noted that the woman’s declared income and assets were comparatively limited.The couple married in 2002, but their marital relationship became strained within two years, with allegations of persistent quarrels and desertion. The husband subsequently filed for divorce in 2015.
