THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: In a relief to a woman and her minor son who were continuously denied monetary relief by her estranged husband, a local court has ordered the man’s employer to deduct the amount from his Provident Fund (PF) and provide it to the wife. The order came on a petition filed by the woman under the Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act, 2005.
The order by Siju Sheik, Additional District Sessions Judge IV, Thiruvananthapuram, brings hope to many women who are seeking monetary relief but are unable to get it due to non-cooperation on part of the husband.
Manju, a native of Manacaud here, had to go through eight-year-old legal battle for monetary relief from her husband Suresh Kumar S, a retired engineer with the KSEB. In 2018, a magistrate court here had ruled in favour of awarding her the relief of `3.75 lakh.
The magistrate court directed the Accounts Officer of GPF section in the KSEB to deduct the amount from Suresh Kumar’s PF and pay the amount to Manju and her son.
However, the Accounts Officer and the Chief Engineer of the KSEB filed a revision petition in the Sessions Court contending that the order of the magistrate court was against the provisions of the Provident Fund Act.
“The Sessions Court upheld the magistrate court’s order and ruled that the provisions of DV Act supersede that of PF Act,” said T K Ajan, Manju’s counsel.