MUMBAI: A court here has held that NCP leader and Maharashtra minister Dhananjay Munde "prima facie" meted out domestic violence to his first wife, and ordered him to pay her and their daughter interim maintenance of Rs 2 lakh per month.
The Bandra magistrate's court earlier this week also refused to accept Munde's contention that they were not married.
On the face of it, the couple shared domestic relations, said the judge.
Munde's first wife Karuna Sharma had filed a domestic violence case against him in the Bandra court in 2020.
The court has not given its final ruling in the domestic violence case, said advocate Sayali Sawant, the minister's lawyer.
Dhananjay Munde, nephew of late BJP leader Gopinath Munde and currently Food and Civil Supplies Minister, is already facing the heat over the arrest of his close aide Walmik Karad in an extortion case related to the murder of sarpanch Santosh Deshmukh in Beed district, his home turf.
He is also facing corruption allegations, and the Opposition has sought his ouster from the cabinet.
Karuna Sharma, who had two children with Munde, sought interim maintenance and compensation under the Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act, 2005, during the pendency of the case.
On February 4, Judicial Magistrate (First Class) A B Jadhav partly allowed her plea, and directed Munde to pay her Rs 1,25,000 per month and Rs 75,000 per month to their daughter.
On the relationship between the two, the court noted that Munde had executed a notarized 'Vasiyatnama' (will) in 2017 where he admitted that the woman was his first wife.
In the present case, the minister denied all the allegations and even the relationship with Karuna.
No particulars of alleged incidents of domestic violence were provided, his reply said.
The court, however, pointed out that in his election affidavit, Munde mentioned the names of the two children with Karuna as his "dependents."
"...the present proceedings contended that he never married the applicant. It appears that the respondent is denying conjugal rights of the applicant, which also amounts to domestic violence," the court held.
As per an affidavit filed before the court, the couple were living separately since 2020.
This suggested that their relations were strained, and an inference can be drawn that as the respondent is denying their marital status, "the woman is emotionally abused by the respondent which amounts to domestic violence", the judge said.
"Therefore, I hold that, applicant No 1 prima facie proved that she has been subjected to domestic violence at the hands of respondent," the court ruled.
The judge, however, denied any relief to the couple's son, noting that a male child is not entitled to maintenance after attaining majority.
As per Karuna Sharma, she married Dhananjay Munde on January 9,1998.
It was an inter-caste love marriage, and after the wedding the couple initially stayed in Indore before shifting to Mumbai, she claimed.
The relationship was smooth till 2018, but later there was a sudden change in Munde's behavior and he started to neglect her and her children, she alleged.
When she learnt about his second marriage and confronted him, Munde allegedly told her that he had to marry again "to maintain reputation in society and under the pressure of family members."
But she would always have the "status of first wife", he told her, and hence she never complained about his second marriage keeping in mind his social position, the woman's petition said.
Subsequently, Munde "physically and emotionally abused" her and denied her conjugal rights, she alleged.
Munde's lawyer said he had in the past acknowledged that he was in a live-in relationship with the woman (Karuna), and the interim order was based on that admission.
Karuna Sharma, on the other hand, said she was not satisfied with the interim maintenance amount.
"I should be called Karuna Munde as the court has accepted me as the first wife of Dhananjay Munde. I had sought a monthly maintenance of Rs 15 lakh, but the court allowed only Rs 2 lakh. A person can not sustain oneself in a city like Mumbai (with that money) so I will approach the high court," she told reporters.
"The matter (before the magistrate's court) will be taken up on February 20. I will produce my family members including my sister who was also abused by Munde. I will file a petition in the HC for higher maintenance as we have to pay off loans," she added.