Munde challenges court order to pay maintenance to '1st wife'

Maharashtra minister Dhananjay Munde has filed an appeal in a sessions court in Mumbai against an interim order of a magistrate directing him to pay maintenance to a woman, who claims to be his first wife.

The Nationalist Congress Party leader, in his appeal, reiterated he was never married to Karuna Munde, who claims to be his first wife.

He is aggrieved by the order primarily on the ground that the magistrate erroneously passed it on the basis that the appellant (Dhananjay Munde) and the respondent number 1 (woman) are married to each other and thus there is domestic relationship between them, the appeal said.

The appeal, filed through advocate Sayali Sawant, further mentioned that the magistrate "didn't apply his mind and passed an arbitrary order giving interim maintenance".

The minister claimed he had been introduced to the woman during a political party and "their frequent interactions led to a personal relationship, which they mutually decided to pursue".

Two children were born out of the relationship and Munde permitted his name and surname to be used for the official documentation of the children alone, the appeal said.

Furthermore, the respondent was fully aware of the politician's existing marriage "but voluntarily chose to engage in a relationship with him", it said.

However, there was a "drastic change" in the woman's behaviour after he won the 2019 assembly election, got inducted in the state cabinet and began residing with his wife Rajshri Munde at his official residence in Mumbai, the appeal said.

The woman and her family started "making repeated and unreasonable demands for large sums of money under various pretexts", it said.

Subsequently, the woman created multiple social media accounts under the name "Karuna Dhananjay Munde", falsely representing herself as the appellant's wife, the appeal said.

"However, the Appellant was never married to the Respondent number 1 in any manner or form and remains legally married to Rajshri Munde. At no point did he share a household with Karuna Munde," it added.

During the hearing on Friday, Karuna Munde, sought time to file her response.

She submitted before Additional Sessions Judge Shaikh Akbar Shaikh Jafar, hearing the appeal, that she will not apply for execution of the interim maintenance order till the next date.

The court then adjourned the matter to March 21 and directed her to submit a copy of reply in advance (before next date).

On February 4, the Bandra magistrate's court partly allowed Karuna's interim plea and directed Dhananjay Munde to pay Rs 1.25 lakh per month her and Rs 75,000 per month to their daughter as interim maintenance.

The woman filed a domestic violence case against the minister in 2020, and the magistrate court is yet to decide the main plea.

The magistrate, in its interim order, had prima facie held that the NCP leader meted out domestic violence against his first wife.

It had also refused to accept Dhananjay Munde's contention that he was not married to the woman.

The magistrate, based on the documents on record, noted that prima facie the couple shared domestic relations.