After 26 Years Of Separation, Woman Seeks ₹25 Lakh Alimony In Bhopal

Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): After living separately for 26 years without divorce, a woman in Bhopal has sought a one-time alimony of Rs 25 lakh from her husband, bringing their long-pending marital dispute back to court.

A couple in the city has been living separately for the past 26 years. They have neither filed for divorce nor have attempts at reconciliation succeeded. They have not remarried. Both are in their fifties.

The man, from a farming family in neighbouring Vidisha district, and the woman, a resident of Bhopal, are currently involved in a case before the district family court.

The two married in 1999 in an arranged match and began living together in Bhopal. However, within a few months, disputes arose and attempts at reconciliation failed.

About a year after the marriage, the woman left her husband’s home and began living with her parents in Bhopal. The couple had no children.

The woman later filed a case seeking maintenance under Section 15 of the Hindu Marriage Act in the Bhopal district family court. The court awarded Rs 2,000 per month as maintenance, which was later increased to Rs 4,000.

Meanwhile, the man turned to spiritualism and began delivering sermons on the Gita and other Hindu scriptures at religious gatherings. He continued to pay maintenance regularly.

Over the years, neither party sought divorce, remarried, or made further attempts at reconciliation.

Some years ago, the woman alleged that her husband had stopped paying maintenance and that arrears had reached Rs 36,000.

The man was summoned and proposed that she resume living with him, but she declined and sought financial settlement instead.

According to Shail Awasthi, a counsellor at the court, the matter recently came up again when the woman filed an application seeking enhancement of maintenance.

During counselling, she demanded a one-time alimony of Rs 25 lakh to secure her future, while the man said he could afford a maximum of Rs5 lakh.