Court awards Barsa Rs 16,000 maintenance

Balasore: Barsa Swony Chaudhary, the estranged wife of Rajashree Mohanty and daughter-in-law of former law minister Raghunath Mohanty, has been awarded a sum of Rs 16,000 per month towards her maintenance.

Barsa sought a maintenance amount of Rs 60,000 per month from Rajashree, but family court judge Girish Kumar Mishra pronounced the verdict Tuesday in an open court.

The court directed Rajashree Mahanty, to pay the amount (Rs 16,000) from the date of filing of the case, under section 125 of CrPC, by Barsa which was September 26, 2013.

While adjudicating a case of interim maintenance against Rajashree’s divorce petition, the same court January 14 this year, had awarded Rs 20,000 as monthly interim maintenance amount, besides Rs 5,000 as litigation expenses.

With this, Rajashree will have to pay Rs 16,000 per month from September 2013 till May 2015 and then he would have to pay Rs 20,000 per month till disposal of his divorce case.

With announcement of the verdict, both Barsa and Rajashree said they respected the court order.

Barsa said, “The amount is insufficient as I am pursuing higher education away from Balasore. I had demanded Rs 60,000 per month.”

The episode of court battles began after Barsa March 13, 2013, filed a dowry torture compliant in the Town police station, Balasore.

A case of dowry torture was registered against Raghunath Mohanty and his wife Pritilata, their married daughter Rupashree Madhual and son-in-law Suvendu Madhual besides Rajashree.

After registration of the case, Mohanty had to resign from the ministry and the case was taken over by the Orissa Human Rights Protection Cell (OHRPC).

While Rajashree was arrested from Chaudwar area by the OHRPC, Raghunath and his wife were latter taken into custody from Kolkata March 30, 2013. PTI