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2026 Supreme(Del) 282

IN THE HIGH COURT OF DELHI AT NEW DELHI
SWARANA KANTA SHARMA
Ateet Jain – Appellant
Versus
Chhavi Jain – Respondent


Advocates Appeared:
For the Petitioner:Mr. Rajiv Khosla, Ms. Kashika Kapoor, Mr. Apoorva Khosla, Ms. Shreya Kumar Sharma and Mr. Surender Chauhan, Advocates, with petitioner.
For the Respondent: Mr. Roopenshu Pratap Singh, Mr. Manish Sharma, Mr. Abhinav Bhatnagar and Mr. Aditya Taneja, Adv.

Judgement Key Points

Certainly. Based on the provided legal document, here are the key points:

  • The revision petition was filed by the petitioner-husband against orders related to interim maintenance and the dismissal of his appeal under the Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act, 2005 (!) (!) (!) (!) (!) .

  • The parties were married on 26.09.2014, with no children born from the marriage, and the respondent-wife left the matrimonial home due to differences and allegations of domestic violence (!) .

  • The respondent-wife filed an application under Section 12 and Section 23 of the PWDV Act, alleging physical, sexual, verbal, emotional, and economic harassment, including dowry demands (!) .

  • The Magistrate ordered interim maintenance of ₹26,000 per month, which was challenged by the petitioner-husband and subsequently dismissed by the appellate court (!) (!) .

  • The petitioner contended that the respondent-wife was living in adultery and involved in a live-in relationship during the subsistence of her marriage, supported by photographs purportedly depicting her in compromising situations (!) (!) .

  • The petitioner also argued that the respondent-wife’s claim for maintenance should be denied because she was not an "aggrieved person" under the PWDV Act due to her alleged adultery, and that the courts failed to properly evaluate the photographs and evidence (!) (!) .

  • The respondent-wife denied the allegations of adultery, asserting that the photographs were morphed and fabricated, and contended that such unproven allegations should not influence the grant of interim relief (!) (!) (!) .

  • The Court clarified that, at the interim stage, allegations of adultery are to be treated as disputed questions of fact that require evidence; hence, such allegations cannot be a sole basis for denying maintenance (!) (!) (!) .

  • The Court emphasized that the scope of the PWDV Act is broader than that of criminal or matrimonial law, and there is no statutory bar in the Act preventing a woman from claiming reliefs, including maintenance, even if she is alleged to be living in adultery (!) (!) .

  • The Court observed that the respondent’s allegations of domestic violence, supported by prima facie evidence, established her status as an "aggrieved person" under the Act (!) (!) .

  • Regarding the assessment of the petitioner-husband’s income, the Court found that the credit entries in his bank account, along with his previous income tax returns, indicated a higher earning capacity than claimed, justifying the maintenance amount (!) (!) .

  • The Court upheld the orders of the lower courts, finding that the interim maintenance was reasonable and that the concurrent findings of fact did not warrant interference at this stage (!) (!) .

  • Directions were issued to expedite the final adjudication of the main proceedings within approximately one year and to consider the possibility of repayment of interim maintenance if allegations of adultery are ultimately proven (!) (!) (!) .

  • The petition and pending applications were disposed of accordingly, with the judgment to be uploaded on the court’s website (!) (!) .

Please let me know if you require further analysis or specific legal advice based on this document.


JUDGMENT :

SWARANA KANTA SHARMA, J.

1. The present revision petition has been filed by the petitioner- husband, assailing the order dated 31.10.2023 [hereafter 'impugned order'], passed by the learned ASJ-05, Central District, Tis Hazari Courts, Delhi [hereafter 'Sessions Court'] vide which the appeal filed by the petitioner under Section 29 of the Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act, 2005 [hereafter 'PWDV Act'] was dismissed, and the order dated 22.10.2021, passed by the learned MM-03, Mahila Court, Central, Tis Hazari Courts [hereafter 'Magistrate'] was upheld.

FACTUAL BACKGROUND

2. Brief facts of the case are that the petitioner-husband and the respondent-wife were married on 26.09.2014, according to Hindu rites and ceremonies. No child was born from the wedlock. Owing to differences between the parties, the respondent-wife left the matrimonial home and filed an application under Section 12 of the PWDV Act along with an application under Section 23 of the PWDV Act, inter alia, alleging that she had been subjected to sexual, verbal, emotional and economic harassment, as well as harassment on account of dowry demands. Reply to the said application was thereafter filed b

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