A magistrate court in Bombay earlier this week directed Feroz Lakdawala, son of film financier and post-production studio owner Yusuf Lakdawala, and daughter-in-law to pay an interim monthly maintenance of Rs. 2 lakh to his second wife, Sabina Lakdawala, 47, who has filed a complaint under the Domestic Violence Act. “The interim maintenance must be in tune with the fact that the parties belonged to elite class, and while granting it, Sabina’s resources can also be considered,” the court said.
It added that the adverse contentions made by both the sides reflected that there were ongoing disputes between them. Therefore, an offence was also registered against Sabina. The court further pointed out that this also resulted in her leaving or being thrown out from the common flat on Carter Road, Bandra (West) in Bombay, and Feroz and others not permitting her to enter the house. “The fact that no arrangement for her survival is made by them, is also almost admitted. In such a situation, it can be said that respondents caused acts of emotional and economic violence, and to a certain extent, physical violence as well, for the limited purpose of this application,” the court mentioned.
It further said that Sabina leaving the house, not earning, and the facts relating to Feroze’s good income infer that she is entitled to the interim relief of residence and maintenance, which is to be paid from October 2021, the month the plea for maintenance was filed, till the disposal of the main complaint. Out of the total interim maintenance amount, Rs. 75,000 goes towards rent.
The court also directed the couple to furnish security in the form of a bank guarantee of Rs. 10 lakh towards Sabina’s valuables till the final disposal of the complaint. It added that if the woman’s allegations about family members grabbing the valuables she left behind in the house are subsequently proven, the bank guarantee is to be encashed in her favour.
Yusuf Lakdawala passed away six months back while serving punishment at Arthur Road Jail in Bombay in a money laundering case.