Mumbai: Maharashtra minister Dhananjay Munde has moved the sessions court against a magistrate’s interim order directing him to pay maintenance to a woman claiming to be his first wife.
The Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader reiterated in his appeal that he was never married to Karuna Munde, who has alleged she is his first wife. His appeal contends that the magistrate erroneously assumed a marital relationship between them and wrongly concluded that they shared a domestic relationship.
Filed through advocate Sayali Sawant, the appeal argues that the magistrate failed to apply his mind and arbitrarily granted interim maintenance.
Munde admitted to having a personal relationship with Karuna after meeting her at a political gathering. Their interactions led to a relationship, resulting in the birth of two children. He permitted his name and surname to be used for their children’s official documents but insists that he was never married to her.
He further claimed that Karuna was fully aware of his existing marriage to Rajshri Munde but still chose to engage in a relationship with him. However, he alleged that after he won the 2019 Assembly election and became a minister, her behavior changed drastically. According to Munde, she and her family began making repeated and unreasonable financial demands.
Munde also alleged that Karuna falsely projected herself as his wife by creating multiple social media accounts under the name “Karuna Dhananjay Munde.” He asserted that he never shared a household with her and remains legally married to Rajshri.
During the hearing on Friday, Karuna sought time to file her response. She assured Additional Sessions Judge Shaikh Akbar Shaikh Jafar that she would not seek execution of the maintenance order until the next hearing. The court adjourned the matter to March 21 and directed her to submit a reply in advance.
On February 4, the Bandra magistrate’s court had partly allowed Karuna’s interim plea, directing Munde to pay Rs 1.25 lakh per month to her and Rs 75,000 per month to their daughter as interim maintenance.
Karuna had filed a domestic violence case against Munde in 2020, which is still pending before the magistrate court. The magistrate, in the interim order, prima facie held that Munde had committed domestic violence against her. It rejected his argument that no marriage existed and noted that the documents on record indicated they shared a domestic relationship.
