The Bombay High Court recently ordered that woman is entitled to maintenance under the provision of the Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act even after divorce.

A single bench of Justice R G Avachat upheld the order passed by a sessions court directing the man, a police constable, to pay maintenance of Rs 6,000 to his divorced wife per month.

The court observed that the definition of the term “domestic relationship” suggests a relationship between two persons who live or have, at any point of time, lived together in a shared household. “The petitioner being husband was under statutory obligation to make provisions of maintenance of his wife. Since he failed to make such provision, the respondent/wife had no option but to file an application under the DV Act,” the court said.