The Supreme Court of India has issued a notice to Indian cricket team’s fast bowler Mohammed Shami and the West Bengal government. This notice has been issued after the petition of Shami’s estranged wife Hasin Jahan, in which she has demanded an increase in the monthly maintenance allowance being given for herself and her daughter.
Hasin Jahan has challenged the order of the Calcutta High Court, which directed her to pay Rs 1.5 lakh per month as maintenance and her daughter Rs 2.5 lakh per month as maintenance. In his petition, he said that considering Shami’s income, assets and lifestyle, this amount is very less and has requested the court to increase it.
During the hearing, a bench of the Supreme Court asked whether Rs 4 lakh per month is not already a huge amount? However, the court has asked both Shami and the West Bengal government to file their reply within four weeks. Now the next hearing of this case will be in December.
Hasin Jahan’s lawyer argues that Mohammed Shami’s actual income and assets are many times more than what is shown in the court records. He said that Shami has property worth crores, luxury cars, he often travels abroad and lives a very luxurious life. In such a situation, this maintenance amount is not justified.
The petition also states that despite orders from both the Family Court and the High Court, Shami did not make the scheduled payments for several months. Hasin Jahan says that she is not making any personal claim on her husband’s income, but her daughter has the right to live the same lifestyle as her father. It is written in the petition that the daughter should get an opportunity to study in a good school, live in a respectable environment and live a life as per her father’s condition.
The case is part of the years-long legal battle between Shami and Haseen Jahan, which began in 2018 with allegations of domestic violence, dowry and financial disputes. Since then this controversy has remained a topic of discussion both in the courts and the media. Shami has avoided commenting on his personal life in the past and has said that he wants to focus on his game. He had said in an old interview that he had no regrets about what happened. I don’t want to blame anyone, just want to focus on cricket.
Now as per the direction of the Supreme Court, both Shami and the West Bengal government will have to present their side within four weeks, after which the next hearing is scheduled in December.
