Shami's wife moves SC, seeks Rs10 lakh monthly maintenance

New Delhi: The Supreme Court issued a notice to cricketer Mohammad Shami on Friday on a plea filed by his estranged wife, seeking enhancement of the interim maintenance granted to her and their minor daughter.

A bench comprising Justices Manoj Misra and Ujjal Bhuyan sought Shami’s response on his wife’s plea challenging two orders passed on July 1 and August 25 by the Calcutta High Court.

The high court has enhanced the interim maintenance payable by Shami to Rs 1.5 lakh per month for his spouse and Rs 2.5 lakh per month for their daughter, while allowing the cricketer to clear the arrears in eight monthly instalments.

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In her plea before the apex court, Shami’s wife has contended that the amounts awarded are “grossly inadequate”, considering the cricketer’s financial standing and “lavish lifestyle”.

She has sought a monthly maintenance of Rs 7 lakh for herself and Rs 3 lakh for their daughter.

The petition points out that Shami’s annual income, as disclosed in his Income Tax Return for 2021-22, stood at nearly Rs 48 crore, while she has been forced to live in “downtrodden conditions”, struggling to meet even basic expenses.

It also highlights Shami’s ownership of luxury vehicles, including a Range Rover, a Jaguar, a Mercedes and a Toyota Fortuner. The couple got married in April 2014.

In 2018, Shami’s wife got an FIR lodged at the Jadavpur police station in Kolkata, alleging domestic violence, which subsequently led to a chargesheet against the cricketer.

She later moved a court under the Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act, seeking interim maintenance.

A trial court had initially granted Rs 80,000 per month for the child but denied maintenance to Shami’s spouse.

On appeal, the Sessions Court awarded her Rs 50,000 and the child Rs 80,000 in 2023.

The Calcutta High Court, through its July 1 order, further increased the amounts to Rs 1.5 lakh and Rs 2.5 lakh, respectively.

The August 25 order allowed Shami to pay the arrears in instalments.

Senior advocate Shobha Gupta appeared in the court for the cricketer’s estranged wife.

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