New Delhi: The Delhi High Court has directed former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister and National Conference Vice President Omar Abdullah to pay Rs 1.5 lakh per month as alimony to his separated wife Payal Nath, sources said. It is learnt that out of the total amount, Rs 60,000 per month covers the education expenses of Abdullah's son.
A bench of Justice Subramaniam Prasad passed the order while hearing Payal Abdullah's petition on Thursday. Payal had approached the Delhi High Court in July 2018 challenging the trial court's order of 26 April 2018. In the proceedings under Section 125 of CrPC, the trial court had ordered Rs 75,000 per month for maintenance to Payal Abdullah and Rs 25,000 per month to her son till he attains the age of 18 years.
Payal had approached Delhi High Court saying that the alimony amount ordered by the trial court was inadequate. Payal had argued that with this much expense her son cannot afford his studies and daily expenses. She said her son was not yet able to meet his own expenses and he has to depend on his parents for his the same.
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Pertinently, in the year 2016, the trial court had rejected Omar Abdullah's divorce petition saying that he had failed to prove the claims of cruelty and abandonment by Payal for divorce. Abdullah had filed for divorce that the relationship between him and his wife had broken down to such an extent that it was no longer possible for them to live together.
Omar Abdullah has filed an appeal in the Delhi High Court against this decision of the trial court. It is noteworthy that in the year 1994, Omar Abdullah, son of former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Farooq Abdullah, had a love marriage with Payal Nath, daughter of Army Major General Ramnath. Omar Abdullah was a marketing executive at Oberoi Hotel in Delhi and Payal Nath also worked there at the time.
It was here that both of them fell in love and then got married. Payal and Omar have two sons, Zaheer and Zameer. Both of them separated from each other after 17 years of marriage. Payal now looks after her transport business in Delhi. She is living separately from Abdullah since 2009. Both the sons live with Payal.
