Dismissed JD(U) MLA ordered to pay Rs 20,000 per month to wife

Patna, Jul 10: A Patna district court on Friday ordered dismissed JD(U) legislator Ravinder Rai to pay monthly maintenance of Rs 20,000 to his wife in a case of domestic violence.

District Court Judge Arun Kumar gave the order in the course of hearing of an anticipatory bail application of Rai.

The order for payment of maintenance came after the dismissed MLA and his wife Babita Yadav traded charges against each other in the court while the proceeding was on. [Rebel JD(U) leader's wife alleges domestic abuse]

The judge also ordered Rai to deposit the sum in the bank account of his wife and show the receipt to the court in 10 days.

Babita (28), who hails from Jind in Haryana and had married Ravinder Rai in 2008, had in June this year filed an FIR against him alleging regular physical and mental torture.

Mother of two children, she had alleged that Rai was beating her and demanding more dowry from her parents.

Rai had, however, termed her allegations as "baseless" and said it was part of a conspiracy to defame him ahead of the state Assembly polls later this year.

The House membership of Rai, who was elected from Mahua in Vaishali district, was terminated by the Assembly secretariat for fighting his own party JD(U).

He is among the four JD(U) leaders who had openly rebelled against Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and along with some others have been siding with former Bihar chief minister Jitan Ram Manjhi.

PTI