Delhi High Court on Maintenance and Foreign Divorce Proceedings: Harmeeta Singh v. Rajat Taneja (2003)

In Harmeeta Singh v. Rajat Taneja, 102 (2003) DLT 822, the Delhi High Court dealt with a case where the wife was deserted by her husband within six months of marriage. She had been compelled to leave the matrimonial home just three months after joining her husband in the United States. The wife subsequently filed a suit for maintenance under the Hindu Adoptions and Maintenance Act, 1956 in India.

During the pendency of the case, the High Court passed an important interim order restraining the husband from proceeding with the divorce petition filed in a US court. The Court also directed him to submit a copy of the Delhi High Court’s order before the foreign court. This judgment highlights the Indian judiciary’s approach to protecting the rights of deserted wives and maintaining jurisdiction in cases involving foreign divorce proceedings.