Very rarely do we come across such instances where the woman empowerment just makes you smile for the very right reasons. A mother from Bangaluru decided to go against her son for her daughter-in-law and helped her get alimony post-divorce. A Karnataka family court ordered late Congress Minister SR Kashappanavar’s son Devanand to pay his 25-year-old ex-wife a permanent alimony of Rs 4.85 crore while dissolving their marriage.

The Fifth Additional Principal Family Court Judge noted that the petitioner was eligible for divorce as they have been living separately for close to four and a half years. The petitioner and Devanand (the petitioner’s maternal uncle), had married on May 22, 2011, at Hungund taluk of Bagalkot district.

The petitioner told the court that Devanand had married her only to respect the late Minister’s wishes, and had an extra-marital affair. Most of the times the petitioner’s husband stayed back at the other woman’s house.

When his wife confronted it, he was allegedly violent towards her and verbally abused her. This was when the petitioner moved the court for a divorce.   In her petition, she mentioned that she was treated like a stranger by her husband after tying the knot, although he was cordial with her weeks prior to their marriage.

According to the petitioner and her mother-in-law, Devanand had married the other woman illegally against the wishes of the elders of the family and has a child with the woman.

According to The New Indian Express, the mother-in-law, who is also the petitioner’s grandmother, said, “Devanand has vast extent of lands, drives a Mercedes Benz SUV costing more than a crore, owns quarry business and is therefore well off. Without performing his marital obligations, Devanand deserted his wife.”