The Calcutta High Court has ordered Indian cricketer Mohammed Shami to pay a monthly alimony of Rs 4 lakh to his estranged wife, Hasin Jahan, and their daughter. Justice Ajoy Kumar Mukherjee issued the order, specifying that Rs 1.5 lakh is for Jahan's personal maintenance and Rs 2.5 lakh is for their daughter's care and expenses.

This decision follows Jahan's appeal against a previous order from 2018 by the Alipore Court in Kolkata, which had directed Shami to pay her Rs 50,000 per month and an additional Rs 80,000 for their daughter's expenses. Jahan had originally sought Rs 10 lakh per month, including Rs 7 lakh for herself and Rs 3 lakh for her daughter, but the lower court dismissed her request.

During the appeal, Jahan's legal team argued that Shami's financial circumstances could support a higher alimony amount. According to his income tax return for the financial year 2021, Shami's annual income was approximately Rs 7.19 crore, which is around Rs 60 lakh per month. Jahan claimed her combined monthly expenses, including those for her daughter, exceeded Rs 6 lakh.

The High Court took these arguments into consideration and stated that a sum of Rs 1.5 lakh per month to the wife and Rs 2.5 lakh to her daughter would be just, fair, and reasonable to ensure financial stability for both. The court also noted that Shami may voluntarily contribute additional amounts towards his daughter's educational or other future needs.

The High Court questioned the basis of the previous decision, highlighting that it was unclear on what grounds the Alipore Court had awarded significantly lower sums. The revised order noted that the earlier judgement required correction, particularly given Shami's substantial earnings and the fact that Jahan has not remarried and lives alone with her daughter.

The legal battle between Shami and Jahan has been ongoing for several years. In March 2018, Jahan lodged an FIR against Shami and his family, alleging "enormous physical and mental torture" under Section 12 of the Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act, 2005, and "sustained indifference and neglect" of her minor daughter. Besides domestic violence, she also accused Shami of dowry harassment and match-fixing, alleging that Shami had stopped shouldering financial responsibility for running her family expenses. While Shami was later cleared of match-fixing allegations by the BCCI, the legal controversies have continued.

The Calcutta High Court's decision to increase the alimony amount reflects a consideration of Shami's financial capacity, his actual income, standard of living, and the spiraling inflation rates. The court emphasized that Jahan, who has remained unmarried and is living independently with her child, is entitled to a level of maintenance that she enjoyed during her marriage and which reasonably secures her future as well as the future of her child.