Court of Appeal judges Datin Paduka Zaleha Zahari, Datuk Zulkefli Ahmad Makinudin and Datuk Abdull Hamid Embong unanimously dismissed L. Ganesan @Abdul Ghani Abdullah's appeal to reduce the maintenance sum to his ex-wife A. Letchimidevi from RM1,000 to RM300.

Bernama reported today the quorum held that the High Court did not err when it ordered Ganesanto pay RM1,000 maintenance to Letchimidevi after allowing her petition to dissolve their marriage.

Ganesan was appealing against the High Court's decision delivered onJuly 14, 2005. Counsel S.J. Samuel submitted that the RM1,000 maintenance was excessive as his client's monthly income of RM3,500 from selling mutton would have to be utilised to support two other Muslim wives he had married in 1997 and in 2000 after he converted to Islam.

He said Letchimidevi was given the video and VCD rental business after the couple was separated and that she managed to sustain the business which could draw about RM5,000 income per month.

Samuel said Ganesan had also given RM60,000 to Letchimidevi from the mortgage of their matrimonial single-storey terrace house in Kajang and also spent about RM200,000 on renovation to the shophouse for the video and VCD rental business.

Letchimidevi's lawyer Ramesh N.P. Chandran told the court that Ganesan had the means to pay the RM1,000 maintenance as he had done so for 18 months when they (Ganesan and Letchimidevi) were living separately.

He said Ganesan, however, stopped payment when Letchimidevi refused to convert to Muslim. The couple were married on July 16, 1987, and sometime in June 1996, Ganesan converted to Islam.

Ganesan lived separately from Letchimidevi since his conversion and reconciliation was no longer possible since Letchimidevi had refused to convert.

The 37-year-old Letchimidevi has remained single after the divorce.