India, Oct. 1 -- Husband cannot assert exclusive ownership over a property jointly acquired and registered in the name of both spouses, solely on the basis that he paid the EMIs, Delhi High Court ordered on September 22.

A bench of justices Anil Kshetarpal and Harish Vaidyanathan Shankar delivered the verdict while dealing with the appeal filed by a wife against the family court's December 2017 order.

"Once the property stands in the joint names of the spouses, the husband cannot be permitted to claim exclusive ownership merely on the ground that he alone provided the purchase consideration. Such a plea would contravene Section 4 of the Benami Act, which imposes an absolute bar against the enforcement of rights in respect of property he...