New Delhi, Oct. 1 -- The Delhi High Court has ruled that a husband cannot claim sole ownership of a property acquired and registered jointly in both spouses' names, even if he alone paid the equated monthly instalments (EMIs).

A High Court bench comprising Justices Anil Kshetarpal and Harish Vaidyanathan Shankar delivered the ruling on September 22.

"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," the court said.

The court clarified that for the husband to claim complete ownership would directly contravene Section 4 of the Prohibition of Benami Property Transactions Act. This key section lega...