A woman won court damages from the mistress of her ex-husband for the woman's role in breaking up the marriage.

Kamlesh Mangal Sain Kapoor, 58, obtained compensation of RM10,000 from Kerpal Kaur Kernail, the lover of her former husband M Shudesh Kumar, The Star newspaper reported.

Shudesh, a 61-year old dentist, was also ordered by the court to pay his ex-wife a lump sum of RM115,000 and monthly alimony of RM1,000.

Judge James Foong said the sums were awarded to Kamlesh, a retired school teacher, for the adultery committed by Shudesh and Kerpal, a 44-year-old who worked at his dental clinic.

Kamlesh's lawyer, Karpal Singh, was quoted by The Star as saying the award for adultery as "rare."

Kamlesh and Shudesh were married in 1977 and divorced in 2001. They have two children.