In a shocking act of defiance an enraged husband has stabbed his wife in a court in Uttar Pradesh's Mathura district, the police informed.

Laxmi Devi, a mother of three children, is battling for her life in a hospital in Agra after her husband slit her throat and stabbed her several times Friday, police said.

Her husband Prem Pal Singh, a retired armyman, has been arrested after the victim's brother and the court intervened to protect her.

The couple had approached the court in a domestic violence case filed more than a month ago. A dowry case is also pending against Prem Pal Singh.