The Supreme Court directed a man’s employer to deduct Rs 25,000 monthly from his salary after he repeatedly refused to pay maintenance to his estranged wife. The Court said the amount must be transferred directly to the wife’s bank account to ensure support for her and their minor daughter.
The Supreme Court of India recently passed a strong order to ensure that a woman and her minor daughter receive maintenance from the husband who had repeatedly refused to comply with court directions.
A Bench of Justice JB Pardiwala and Justice KV Viswanathan directed the employer of the husband to deduct Rs 25,000 every month from his salary and transfer the amount directly to his wife’s bank account through RTGS.
The Court passed this order after observing that the husband had consistently failed to pay maintenance despite earning a monthly salary of Rs 50,000 and had also ignored previous directions issued by the Court.
“In such circumstances, we are left with no other option but to direct the employer of the respondent-husband… that an amount of Rs 25,000 shall be deducted per month from the salary and the said amount shall be transferred by RTGS to the account of his wife,”
the Court ordered.
The matter came before the Supreme Court through a transfer petition filed by the wife, who sought the transfer of matrimonial proceedings. The Court was informed that the couple had been living separately since 2022 and that attempts to resolve their dispute through mediation had not been successful.
During the hearing, the Court also expressed serious concern about the welfare of the couple’s four-year-old daughter. The Bench noted that the child is being raised solely by her mother and that the father had not even met or seen the child for several years.
The Court noted that a judicial magistrate had already passed an order in 2024 directing the husband to pay interim maintenance. However, the husband failed to comply with the order, leading to accumulated arrears of approximately Rs 1.38 lakh.
Despite submitting an affidavit stating that he earns Rs 50,000 per month, the husband refused to accept the Court’s suggestion to deposit Rs 2.5 lakh, which included the pending interim maintenance dues.
The Bench further pointed out that during an earlier hearing, the Court had directed the husband to deposit Rs 25,000 towards travel expenses for his wife and their minor daughter so that they could attend mediation proceedings before the Supreme Court Mediation Centre. However, he failed to follow that direction as well.
“It is unfortunate to note that the husband has not even bothered to deposit an amount of Rs 25,000 towards travelling expenses of his wife and minor daughter as ordered by us,”
the Court noted.
Taking note of the husband’s continued refusal to pay maintenance despite having a regular income, the Supreme Court decided to intervene directly to secure financial support for the wife and child.
Accordingly, the Court ordered the husband’s employer to deduct Rs 25,000 from his monthly salary and transfer the amount directly to the wife’s bank account to ensure that the maintenance is paid regularly without further delay.
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