The Allahabad High Court partly allowed a criminal revision, reducing maintenance awarded to a wife and child from Rs 11,000 to Rs 7,500 monthly. The Court held maintenance must be “reasonable and proportionate” to income, considering the husband’s assessed monthly earnings of Rs 30,000.
Challenging the “idle wife” notion, the Delhi High Court held that a homemaker’s contributions enable the earning spouse’s success and cannot be ignored in maintenance decisions. Justice Swarana Kanta Sharma said non-employment does not imply idleness or deliberate financial dependence.
