Man Earning ₹325/Day Ordered by SC to Pay ₹10,000/Month to Estranged Wife

Obligation of an Able-Bodied Spouse

The Supreme Court of India refused to entertain a petition from a man seeking to reduce his maintenance obligations. The petitioner argued that his actual income was merely ₹325 per day as a daily wage laborer, making it impossible to pay the ₹10,000 per month maintenance ordered by the family court.

The apex court upheld the principle that an able-bodied man is legally and morally bound to maintain his legally wedded wife and cannot shirk this responsibility by citing suppressed or artificially deflated income figures. The Court maintained the ₹10,000 monthly payout to ensure the wife does not fall into destitution.