Overview
- On May 26, a bench of Justices Navin Chawla and Renu Bhatnagar upheld the city court’s April 19 order directing ₹15,000 in interim maintenance to the wife and minor son.
- The court ruled that personal loans, EMIs and other voluntary financial commitments do not qualify as legitimate deductions when calculating maintenance obligations.
- Judges held maintenance must be assessed on an individual’s free income rather than net earnings after self-incurred debts.
- The husband’s plea that his contractual employment, mediclaim premium and EMIs significantly reduced his take-home pay was dismissed.
- The verdict underscores that statutory duties to support a spouse and child override self-imposed financial liabilities.