Mother's Financial Independence Not Ground to Reduce Father's Maintenance Liability: Supreme Court
Supreme Court restores interim maintenance of ₹60,000 per month for two minor daughters, holding that mother’s earnings cannot be used to halve father’s liability through arithmetic calculation.
The Supreme Court has held that a mother’s financial independence does not, by itself, justify a reduction in the father’s obligation to pay maintenance for their children. A Bench comprising Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta restored an interim maintenance award of ₹60,000 per month for two minor daughters after setting aside an Allahabad High Court order that had halved the father’s liability based on the mother’s monthly earnings of ₹1.5 lakh.