Delhi Court Denies Maintenance to MBA Graduate Wife, Citing Her Ability to Earn
A Delhi mahila court has denied maintenance to an MBA graduate wife, stating that she is highly qualified and capable of finding an income source for herself.
Case Overview
Shiny Verma Bakshi had sought interim maintenance of Rs 50,000 per month from her husband, Dr. Guneet Singh Bakshi, an orthopaedic surgeon. However, Metropolitan Magistrate Swayam Siddha Tripathy ruled that the right to maintenance is not absolute and depends on the wife’s inability to sustain herself and her standard of living compared to her husband.
Court Observations
The magistrate emphasized that the complainant must prove her inability to meet basic needs and show that her husband enjoys a better lifestyle. In this case, Shiny, an MBA graduate, was deemed capable of earning. The court noted that she chose not to seek employment and instead depended on her husband.
“The intention of the legislation is not to encourage willful unemployment and unnecessary dependency,” the court stated. The court also mentioned that Shiny came from a well-to-do family and had received compensation from her first husband.
Legal Proceedings
Shiny and Guneet married in 2018, and in 2020, Shiny alleged domestic violence by her husband and in-laws. A lower court had earlier granted Rs 8,000 per month as relief, but the order was challenged. The High Court later observed that Shiny was wealthier than her husband.
Despite this, the court clarified that this observation did not deprive her of seeking remedies under the anti-domestic violence law. However, the magistrate concluded that granting maintenance would promote idleness.
Final Verdict
The court stated, “Allowing maintenance to her will only promote idleness and dependency. Therefore, I am not inclined to grant any maintenance to the complainant in view of her capacity to earn.”
This ruling highlights the court’s stance on encouraging self-sufficiency and discouraging willful unemployment in maintenance cases.
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