The Supreme Court of India has ordered a man to pay ₹5 crore as permanent alimony to his wife and ₹1 crore for his adult son’s financial security after granting them divorce.
The ruling was delivered on December 10 by a bench of Justices Vikram Nath and Prasanna B. Varale, who highlighted the husband’s duty to provide care and support to both his wife and child.
The couple had been living separately for nearly 20 years after just six years of marriage. The husband accused the wife of being overly sensitive and disrespectful to his family, while the wife alleged mistreatment by her husband.
Given their long separation and no possibility of reconciliation, the Court declared the marriage “irretrievably broken down.”
The key issue before the Court was the grant of permanent alimony under the Hindu Marriage Act. While deciding the amount, the Court considered several factors, including:
- Social and financial status of both parties
- Reasonable needs of the wife and dependent children
- Educational qualifications and employment status
- Assets or income owned by the wife
- Standard of living during marriage
- Employment sacrifices made by the wife
- Litigation costs for a non-working wife
- Financial capacity and obligations of the husband
The Court clarified that these are guidelines, not rigid rules, for determining alimony.
It also stressed that alimony should not penalize the husband, but should ensure a decent standard of living for the wife.
In this case, the wife had no independent income and worked as a homemaker, while the husband was employed in a managerial position at a foreign bank earning ₹10–12 lakh per month. Taking into account their lifestyle and financial capacity, the Court fixed the alimony at ₹5 crore as a one-time settlement and ₹1 crore for the son.
With this, the long-standing dispute was settled, and the marriage formally dissolved.
Case Title: Parvin Kumar Jain vs. Anju Jain
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