Court Reacts to ₹10,000 Maintenance Demand from ₹12,000 Salary: “How Will He Live?”

A recent court case in Karnataka has sparked widespread discussion after a judge’s reaction to a maintenance order was captured on video. The case involved a wife seeking financial support from her husband, whose monthly take-home salary is ₹12,000. The judge was taken aback upon learning that ₹10,000 was being ordered for the couple’s child.

In the viral footage, the judge expressed her astonishment at the proposed maintenance amount. She remarked, “First of all, from a person’s salary of ₹12,000, how can the court grant ₹10,000 for maintenance? When a person is getting, without any evidence, when he is taking home ₹12,000 salary, how can the court grant ₹10,000 to the child? How will he live? It can’t be.”

The judge continued, questioning the rationale behind the maintenance order, “No. Where is the evidence for the court to come to such a conclusion that you are entitled for ₹10,000. You might be, your requirements are that. Court can understand that. But what about… He is the person who has to pay.”

The video also captures a key moment during the proceedings when the wife’s lawyer reveals that the trial court had not granted any maintenance to the wife but had awarded ₹10,000 per month for the child. The judge, seeking clarity, inquired about the husband’s earnings. The wife’s lawyer initially stated that the husband’s gross salary was ₹62,000, but the husband’s lawyer corrected this, noting that his gross salary is ₹18,000, with a take-home pay of ₹12,000. This prompted the judge’s comments on the practicality of the maintenance amount.

The judge advised that if the husband’s salary increases, the wife could file a new application to adjust the child support amount. This situation has raised questions about the balance between fair maintenance and the financial capacity of the payer.