Supreme Court Rejects Woman’s Plea for Maintenance: ‘Both Spouses Hold Equal Jobs’
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The woman, employed as an assistant professor, sought financial support from her husband, but her husband opposed the request.
The Supreme Court (SC) has dismissed a woman’s plea for maintenance from her estranged husband, noting that both she and her husband hold the same position as assistant professors and that she is financially independent. A bench of Justices Abhay S. Oka and Ujjal Bhuyan ruled that there was no valid reason to intervene in the matter under Article 136 of the Indian Constitution.
“Both the first petitioner and respondent (husband and wife) are holding the same post of an Assistant Professor. No case for interference is made out in exercise of our jurisdiction under Article 136 of the Constitution of India. The special leave petition is accordingly dismissed,” said the bench of Justices Abhay S Oka and Ujjal Bhuyan.
The woman, employed as an assistant professor, sought financial support from her husband, but her husband opposed the request. His lawyer, advocate Shashank Singh, argued that she did not require maintenance because she earns approximately Rs 60,000 per month and both of them hold identical job positions.
In response, the woman argued that her qualifications and earnings should not absolve her husband of his duty to provide maintenance. She further stated that her husband earns around Rs 1 lakh per month, and as such, should still be obligated to support her.
The court had previously asked both parties to submit their salary slips for the past year due to discrepancies regarding their respective earnings. The wife had initially approached both the Madhya Pradesh High Court and a trial court for maintenance, but her requests were rejected. She then appealed to the Supreme Court, which ultimately dismissed her plea, stating there were no grounds for intervention.
