Karnataka High Court Orders BHEL Employee to Pay Maintenance After Decade-Long Separation
The Karnataka High Court has ordered a Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL) employee to pay Rs 15,000 in monthly maintenance to his wife, ruling that a decade-long separation does not negate her statutory right to support. Justice K Manmadha Rao allowed the wife’s revision petition, setting aside a 2018 family court order that had dismissed her plea. The court emphasized that mere delay by the wife or her family is insufficient to constitute a waiver of maintenance rights. The couple, married in 1985 with three children, separated in 2010 amid allegations of the husband's alcoholism and abuse. While the husband claimed he was assaulted and driven out by his in-laws, the court noted his monthly salary of Rs 74,000 and his failure to support the family, who relied on the wife’s parents for sustenance and education costs. The judgment directs the husband to clear pending maintenance within two months, highlighting the financial burden borne by the wife’s family during the prolonged separation. This ruling reinforces legal protections for women seeking maintenance regardless of procedural delays.
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Karnataka High Court Orders BHEL Employee to Pay Maintenance After Decade-Long Separation
The Karnataka High Court has ordered a Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL) employee to pay Rs 15,000 in monthly maintenance to his wife, ruling that a decade-long separation does not negate her statutory right to support. Justice K Manmadha Rao allowed the wife’s revision petition, setting aside a 2018 family court order that had dismissed her plea. The court emphasized that mere delay by the wife or her family is insufficient to constitute a waiver of maintenance rights. The couple, married in 1985 with three children, separated in 2010 amid allegations of the husband's alcoholism and abuse. While the husband claimed he was assaulted and driven out by his in-laws, the court noted his monthly salary of Rs 74,000 and his failure to support the family, who relied on the wife’s parents for sustenance and education costs. The judgment directs the husband to clear pending maintenance within two months, highlighting the financial burden borne by the wife’s family during the prolonged separation. This ruling reinforces legal protections for women seeking maintenance regardless of procedural delays.
The Indian Express