Dear Sir,
Conditions for Granting Maintenance:
Person from whom maintenance is claimed must have the ability to pay maintenance. Ability means being employed, owning land, having a source of income or having a healthy body capable of work.
- The person must have neglected the claimant or refused to pay maintenance.
- Persons claiming maintenance must be unable to maintain themselves. If a person is healthy, adequately educated or capable of pursuing gainful employment no maintenance is given. Wives and elderly parents are generally given maintenance. The mere fact that the wife is earning does not disentitle her from claiming maintenance. The question is whether she is able to maintain the same standard of living that subsisted prior to the neglect or divorce with her own earnings without having to depend on another.
WHAT SHOULD BE THE POINTS OF DETERMINATION, THE COURT SHOULD CONSIDER WHILE DECIDING THE MAINTENANCE AMOUNT?
In Raj Bari Behera v. Mangaraj Behera, the maintenance has to determine in the light of the standard of living of the person concerned, the earnings of the husband and his other financial commitments.
Financial commitments like EMI's should also be taken into consideration while deciding maintenance amount (Bhushan Kumar Meen vs Mansi Meen @ Harpreet Kaur on 28 April 2009, Supreme Court of India)