Financially Independent Wife Earning More Than Husband Cannot Claim Maintenance Merely Because She Is a Woman: Karnataka High Court

The Karnataka High Court has held that a wife who is financially independent and earns substantially more than her husband cannot claim interim maintenance merely because she is the wife. The Court observed that maintenance under the Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act, 2005 is intended to support a spouse who is unable to maintain herself, and not to provide financial assistance where the wife has sufficient independent income…