“Taking care of the children, for a mother, is a whole-time job” and a husband cannot refuse to pay maintenance by contending that the “wife is lazing around and not earning enough to take care of children though she is well qualified”, observed the High Court of Karnataka while doubling interim maintenance to a woman in a pending plea for divorce.
Justice M. Nagaprasanna made these observations while allowing a petition filed by woman seeking higher interim maintenance from husband for taking care of herself and two minor children during the pendency of the divorce petition as against the mere ₹18,000 per month granted by a Family Court. The High Court has now doubled this amount as per her plea along with the arrears.
The couple were married in 2012 and their relationship went sour after eight years of marriage resulting in plea for divorce in 2022.
