Educated wife can't stay idle and claim maintenance, says Orissa HC

A well-educated wife with experience in a suitable gainful job cannot remain idle solely to claim maintenance from her husband, Orissa HC has observed, reducing the maintenance amount ordered by a family court in a divorce case from Rs 8,000 to Rs 5,000 per month.

"The law never appreciates those wives who remain idle only to saddle the husband with the liability of paying maintenance by not working or not attempting to work despite having proper and high qualifications," said Justice Gourishankar Satapathy. "The intention and objective of the legislature in enacting Section 125 of CrPC was to provide relief to wives who are unable to maintain themselves and have no sufficient income for their sustenance," he added.