Karnataka High Court: Husband Not Obligated to Pay Alimony When Wife Earns More

Bengaluru, June 29: The Karnataka High Court has delivered a significant ruling on alimony in a divorce case, holding that a husband is not required to pay maintenance to a wife who earns more than him.

A single-judge bench of Justice Dr. Chillakur Sumalatha accepted the husband's petition challenging a lower court order that had directed him to pay ₹20,000 per month in alimony, and set aside that order.

Wife Earned More Than the Husband

The couple had married in 2024 and separated within just a few months. The husband's monthly salary was ₹60,646, while the wife earned ₹1 lakh per month. Despite this, the wife filed a petition seeking maintenance in the trial court. The trial court ordered the husband to pay ₹20,000 per month as alimony. The husband challenged this order before the High Court, which upheld his appeal.

The High Court observed that the wife is capable of maintaining herself on her ₹1 lakh salary, that the husband's salary is lower than hers, and that she has no children or other financial obligations — and accordingly ruled that the husband is not liable to pay alimony.

What the Court Said About Maintenance

The High Court laid down clear guidelines on when courts should award maintenance:

• In situations where the wife is financially independent, her income exceeds the husband's income, and she has no other obligations such as raising children, courts should not be inclined to grant maintenance orders simply on the grounds that men must support women or that a husband must support his wife.
• Courts are required to grant interim or final maintenance only when it is proven that the wife has no financial resources to maintain herself in accordance with her husband's standard of living.