'Son Caring For Parents Can't...': High Court Rejects MP Woman's Maintenance Plea Against Husband

Last Updated:July 10, 2026, 16:05 IST

The Family Court had accepted the wife's contention that she was living separately because of strained relations with her in-laws

The Madhya Pradesh High Court has ruled that a lack of harmony with in-laws or a husband paying attention or caring for his parents cannot be cited as a ground for his wife to abandon her matrimonial home and subsequently claim maintenance.

A bench of Justice Jai Kumar Pillai passed the order while allowing a husband’s petition challenging a Family Court order that had directed him to pay Rs 20,000 per month as maintenance- Rs 10,000 to his estranged wife and Rs 5,000 each to their two minor children.

“In the realm of matrimonial jurisprudence, a lack of harmony with in-laws or a husband dedicating attention and care to his parents and family members cannot, under any circumstance, be construed as a justifiable or sufficient ground for a wife to abandon the matrimonial home and subsequently claim maintenance," the bench observed.

The dispute between the couple arose, which led to the wife moving back to her parents’ house. Thereafter, she filed an application under Section 125 CrPC seeking maintenance. The husband pleaded before the lower court that the wife had left voluntarily to live at her parents’ home and that she did not inform the husband regarding the birth of their child.

The Family Court had accepted the wife’s contention that she was living separately because of strained relations with her in-laws and because her husband paid more attention to his parents than to her.

Setting aside that reasoning, the High Court observed that a lack of harmony with in-laws or a husband caring for his parents cannot, under any circumstance, be treated as sufficient justification for a wife to leave the matrimonial home and claim maintenance.

“A son maintaining his parents is absolutely normal in Indian culture and ethos. The expectation that a husband must sever ties with or withdraw attention from his parents to appease his wife is legally recognised as unreasonable," the court said.

Referring to Section 125(4) CrPC, the high court noted that a wife is not entitled to maintenance if she refuses to live with her husband without sufficient reason. It clarified that valid reasons would include circumstances such as complete neglect by the husband, denial of fundamental rights, severe cruelty, or continuous physical or mental abuse.

The High Court also noted that the husband had earlier been acquitted in a cruelty case filed by the wife and observed that allegations made by her accusing him of having an illicit relationship with his sister-in-law were unsubstantiated and amounted to serious mental cruelty.

Holding that the Family Court had committed a “patent error" in awarding maintenance to the wife, the High Court quashed the Rs 10,000 monthly maintenance granted to her.

However, the court made it clear that a father’s responsibility towards his children remains unaffected by matrimonial disputes. It not only retained the maintenance for the couple’s two minor children but enhanced it from Rs 5,000 each to Rs 7,500 per month, increasing the total child maintenance to Rs 15,000 per month.

About the Author

Shobhit Gupta

Shobhit Gupta is a sub-editor at News18.com and covers India and International news. He is interested in day to day political affairs in India and geopolitics. He earned his BA Journalism (Hons) degre...Read More

News india 'Son Caring For Parents Can't...': High Court Rejects MP Woman's Maintenance Plea Against Husband

Read More