Financial Independence of Wife Not a Barrier to Alimony if Needed to Ensure Dignity and Social Standing Post-Divorce: Supreme Court
The Supreme Court in Amutha v. AR Subramanian ruled that maintenance can be granted despite a party’s financial independence if it is necessary to ensure dignity, social standing, and financial stability post-divorce, particularly in long-term marriages. A bench of Justices Vikram Nath and PB Varale made this observation while awarding ₹50 lakhs as permanent alimony to a wife, dismissing her appeal against a divorce decree.
The Court noted that both parties, software engineers, were financially stable at the time of their two-year marriage. However, recognizing the wife’s financial burdens during prolonged litigation, it deemed the alimony necessary to secure her independence and dignity. It cited Kiran Jyot Maini v. Anish Pramod Patel, affirming that maintenance aims to sustain a spouse's standard of living rather than penalize the other party.
Reiterating principles from Rajnesh v. Neha, the Court emphasized considering factors like marriage duration, earning capacities, age, health, standard of living, and contributions during the marriage. The judgment acknowledged the wife’s emotional and financial struggles during the litigation and noted that a lump sum alimony ensures finality while addressing the welfare of their child.