Thu Jul 24 19:50:13 UTC 2025: ## News Article:
**Delhi High Court Affirms Maintenance for Educated Woman, Cites Disparity Between Earning Potential and Reality**
**New Delhi, July 25, 2025 (IST)** – The Delhi High Court has upheld a lower court’s decision to grant maintenance to a woman with both a B.Tech and MBA degree, emphasizing that the *potential* to earn does not equate to *actual* earnings, particularly when childcare responsibilities are involved.
A Bench comprising Justice Navin Chawla and Justice Renu Bhatnagar ruled that possessing educational qualifications alone is insufficient grounds to deny financial support. The judgment came in response to a husband’s challenge to a Family Court order, demanding he pay ₹10,000 monthly to his wife and ₹15,000 for their minor daughter’s interim maintenance. The couple, residing in Dwarka, has been separated since March 2021, with the husband filing for divorce citing irreconcilable differences.
The husband argued that his wife, previously employed as a Finance Executive and Insurance Planner earning approximately ₹3 lakh annually before marriage, continued to earn after filing the divorce petition.
The High Court dismissed this argument, acknowledging that a woman may leave her employment due to family needs, especially to care for a child, facing difficulty securing suitable employment later. The court underlined that the interim maintenance amount was reasonable considering the cost of living, inflation, the child’s increasing needs, and the couple’s overall socio-economic status.
Given the husband’s monthly income of ₹1,74,354, the court determined the maintenance amount to be “just, apt, appropriate and necessary” for the wife to maintain a lifestyle commensurate with that of her husband. The ruling reinforces the principle that divorce settlements should reflect the realities of individual circumstances and ensure fair financial support, especially when dependent children are involved.
First Piper 