Court allows working woman's plea; says children's maintenance father's primary responsibility

A family court in Indore in Madhya Pradesh has ruled that a working woman is not barred from seeking child support from her estranged husband by observing that ''maintenance of minor children is the primary and moral responsibility of a father''.

The court directed a 42-year-old man, employed as an assistant manager at a leading pharmaceutical firm, to pay Rs 22,000 every month to his wife for the upkeep of their two minor children till they attain adulthood.

The woman holds a Bachelor of Engineering degree and works with a private company earning Rs 20,000 a month, as per court records.

In the order passed on June 30, the additional principal judge of the family court said, ''Maintenance of minor children is the primary and moral responsibility of a father. In the present case, even though the applicant (wife) is capable of maintaining herself, the responsibility to maintain the two minors lies with the respondent (husband).'' The court noted the minor son and daughter live with their mother, who has been solely responsible for their care since the couple separated in 2020 due to marital discord.

''The most significant aspect is that the couple's daughter has a heart ailment and has already undergone surgery. She continues to require ongoing medical treatment,'' the order read.

The woman and her two children had filed a petition through their counsel Raghvendra Singh Raghuvanshi seeking maintenance.

''Since the couple separated in 2020, both children have been living with their mother, who has been taking care of all their needs,'' Raghuvanshi told PTI.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)