The Allahabad High Court has dismissed a petition filed by a lawyer seeking speedy disposal of a maintenance case against his wife, terming it “vexatious” and imposing a compensatory cost of ₹15 lakh for suppressing material facts.
Justice Vinod Diwakar directed the petitioner-husband to pay the amount to his wife within six weeks, observing that he had concealed key details in his affidavits and misused financial resources, leaving his wife under “systemic depletion.”
According to court records, the couple married in May 2019 while both were preparing for competitive exams. The wife later secured a position as an additional private secretary in the High Court, while the husband, despite being a law graduate and registered advocate, remained unemployed.
The dispute escalated into multiple legal proceedings. The husband had approached the court claiming he had no independent source of income and sought maintenance. However, the wife opposed the plea, alleging that he had taken substantial loans from her salary accounts on false promises.
She told the court that:
- ₹11.5 lakh was taken from her SBI salary account in 2020
- ₹13.56 lakh was taken again in 2022 from another SBI branch
- She continues to pay an EMI of ₹26,020, scheduled till 2028
The wife further alleged that the funds were misused for personal expenses, including luxury spending and alcohol.
A family court in Etawah had earlier ordered the wife to pay interim maintenance of ₹5,000 per month along with ₹10,000 as litigation expenses. That order is currently under challenge.
After reviewing the case, the High Court found that the husband had deliberately withheld crucial information and misused the legal process. It ruled that the petition did not warrant intervention under its supervisory jurisdiction.
The court ordered the ₹15 lakh cost to be paid via demand draft within six weeks. If the amount is not deposited, the District Magistrate of Etawah has been directed to recover it as arrears of land revenue within three months. It also instructed authorities to assess the petitioner’s assets to ensure compliance.
