- Photographs and social media profiles cannot prove a woman’s financial independence, ruled Bengaluru court
- Court dismissed husband's claim that wife did not need maintenance due to alleged employment
- Educational qualifications or job potential alone cannot justify denying maintenance to a woman
A bengaluru High Court has decided that Photographs and social media accounts, like those on Facebook and LinkedIn, cannot prove that a woman has enough money to support herself and her child, according to a Bengaluru court ruling.
The court ruled that such information cannot be used to automatically deny her maintenance.
Additional Sessions, City Civil Judge Mohan Prabhu said this while dismissing a husband's claim that his wife didn't require financial assistance because she worked for a private corporation.
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“The trial court records show that while addressing the arguments, the learned counsel for the respondent has produced certain photographs, LinkedIn profile and Facebook profile photos, and contended that the petitioner is working,” the court noted.
However, it found that the husband had failed to establish the woman's actual earnings.
“The learned magistrate rightly held that the documents produced by the learned counsel for the respondent at the time of arguments cannot be relied,” the court observed.
It further held that even if the woman had secured a job, that would not necessarily mean she earned enough to support herself and her minor child.
“Even if it is presumed that the petitioner has joined some job, then also it cannot be held that the petitioner is having sufficient income so as to maintain herself and her child,” the court said.
The sessions court consequently allowed the woman's appeal and ordered her husband to pay ₹20,000 as monthly maintenance.
Bengaluru Court On Wife's Income And Maintenance
The case started as a matrimonial dispute between a couple who were married in Bengaluru in 2014 and then relocated to the US, where the husband was employed as an engineer.
Before their relationship soured, the couple had a son. The mom brought the child back to India in November 2017 and moved in with her parents.
Later, she reported financial, psychological, and physical abuse to a magistrate under the Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act, 2005.
In April 2025, the magistrate awarded ₹15,000 per month towards the child's maintenance, ₹1.6 lakh annually towards educational expenses and ₹8 lakh as compensation to the woman. However, the magistrate declined to grant her separate maintenance, citing her educational qualifications and earning capacity.
Both parties challenged the order before a sessions court.
Court Says Educational Qualifications Are Not Enough To Deny Maintenance
While considering the arguments, the sessions court noted that the woman was unemployed when she filed the domestic violence petition.
The husband's statement of assets and liabilities also did not disclose that she was employed, earning an income or owned properties capable of generating income.
The court emphasised that a woman's educational qualifications or ability to secure employment could not automatically justify denying her maintenance. It said the actual financial circumstances of both parties, their earning capacity and the responsibilities involved in raising a minor child must be considered.
The court also highlighted the time and effort involved in raising a child.
“The mother who has custody of child not only has to spend money on the upbringing of the child but also spending substantial time and efforts in bringing up the child. We cannot calculate the same in terms of money,” the court said.
Economic Abuse Under Domestic Violence Law
The court additionally stated that the Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act of 2005 specifically recognises economic abuse as a type of domestic violence. Therefore, the law may provide remedies for financial neglect.
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It was decided that educational credentials or the potential for employment could not be used as justifications for refusing maintenance on their own.
As a result, the sessions court granted the woman's appeal and ordered the husband to give her support of ₹20,000 per month.
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