Alok Singh
On 10th September 2025, the Delhi High Court delivered a significant ruling in SSB v. SHB, enhancing maintenance in a matrimonial dispute under Section 24 of the Hindu Marriage Act, 1955. The Bench, comprising Justice Navin Chawla and Justice Renu Bhatnagar, modified a Family Court order that had earlier granted maintenance only for the minor child but denied it to the wife.
The parties married in 2013 and have lived separately since 2019. The wife, an Assistant Professor at Delhi University earning about ₹1.25 lakh per month, has custody of their daughter. The husband, employed as a Senior Computer Scientist with Adobe Systems in the U.S., earns over ₹1.5 crore annually, apart from additional perks like RSUs and stock benefits.
In March 2024, the Family Court awarded ₹35,000 per month plus school expenses for the daughter, but declined the wife’s plea for her own maintenance. The wife appealed, seeking enhanced maintenance for both herself and her child.
The Court rejected the Family Court’s narrow view that employment alone disentitled the wife to maintenance. The Court held that maintenance ensures parity in lifestyle, not just subsistence, and the husband’s earnings, which are nearly ten times more, are also considered. The Court held that a working wife is not automatically excluded from maintenance. Citing Rajnesh v. Neha, the Court reiterated that adequacy, not mere earnings, is the test.
Therefore, the Court enhanced maintenance to ₹1,50,000 per month (inclusive for wife and child), up from ₹35,000. All other directions of the Family Court were left undisturbed.
Case Name: SSB v. SHB
Case Citation: 2025 :DHC: 7888-DB
Bench: Justice Renu Bhatnagar And Justice Navin Chawla
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