In Brief
A wife worked as an Anganwadi worker earning minimal income and was denied maintenance under Section 125 of the Criminal Procedure Code by the High Court, despite a Family Court's earlier award of Rs. 1,500 monthly for herself and Rs. 500 for her minor son. The Supreme Court held that the High Court erred in disallowing maintenance solely based on the wife's meagre employment income. The Court emphasized that such paltry earnings cannot enable a woman and her child to maintain reasonable living standards. The judgment restored the Family Court's maintenance award, reaffirming that maintenance rights must consider actual earning capacity and genuine needs for livelihood.
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