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11 Factors to be considered by the Court while awarding interim Maintenance

Delhi High Court has recently re-iterated the factors to be considered by the Court while deciding an application for interim Maintenance. A Division Bench of Justices Pradeep Nandrajog and Pratibha Rani has observed that the object behind Section 24 of the Hindu Marriage Act, 1955 is to provide for maintenance, pendente-lite, to a spouse in matrimonial proceedings so that during the pendency of the proceedings the spouse can maintain herself/himself and also have sufficient funds to carry on the litigation so that the spouse does not unduly suffer in the conduct of the case for want of fund.

The Bench has also re-iterated the following factors to be considered by the Court, while awarding the amount, as held by High Court in Sh.Bharat Hegde Vs. Smt.Saroj Hegde

1. Status of the parties.
2. Reasonable wants of the claimant.
3. The independent income and property of the claimant.
4. The number of persons, the non applicant has to maintain.
5. The amount should aid the applicant to live in a similar life style as he/she enjoyed in the matrimonial home.
6. Non-applicant’s liabilities, if any.
7. Provisions for food, clothing, shelter, education, medical attendance and treatment etc. of the applicant.
8. Payment capacity of the non applicant.
9. Some guess work is not ruled out while estimating the income of the non applicant when all the sources or correct sources are not disclosed.
10. The non applicant to defray the cost of litigation.
11. The amount awarded Under Section 125 Cr.PC is adjustable against the amount awarded Under Section 24 of the Act.

Article referred: http://www.livelaw.in/11-factors-considered-court-awarding-interim-maintenance/

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