<h3>Overview</h3> <p>The <span class="key-term" data-definition="Supreme Court — भारत का सर्वोच्च न्यायिक निकाय, संविधान की अंतिम व्याख्या करने वाला (GS2: Polity)">Supreme Court</span> has affirmed that a husband’s obligation to maintain his wife is a primary duty that cannot be reduced by deductions for <span class="key-term" data-definition="loan repayments — उधार ली गई राशि को चुकाने के लिए नियमित भुगतान; आवश्यक खर्च के बजाय पूंजी निवेश माना जाता है (GS3: Economy)">loan repayments</span> used for <span class="key-term" data-definition="asset creation — ऐसी संपत्ति या निवेश का अधिग्रहण जो शुद्ध मूल्य बढ़ाता है (GS3: Economy)">asset creation</span>. In the case <strong>Deepa Joshi v Gaurav Joshi</strong>, the Court enhanced monthly maintenance from ₹15,000 to ₹25,000.</p> <h3>Key Developments</h3> <ul> <li>The bench of <strong>Justice Sanjay Karol</strong> and <strong>Justice Augustine George Masih</strong> raised the maintenance quantum by ₹10,000.</li> <li>The Court held that deductions for loans that create assets cannot be equated with necessary household expenditure.</li> <li>Arrears are to be cleared within three months, with payments due on or before the 7th of each month.</li> </ul> <h3>Important Facts</h3> <p>• The dispute arose under <span class="key-term" data-definition="Section 144 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita — 2023 के नागरिक संहिता के तहत वैवाहिक रखरखाव से संबंधित प्रावधान (GS2: Polity)">Section 144 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita</span>, 2023.<br> • The husband, a bank manager, earns a gross salary of ₹1,15,670 per month.<br> • The wife has no independent income and has been living separately since shortly after marriage.<br> • The Family Court initially awarded ₹8,000, the <span class="key-term" data-definition="Uttarakhand High Court — उत्ताराखंड राज्य के उच्च न्यायालय (GS2: Polity)">Uttarakhand High Court</span> raised it to ₹15,000 before the Supreme Court’s intervention.</p> <h3>UPSC Relevance</h3> <p>Understanding the jurisprudence on <span class="key-term" data-definition="maintenance — एक पति/पत्नी को बेघर होने से बचाने और गरिमापूर्ण जीवन सुनिश्चित करने के लिए अदालतों द्वारा आदेशित मौद्रिक समर्थन (GS2: Polity)">maintenance</span> is essential for GS Paper II (Polity) as it illustrates the balance between individual rights and statutory duties. The judgment also highlights how courts assess a respondent’s <span class="key-term" data-definition="loan repayments — उधार ली गई राशि को चुकाने के लिए नियमित भुगतान; आवश्यक खर्च के बजाय पूंजी निवेश माना जाता है (GS3: Economy)">loan repayments</span> in the context of disposable income, linking to GS III (Economy) topics on personal finance and asset formation.</p> <h3>Way Forward</h3> <p>• Lower courts must scrutinise financial commitments and distinguish between capital investment and essential expenditure when fixing maintenance.<br> • Legislators may consider clarifying the treatment of asset‑creating li</p>