According to a case before the Bombay High Court in. WRIT PETITION NO.13661 OF 2024 the husband, a software engineer, filed for divorce in September 2020. The couple married in April 2016 and had a daughter in 2017. By January 2020, they were living separately.
The husband claimed that he had to resign from his job at a software company after an accident in August 2021. However, the Court noted that he never mentioned this accident in his initial applications, including one filed to modify the maintenance order in 2023.
In September 2022, the Civil Judge in Pune had ordered him to pay ₹30,000 per month as maintenance to his wife and daughter, along with EMI for mortgage payments.
He later filed an application to modify this order, citing financial difficulties due to a new, much lower-paying job. Yet, he still did not mention the accident as the reason for his resignation until he filed an affidavit in February 2025, a year and a half later. The Court questioned the timing of this new claim.
The wife presented evidence of large sums of money the software engineer had transferred to family members during this period, arguing that he was trying to avoid paying maintenance. She also pointed out that his matrimonial profile still listed a much higher income, which further contradicted his claims of financial hardship.
The husband’s counsel argued that his employment at the software company ended because of the accident and subsequent medical leave, but the Court found his explanation inconsistent. The wife’s lawyer pointed out that his actions appeared to be an effort to hide his financial status and avoid paying maintenance.