Wife Who Left Husband Due to Poverty Not Entitled to Maintenance, Allahabad HC Rules

By Vaibhav Pandey | Nov 25, 2025

Prayagraj: In a significant ruling on marital disputes, the Allahabad High Court has held that a wife who abandons her husband due to financial reasons is not entitled to maintenance. The court also observed that the wife in question was living separately without valid cause and had attempted to mislead the court by concealing facts.

The verdict came from Justice Madanpal Singh, who rejected the revision petition of Rachna Vyas from Chandauli, challenging the Family Court’s earlier order that dismissed her maintenance claim filed under Section 125 CrPC.

High Court Upholds Trial Court Decision

The High Court affirmed the Family Court’s order. Rachna Vyas’ lawyer argued that the trial court had failed to consider alleged cruelty by the husband and claimed that she had sufficient reasons to live separately. The lawyer also denied allegations of the wife entering into a second marriage.

However, the husband’s lawyer countered that the couple’s relationship had ended following a village panchayat settlement, and further claimed that the wife had remarried, with evidence provided by the Gram Pradhan.

Key Findings

The court noted that Rachna had left her matrimonial home voluntarily, citing the disparity between her affluent parental home and her husband’s poor background. Additionally, the High Court pointed out discrepancies in documents presented to the trial court, including an Aadhaar card where she replaced her husband’s name with her father’s, a fact she had not disclosed earlier.

The ruling reinforces that maintenance claims under Section 125 CrPC are not absolute and are denied when the wife voluntarily abandons her husband without sufficient cause.