‘Guesswork on overseas income’: Bombay High Court rejects wife’s Rs 10 lakh alimony

The Bombay High Court has overturned a family court's order granting a wife Rs 10 lakh in permanent alimony and Rs 10,000 monthly maintenance for their minor daughter. The court found the alimony amount to be based on an "unsupported assumption" about the husband's income, and has directed the family court to reassess the figures.

The order also maintains the current Rs 10,000 monthly child maintenance. The husband had contested the family court's decision, arguing that it had not considered evidence of his actual earnings or the wife's financial needs. The court noted that the family court had assumed the husband, who was skilled and qualified with prior German work experience, earned Rs 1 lakh per month.

It held that the permanent alimony should be determined based on the husband's actual income and that the wife's needs must also be properly assessed.