19/06/2026
Maintenance is not a favour you beg for — it’s a legal right you can enforce.
Under Section 144 of the BNSS (formerly Section 125, CrPC), a Magistrate can order a person who has sufficient means to pay a monthly allowance to dependents they are neglecting. It’s designed to be a quick, secular remedy that prevents destitution.
Who can claim? A wife who is unable to maintain herself (in many cases, even after divorce); children who are minors, or adult children unable to support themselves due to a disability; and parents who cannot maintain themselves.
It cuts across religion — it’s a social-welfare provision, not personal law. You apply to the Magistrate, and courts can grant interim maintenance while the case is pending. And a husband can’t escape simply by leaving his job; courts look at his earning capacity, not just current income.
In simple words: dependents who can’t support themselves have an enforceable right to support.
Not legal advice. Save & share. 🔁
