Allahabad HC: Husband Not Obligated to Pay Maintenance if Wife's Actions Destroy Earning Capacity

• The Allahabad High Court ruled that a husband is not bound to pay maintenance if his earning capacity is destroyed by the wife's actions or negligence.
• The court rejected a maintenance petition from a Kushinagar woman whose husband, a homeopathic doctor, was shot by her family.
• The husband, Ved Prakash Singh, suffered severe injuries, including a bullet fragment in his spine, rendering him unable to work.
• Justice Laxmi Kant Shukla upheld the Family Court's decision, citing the injustice of awarding maintenance when the husband's incapacity resulted from the wife's family's criminal acts.
• The High Court emphasized that while husbands have a moral responsibility, this does not apply when the wife's conduct or her family's actions cause the husband's inability to earn.

Why It Matters: Husbands are not liable for maintenance if the wife's or her family's actions destroy their earning capacity.