Allahabad High Court: Husband's deception cannot deny maintenance to wife
India
The Allahabad High Court just made it clear: if a woman is tricked into marrying someone who hides an existing marriage, she's still entitled to financial support, even if the second marriage isn't legally valid.
The court didn't let the husband off the hook, saying he can't use his own deception as an excuse to avoid paying maintenance.
Court stresses Section 125 CrPC protection
In this case, the couple got married in 2016 while the husband was technically still married to someone else (his first marriage ended only in late 2017).
The woman asked for more than her current ₹6,000 in monthly support since her husband earns around ₹50,000 as a government employee.
The court stressed that Section 125 of the CrPC should be used to protect women from being exploited in situations like this.