Alimony

The amount of permanent alimony should not penalize the husband but should be made with the aim of ensuring a decent standard of living for the wife. Following factors require due weightage while deciding the permanent alimony amount: i. Status of the parties, social and financial. ii. Reasonable needs of the wife and the dependent children. iii. Parties' individual qualifications and employment statuses. iv. Independent income or assets owned by the applicant. v. Standard of life enjoyed by the wife in the matrimonial home. vi. Any employment sacrifices made for the family responsibilities. vii. Reasonable litigation costs for a non-working wife. viii. Financial capacity of the husband, his income, maintenance obligations, and liabilities. The aforesaid factors do not lay down a strait jacket formula but act as a guideline while deciding permanent alimony. Parvin Kumar Jain v. Anju Jain, 2024 LiveLaw (SC) 969