Supreme Court lays down 8 factors for deciding alimony amount

While hearing the divorce case of Praveen Kumar Jain and Anju Jain, the Supreme Court on Wednesday laid down a number of conditions and factors that should be considered by all courts across the country to base their orders on the criteria of.

The top court bench of Justice Vikram Nath and Justice Prasanna V Varale, who ordered Praveen Kumar Jain to pay Rs 5 crore as alimony to his wife, laid down an eight-point formula before deciding the amount as maintenance for the woman after divorce.

THE EIGHT-POINT FORMULA FOR DECIDING ALIMONY AMOUNT

The alimony amount shall be decided after divorce considering:

1. Social and economic status of the husband and the wife
2. Basic needs of the wife and children in the future
3. Qualification and employment of both parties
4. Sources of income and assets
5. The standard of living of the wife while living at her in-laws’ house
6. Has she left her job to take care of the family?
7. Reasonable amount for legal battle for a wife who is not working
8. What will be the financial status of the husband, his earnings and other responsibilities along with the maintenance allowance