Disabled husband need not pay maintenance; Karnataka HC orders grandfather to pay child support
Bengaluru, Apr 12: The Karnataka High Court has declined to compel a man with a 75 per cent disability to provide maintenance to his estranged wife, and overturned a lower court's order for his arrest or the levying of a fine.
The single judge bench of Justice M Nagaprasanna emphasised the man's physical limitations, stating, "The husband walks with the help of crutches," making it impractical to expect him to seek employment in order to make maintenance payments.
Marital discord led the husband to petition for annulment of the marriage, alleging that the wife left him voluntarily. Amidst this, the wife sought interim maintenance under Section 24 of the Hindu Marriage Act, and was initially granted Rs 15,000 per month.
However, the husband subsequently became disabled and this hindered his ability to pay maintenance.
The court scrutinised the wife's employment and the husband's disability certificate, questioning the rationale behind demanding maintenance from an incapacitated husband. It underscored the need to consider all factors and the husband's inability to earn due to his disability.
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Highlighting the staggering arrears of Rs 19,04,000, covering the period of disability, the court expressed concern over the financial strain on the husband. Rejecting the notion of tapping into the husband's father's resources, the court however deemed it appropriate for the husband's father to support the grandchild's needs.
The court rejected the wife's plea for enhanced maintenance, labeling it untenable, and mandated the husband's father to settle the arrears until the onset of the man's disability.
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Bengaluru Police bust major drug network; 16 arrested, narcotics worth Rs 36.67 crore seized
Bengaluru: In a major crackdown on drug trafficking and illegal narcotics trade, Bengaluru City Police have arrested 16 accused persons and seized narcotic substances worth Rs 36.67 crore.
According to Bengaluru City Police Commissioner Seemanth Kumar Singh, those arrested include four foreign nationals, eight persons from other states and four locals. Police said the network had interstate as well as international links.
Police recovered 9 kg 64 grams of MDMA, 5 kg 195 grams of hydro ganja, 19,755 LSD strips, 156 grams of heroin, 618 grams of charas, 332 grams of cocaine, 315 grams of drug-mixed gummies and 11 kg 470 grams of ganja from the accused.
The Commissioner said the action was carried out as part of a major anti-drug operation in the city. The network was busted with the support of the CCB Narcotics Control Squad and police stations of Bagaluru, Adugodi, Chikkajala, HSR Layout, Yeshwanthpur, Jalahalli and Jnanabharathi.
Cases were registered in CCB, East Division and West Division police stations based on specific intelligence received on different dates, following which raids were conducted.
Preliminary investigation revealed that the accused were procuring drugs at lower prices from foreign, interstate and local sources and selling them in Bengaluru at higher rates.
Police said college students and working professionals were among the main targets of the accused.
