New Delhi, Feb. 20 -- Holding that managing a household and raising a child are real and valuable contributions, even if they do not generate taxable income, the Delhi High Court has ruled that a non-earning wife cannot be denied interim maintenance merely because she is educated or capable of working.

The Court observed that equating non-employment with "idleness" reflects a misunderstanding of domestic labour and ignores the realities of marital life.

In a detailed judgment delivered by Justice Dr. Swarana Kanta Sharma, the settled legal distinction between the capacity to earn and actual earning. It held that merely because a wife is educated or has undertaken a professional course does not disentitle her from maintenance in the abse...