Shimla, May 19 -- The Himachal Pradesh High Court has ruled that a Magistrate may impose consecutive periods of civil imprisonment exceeding one month in cases involving multiple defaults in payment of maintenance, reaffirming the continuing liability of a defaulter under Section 125(3) of the Code of Criminal Procedure (Cr.P.C.).

The judgment was delivered by Justice Sandeep Sharma on May 14 while dismissing a petition filed by Ram Lal, who had challenged trial court orders sentencing him to cumulative civil imprisonment of 70 days for non-payment of maintenance to his wife and minor daughters.

The trial court had awarded separate consecutive sentences of 30 days, 15 days and 25 days corresponding to different periods of default in mai...