India, July 28 -- "Equality cannot be claimed selectively and certainly not when both parties are earning. If lifestyle is to be maintained, both parties must contribute," the Bombay High Court observed last week in an estranged couple's dispute over the payment of maintenance by the husband.

The court halved the interim monthly maintenance payable by the husband to Rs.25,000 from Rs.50,000, while directing him to clear maintenance arrears since 2021 within 12 weeks. It noted that the wife continued to live in the couple's flat in Andheri, for which the husband continued to pay the Equated Monthly Instalments (EMIs), despite having moved back to his native Baihar in Madhya Pradesh after losing his job during the Covid-19 pandemic.

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