India, April 27 -- The Allahabad High Court has dismissed a petition filed by an advocate seeking expeditious disposal of a maintenance case against his wife, terming the litigation "vexatious" and "born out of pretences".

Justice Vinod Diwakar imposed a compensatory cost of '15 lakh on the petitioner-husband for suppressing material facts in his affidavits and subjecting his wife to systemic depletion.

The court observed that the man, an able-bodied practising advocate, had not only concealed a prior maintenance order in his favour, but also diverted substantial personal loans taken by his wife for his own "luxurious life" and "alcoholic drinks".

According to the facts of the case, the petitioner and the respondent were married on May...