India, June 6 -- A Delhi court has held that a husband cannot escape his legal obligation to support his wife and minor child merely by claiming that he is unemployed. The court directed a man to pay Rs 6,000 per month as maintenance for his son in a domestic violence case.

Additional Sessions Judge Sheetal Chaudhary Pradhan passed the order while hearing an appeal filed by a woman against a trial court decision that had denied her monetary relief under the Protection of Women from Domestic Violence (PWDV) Act.

The court observed that an able-bodied person cannot avoid maintenance responsibilities by citing unemployment or other personal commitments. It stated that the husband was capable of earning and was therefore responsible for fin...