Bengaluru, Nov. 4 -- A woman's presence on professional networking platforms such as LinkedIn and social media sites such as Facebook cannot establish that she is financially independent, a Bengaluru sessions court has observed while granting her monthly maintenance of Rs 20,000.

Judge Mohan Prabhu made the observation while disposing of appeals filed by an estranged husband and wife against a magistrate court's maintenance order.

The husband had opposed his wife's demand for maintenance, claiming that she was educated and capable of earning. His lawyer submitted photographs and screenshots of her LinkedIn and Facebook profiles to support the contention that she was employed.

Rejecting the argument, the sessions court said the husband ...