Srinagar, Aug. 25 -- Twice a month, ZG, 8, walks into a family courtroom in Srinagar with her mother.

The journey has become part of her life. There is the trip to court, the wait for the case to be called and the possibility of returning home without the money her father was ordered to pay for her schooling and upbringing.

Six months ago, a family court issued an interim maintenance order in ZG's favour.

The money remains unpaid.

Her case has now reached the High Court of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh, where Justice Rahul Bharti is examining a question that extends well beyond one child's support order: how often should a family have to return to court when the hearing itself serves little purpose?

The dispute turns on Section 13 of ...