The Karnataka High Court recently said that a wife cannot claim maintenance when she is in an adulterous relationship with another person.

The Court said that the evidence clearly established that the wife was not honest towards her husband and was having extramarital affairs with her neighbour, with whom she was also staying.

“When the petitioner (the wife) is staying in adultery, the question of she claiming maintenance does not arise at all. The contention of the petitioner that the petitioner is a legally wedded wife and entitled for maintenance cannot be accepted in view of the conduct of the petitioner, who is not honest and is leading adulterous life,” the court said.

The court said so while dismissing the woman’s revision petition against an order that refused to grant her maintenance.

The Court added that the session judge had rightly rejected the claim of the petitioner in view of the fact that she was leading an adulterous life. Finding no perversity in the order of the session judge, the Court dismissed the revision petition.