The Supreme Court on Friday, May 8, asked a man to pay ₹55,000 in four weeks to his partner for ligation expenses while hearing a divorce case.
According to Bar and Bench, the matter reached the top court after the husband’s divorce plea was dismissed by a High Court.
During the hearing, the counsel for the man told the Bench that they wanted to withdraw the petition.
To this, the counsel for his wife informed that their client was still willing to live with her husband because “she is a lady with no means at all”.
Supreme Court hears a divorce case:
The high court had earlier dismissed the husband’s divorce petition.
Counsel for husband: I want to withdraw my petition.
Counsel for wife: my client still willing to live with him because she is a lady with no means at all.
Court to… pic.twitter.com/042e0gdS7C
— Bar and Bench (@barandbench) May 8, 2026
The Supreme Court then asked the wife’s counsel whether the divorce petition had been dismissed.
“Divorce petition has been dismissed? So go and live with him. What is your effort that you want to live with him? Except for opposing the divorce,” the apex court observed, according to Bar and Bench.
The wife later asked for litigation costs, while the husband’s counsel opposed this demand. However, the Bench told the husband, “You filed a petition, she came here, engaged a lawyer, you have to pay litigation cost.”
Notably, the man is a government teacher, earning a salary of ₹52,000.
When asked whether he was giving any maintenance to his wife, the man said, “₹15,000 a month.”
Moreover, the wife’s counsel claimed that her husband was withdrawing divorce plea because he does not have money to pay alimony. The Bench then stated that if he was not in a position to pay lump sum, then the wife should keep taking maintenance.
On litigation expenses, the husband requested that he will not be able to give more than ₹5,000 to ₹10,000.
“Supreme Court mein 5,000-10,000? Kya baat kar rahe ho? Ye toh tehsildaar court ka hua na,” the Bench observed, as per the report.
The husband was then asked to pay ₹1 lakh, but he replied that he will not be able to pay that much amount and requested to bring it down to ₹20,000.
In the end, the Bench asked him to pay ₹55,000 within four weeks.