The Allahabad High Court has said maintenance is “not a matter of charity” but a statutory right, holding that a husband’s duty to maintain his wife is also a “social and moral responsibility”. The high court dismissed a man’s challenge to an order directing him to pay Rs 20,000 per month as maintenance to his wife. “It is the moral duty and social responsibility of husband to maintain his wife and minor child. Justice Achal Sachdev said the husband’s duty to maintain his wife is a “social and moral responsibility” rooted in the status of marriage. She also alleged that her husband, a software engineer earning around Rs 70,000 a month, had sufficient financial resources and sought Rs 30,000 monthly maintenance.