The Allahabad High Court last week observed that denial of maintenance, forcing the wife into destitution, violates the constitutional guarantee under Article 21, which includes the right to live with dignity. The High Court found no error in these findings. The High Court emphasized that the husband's responsibility to maintain his wife and minor child extends beyond a purely statutory obligation. The Bench also observed that Article 21 embodies the right to life and personal liberty, which includes the right to live with dignity. Against this backdrop, the High Court found that the Family Court had rightly considered the wife's lack of independent income and the husband's sufficient means to maintain her.