Maintenance of Wives, Children and Parents — Section 125 to

A woman leaves her marital home in Kharghar with a young child and no income. Her husband, who owns a business, says he owes her nothing. An elderly father, living alone in a chawl, is ignored by a son who earns well in Pune. Neither wants a long civil suit that will take years. A criminal code might seem the wrong place for this, but it is exactly where a quick remedy sits. Why does the criminal procedure code order a man to pay monthly maintenance, and who can ask for it?

In two minutes

Section 144 BNSS lets a Magistrate of the first class order a person with sufficient means who neglects or refuses to maintain his wife, child or parent to pay a monthly allowance, including interim maintenance, as a quick summary remedy that does not depend on the personal law of the parties.

The rest of this chapter

The full explanation, the cheat sheet, every previous-year question at every mark weight, the quiz and the answer skeletons are part of Criminal Procedure Code 1973, Juvenile Justice Act 2015 and POCSO Act 2012 on LexBlox Semester. Sign in to unlock the subject, or read Module 1 of Legal Language and Writing free.