Husbands should share their financial resources to empower their ‘homemaker’ wives, says SC judge

Justice Nagarathna emphasizes financial empowerment for homemakers, urging husbands to share resources to empower and secure their wives.

Justice B.V. Nagarathna of the Supreme Court, in a judgment on Wednesday, said husbands should share their financial resources with their ‘homemaker’ wives who did not have an independent source of income to empower them.

“An Indian married man must become conscious of the fact that he would have to financially empower and provide for his wife, who does not have an independent source of income, by making available financial resources particularly towards her personal needs; in other words, giving access to his financial resources,” Justice Nagarathna observed in a separate opinion upholding a divorced Muslim women’s right to maintenance under a secular Section 125 of the erstwhile Code of Criminal Procedure.

Also read: Supreme Court holds divorced Muslim women entitled to maintenance under secular law

Justice Nagarathna said such “financial empowerment” of a “vulnerable wife” would make her more secure in the family.

“Those Indian married men who are conscious of this aspect and who make available their financial resources for their spouse towards their personal expenses, apart from household expenditure, possibly by having a joint bank account or via an ATM card, must be acknowledged,” the Supreme Court judge wrote.

The Supreme Court judge drew a distinction between financially independent or employed married women and those who remain at home without even an avenue to meet their personal expenses.

“It is well-known that such an Indian homemaker tries to save as much money as possible from the monthly household budget, not only to augment the financial resources of the family but possibly to also save a small portion for her personal expenses. Such a practice is followed in order to avoid making a request to the husband or his family for her personal expenses,” Justice Nagarathna observed.