India, June 4 -- Voluntary financial commitments such as personal loans or EMIs cannot be used as an escape route by a man to avoid paying maintenance to his wife and child, the Delhi High Court has ruled.

A bench of Justices Navin Chawla and Renu Bhatnagar said personal borrowings or long-term financial commitments cannot be used to "wriggle out" of the primary obligation to maintain one's dependents.

The high court made the observation on May 26 while hearing a plea filed by a man challenging a city court's April 19, 2025, order directing him to pay interim maintenance of Rs.15,000 - Rs.8,000 to his estranged wife and Rs.7,000 to their minor son.

The man had argued that the lower court passed its order without accounting for his fina...