India, Dec. 9 -- Orissa High Court has ruled that maintenance payments under the Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act must commence from the date of filing the application, not from when the order is passed, while enhancing a wife's monthly maintenance to Rs.10,000 and directing additional compensation of Rs.6 lakh.

Justice R K Pattanaik, in a judgment modified lower court orders in cross-revision petitions filed by Nidaganti Laxmi Rajyam and her husband Madan Mohan Patnaik, stating that directing maintenance from the order date was "not justified" when the wife had not abandoned her claim for interim relief. The judgement delivered on December 3, was uploaded on high court portal on Monday.

The case stems from a 2013 applicat...