India, March 13 -- A well-qualified husband, who quits his job to sit idle and remains unemployed in order to deprive his wife of maintenance, cannot be appreciated in a civilised society, the Orissa high court has said, rejecting an appeal by an unemployed engineer against an order that required him to pay interim maintenance of Rs.15,000 every month to his estranged wife, a school teacher, and their child.

"Remaining unemployed is one thing and sitting idle having qualification and prospect to earn is other thing and if a husband being well qualified sufficient enough to earn sits idle only to shift the burden on the wife and expects 'dole' by remaining entangled in litigation should not only be deprecated, but also be discouraged inas...