The Madras High Court has reinforced a wife's right to access her husband's salary details to support her claim for maintenance during matrimonial disputes. The court dismissed a plea filed by a man challenging a State Information Commission (SIC) order that instructed his employer to disclose his salary information to his wife. The petitioner's wife had sought maintenance amid the ongoing matrimonial dispute, prompting her to request her husband's salary details through the Right to Information Act.
Despite the husband's objection and denial of the request, the SIC issued a favorable order for the wife. The recent ruling by Justice GR Swaminathan affirms that the wife's knowledge of her husband's income is crucial in determining the maintenance amount, emphasizing her right to claim rightful maintenance in matrimonial proceedings.