Supreme Court says wife found living in adultery can't claim maintenance

The Supreme Court ruled that a wife found living in adultery cannot claim interim or final maintenance under Section 125(4) of the CrPC.

The court held that adultery must be proven with clear and cogent evidence before denying maintenance, not just alleged.

The bench of Justices Sanjay Karol and Vipul M Pancholi urged the Centre and Law Commission to examine regulations for private detective agencies due to privacy and authenticity concerns.

The ruling came in an appeal against the Rajasthan High Court's order granting interim maintenance to an estranged wife despite adultery allegations.

The court set aside the high court order and remanded the matter to the trial court to reconsider evidence.