The Bombay High Court has imposed a substantial fine of Rs 1 lakh on a software engineer who repeatedly attempted to escape paying maintenance to his estranged wife and minor daughter by falsely claiming financial hardship.

Justice Madhav Jamdar expressed disbelief at the engineer's claim that his monthly salary had plummeted from Rs 5.5 lakh to just Rs 20,000 following an alleged accident. "It is unbelievable that the Petitioner, a Software Engineer working as a 'Software Developer' who previously earned Rs 65,00,000 annually, is now receiving only Rs 20,000 monthly," the judge remarked.

The court found glaring inconsistencies in the man's petition. Most damning was evidence that his updated matrimonial profile listed his annual income between Rs 35-50 lakh, directly contradicting his claims of financial struggle. Additionally, records showed he had transferred significant sums to family members while claiming inability to support his wife and child.

The case dates back to 2020 when the Pune-based engineer filed for divorce after four years of marriage. The couple, who wed in April 2016, had a daughter in 2017 before separating in January 2020. A Civil Judge had previously ordered the man to pay Rs 30,000 monthly maintenance plus mortgage contributions.

The engineer later cited an accident in 2021 as the reason for his reduced income, but the court noted this claim appeared only in later affidavits, raising suspicions about its authenticity.

Dismissing his petition, the court ordered him to pay the fine within four weeks, firmly stating: "A person whose case is based on falsehood has no right to approach the court. His case can be summarily thrown out at any stage of litigation."