Allahabad High Court Issues Notice to PCS Officer Jyoti Maurya on Husband’s Maintenance Appeal

By Rajesh Pandey

The Allahabad High Court has issued a notice to PCS officer Jyoti Maurya in connection with a first appeal filed by her estranged husband, Alok Kumar Maurya, challenging a family court’s order that denied him maintenance during the pendency of their divorce proceedings.

Alok Maurya, a safai karmachari in the Panchayati Raj Department since 2009, filed the appeal against the Prayagraj Family Court’s order dated January 4, 2025, which rejected his plea for maintenance pendente lite (maintenance during the litigation).

Alok has claimed that he earns a meagre salary and is battling multiple health issues, while his wife, Jyoti Maurya, holds a well-paying post as an administrative officer.

The matter came up before a division bench comprising Justice Arindam Sinha and Justice Dr. Yogendra Kumar Srivastava, which heard submissions by Alok’s counsel, Advocate Gaurav Tripathi. The bench directed that the case be listed again on August 8, 2025, for further hearing.

During the hearing, the court noted that the appeal had been filed with a delay of 77 days, for which Alok also submitted an application seeking condonation of delay. Additionally, an exemption application was filed because the decree of the family court judgment was not yet available.

Taking these procedural aspects into account, the High Court stated that it would consider both applications together if the decree remained unavailable by the next hearing.

The bench also instructed the petitioner to file an English translation of the January 4 order, which was originally in Hindi.

Notably, Jyoti Maurya has already filed for divorce at the Family Court in Prayagraj, seeking to end her marriage with Alok, whom she married in 2010.

Alok claims he supported her education during their early years together and alleges that after she cleared the PCS exam and became a Sub-Divisional Magistrate (SDM) in 2015, her behavior changed significantly.

He accuses her of distancing herself from him and his family and now seeking separation.

The High Court’s notice marks the beginning of judicial scrutiny into Alok’s appeal, which seeks financial relief during the ongoing legal battle.

The outcome of this case could set a precedent on questions surrounding maintenance rights for husbands under Section 24 of the Hindu Marriage Act, especially in cases where the wife earns significantly more.