Supreme Court Seeks Mohammed Shami’s Reply on Wife Hasin Jahan’s Plea for Higher Maintenance

The Bench of Justices Manoj Misra and Ujjal Bhuyan issued notice to Shami and the State government while hearing Jahan’s Special Leave Petition (SLP) filed under Article 136 of the Constitution challenging the Calcutta High Court’s orders dated July 1 and August 25, 2025, which had fixed the interim maintenance at a total of ₹4 lakh per month, ₹1.5 lakh for Jahan and ₹2.5 lakh for their daughter.

During the proceedings, the Bench orally remarked that the amount already granted by the High Court appeared to be “quite handsome” for interim maintenance.

Jahan, however, contends that the amount is grossly inadequate considering the “lavish lifestyle and enormous income” of Shami, who she claims earns over ₹1 crore per month through cricket contracts, brand endorsements, and the Indian Premier League.

In her petition, filed through Advocate Deepak Prakash alleges that despite her husband’s enormous income, nearly ₹1 crore per month and an estimated net worth of over ₹500 crore, she and her child have been forced to live in “financial deprivation” while the cricketer continues to lead a “lavish lifestyle.”

Calling the order “grossly inadequate and unjust,” she contends that the courts below failed to take into account the respondent’s “enormous wealth, social standing, and standard of living.”

According to the petition, the respondent is an “A-listed national cricketer” who has played for India in international tournaments and continues to be one of the highest-paid athletes in the country. In the financial year 2021–22 alone, he reportedly declared an income of ₹47.99 crore. His monthly personal expenses, as per the petition, exceed ₹1.08 crore.

The petitioner states that she has been unemployed since marriage and depends entirely on the maintenance amount to meet her and her daughter’s needs. “The respondent’s refusal to provide a fair and reasonable maintenance is deliberate, intended to humiliate and financially exhaust the petitioner and her child,” the plea reads.

She has also accused the cricketer of attempting to evade his “lawful liability” through the strategic structuring of assets and expenses, while continuing to maintain a luxurious lifestyle, including high-end vehicles, foreign travel, real estate investments, and large-scale charitable donations. The plea alleges that the cricketer “openly donates several crores for social causes” but “denies his own family the financial security and dignity they are entitled to.”

The petition further asserts that the child’s education and well-being have suffered as a result. “Despite his financial capacity, the child has been compelled to attend a modest local school, unlike children of similarly placed families who receive premium education,” the petitioner says.

The wife has also detailed the history of domestic violence and cruelty that led to the breakdown of the marriage. She states that an FIR (No. 82/2018) was registered at Jadavpur Police Station under Sections 498A, 307, 376, and 325 of the Indian Penal Code, among others. The case, she contends, reflects a “pattern of abuse and neglect that continues through economic deprivation.”

Relying on several landmark rulings, including Bhuwan Mohan Singh v. Meena (2014) and Rajnesh v. Neha (2020), the petitioner argues that the right to maintenance is an essential facet of Article 21 of the Constitution, the right to live with dignity. She submits that a wife is entitled to enjoy a lifestyle commensurate with that of her husband, especially when he possesses substantial means.

The petition calls upon the Supreme Court to enhance the interim maintenance to a “just, reasonable, and equitable amount,” reflective of the cricketer’s actual income and financial capacity. “The objective of maintenance law is not charity but justice, to ensure that a wife and child are not left destitute while the husband lives in opulence,” the plea states.

The matter is expected to come up for hearing before a Supreme Court Bench in the coming days.