Maintenance under what was Section 125 CrPC — now Section 144 of the BNSS — is one of the fastest and most reliable protections available in Indian family law, and I always tell clients not to underestimate it. It is a summary remedy filed before the Judicial Magistrate First Class, designed to prevent destitution. A wife (including a divorced wife until she remarries), minor children, adult children with disabilities, and parents who cannot maintain themselves can all claim it.

The beauty of this provision is its speed. You do not have to wait for the entire divorce to conclude. The Magistrate can grant interim maintenance while the case is pending, and the Supreme Court's guidelines in Rajnesh v. Neha require both sides to file an affidavit of assets and income so the court can fix a fair amount based on the husband's means and the claimant's genuine needs. Interim applications are meant to be disposed of quickly, and enforcement is real — non-payment can lead to a warrant.

Importantly, this remedy is independent of and additional to other claims. You can simultaneously seek interim maintenance under Section 24 of the Hindu Marriage Act during divorce proceedings and relief under the Domestic Violence Act. A well-planned case uses these together rather than in isolation, and our empanelled family lawyers in Agra can structure the filings so they reinforce each other instead of overlapping wastefully.

The key is honest, documented disclosure of the other side's income — salary slips, business records, lifestyle evidence. Section 144 BNSS is meant to be quick relief, so approach it early rather than treating it as an afterthought once the main divorce has dragged on.