Harpreet Sawhney v Puneet Sharma | Supreme Court of India | Sanjay Karol and N. Kotiswar Singh, JJ. | 10 August 2026 | 2026 INSC 822

The Delhi High Court had fixed maintenance for the couple’s two children at Rs 1,25,000 a month. The mother appealed, pointing to the children’s expenses and the father’s salary deductions. The Supreme Court held that the amount needed reconsideration.

The Court distinguished tax deductions from provident-fund and employee stock purchase plan (ESPP) contributions. PF and ESPP amounts accrue for the employee’s future benefit; they cannot simply be treated as money permanently lost when assessing his means to pay maintenance.

The Court raised child maintenance to Rs 1,50,000 a month in total (Rs 75,000 per child), effective 1 January 2025. It also raised the mother’s interim maintenance from Rs 20,000 to Rs 30,000 a month, noting her cancer-treatment expenses while she cares for the children. This is not a fixed formula for every case: the order turns on this family’s income and expenses, and leaves room to seek another increase if circumstances change.