IN THE HIGH COURT OF PUNJAB AND HARYANA AT CHANDIGARH Criminal Misc. No. M-8590 of 2010 (O&M) Date of Decision : 28.7.2011. Surat Singh ...... Petitioner Versus Nanhi Devi ...... Respondent CORAM : HON'BLE MR. JUSTICE NAWAB SINGH Present: Mr. R.S. Bajaj, Advocate, for the petitioner. Mr. K.G. Chaudhary, Advocate, for the respondent. NAWAB SINGH J.(ORAL) By filing this petition, under Section 482 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, petitioner-husband seeks quashing of order dated March 8th, 2010 (Annexure P-2) passed by Additional Sessions Judge, Kaithal affirming the order dated August 11th, 2008 of Chief Judicial Magistrate, Kaithal, whereby, application filed by the respondent-wife under Section 125 of the Code of Criminal Procedure was allowed and the respondent was directed to pay an amount of Rs.2000/- per month as maintenance allowance to the respondent-wife. 2. Indisputably, the petitioner has retired as Driver from the Civil Aviation Department, Haryana. The respondent wife is not earning any penny and as such, she is unable to maintain herself. No evidence to the contrary has been led by the petitioner to prove that she possesses sufficient means to maintain herself. 3. Section 125 of the Code is a measure of social justice extended to protect women and children, the object is to prevent vagrancy and destitution. The requirements of this provision are twofold that (i) the person having sufficient means neglects or refuses to maintain and:(ii) his wife is unable to maintain herself. In the case in hand, both the requirements stand fulfilled. Even Criminal Misc. No. M-8590 of 2010 (2) otherwise, an amount of Rs.2000/- per month is hardly sufficient to keep body and soul together. The amount is not on a higher side. Hence, the present petition is dismissed. (NAWAB SINGH) JUDGE 28.7.2011. SN