Section - 18. Maintenance of wife

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(1) Subject to the provisions of this section, a Hindu wife, whether married before or after the
commencement of this Act, shall be entitled to be maintained by her husband during her lifetime.
(2) A Hindu wife shall be entitled to live separately from her husband without forfeiting her claim to maintenance -
(a) If he is guilty of desertion, that is to say, of abandoning her without reasonable cause and
without her consent or against her wish, or of willfully neglecting her;
(b) If he has treated her with such cruelty as to cause a reasonable apprehension in her mind that it will be harmful or injurious to live with her husband;
 (c) If he is suffering from a virulent from of leprosy;
(d) If he has any other wife living ;
(e) If he keeps a concubine in the same house in which his wife is living or habitually resides with a concubine elsewhere;
(f) if he has ceased to be a Hindu by conversion to another religion ;
(g) if there is any other cause justifying her living separately;
(3) A Hindu wife shall not be entitled to separate residence and maintenance from her husband if she is unchaste or ceases to be a Hindu by conversion to another religion.

COMMENTS
The words "wife or widow" in the context of marriage, succession or maintenance enactments are of restrictive legal character and imply relationship which is not recognised by land-Rajesh Bai v. Santha Bai 1982 HLR 445.
A man marrying a second time, during the lifetime of his wife, second wife though, having no
knowledge of the first marriage, is not entitled to claim maintenance under s, 125 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, as she was not legally wedded wife and for that the marriage was void.-Jamuna Bai v.Anant Rao 1988 Cr LJ 793.
There is no forum provided under the Act so as to claim maintenance. Maintenance can only be claimed through regular suit.-Krishan Lal v. Sudershan Kumari 1979 HLR 576.

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