Published on : 15 Oct 2025, 11:59 am 6 min read

The Delhi High Court recently pronounced a problematic, though well-intentioned, judgment in a matrimonial dispute.

As usual, the headlines got it wrong. My client, a wife, was thrilled and called me about it.

"Yes ," I said, " it is developing well along the lines of the Madras judgment ." This seemed a good trend toward developing the concept of marital property. The Madras judgment held that a wife's domestic and caregiving contributions are equal in value to the husband's monetary earnings toward family assets. It ruled that properties acquired during marriage, even if in one spouse's name, are the result of joint effort and belong equally to both. The Court thus recognised the homemaker's work as an equal and valuable con

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