Permanent Alimony Inflation Adjustments: Supreme Court Raises Alimony to ₹50,000

In a landmark 2025 judgment in the case of Rakhi Sadhukhan v. Raja Sadhukhan, the Supreme Court of India significantly increased the permanent alimony awarded to a divorced wife from ₹20,000 to ₹50,000 per month, with a 5% annual increment to account for inflation and ensure the recipient’s standard of living.

While considering an appeal wherein a woman challenged the quantum of permanent alimony of Rs. 20,000 fixed by Calcutta High Court, the Division Bench of Vikram Nath* and Sandeep Mehta, JJ., modified the impugned judgment and determined that a permanent alimony of Rs. 50,000 per month would be just, fair, and reasonable to ensure financial stability for the woman. The Court opined that the woman, who remained unmarried and is living independently, was entitled to a level of maintenance that is reflective of the standard of living she enjoyed during the marriage, which reasonably secures her future. Furthermore, the inflationary cost of living and her continued reliance on maintenance as the sole means of financial support necessitated a reassessment. [Rakhi Sadhukhan v. Raja Sadhukhan, 2025 SCC OnLine SC 1259].