Muslim Women (Protection of Rights on Divorce) Act, 1986
4. Order for payment of maintenance
(1) Notwithstanding anything contained in the
foregoing provisions of this Act or in any other law for the time being in
force, where a Magistrate is satisfied that a divorced woman has not re-married
and is not able to maintain herself after the iddat
period, he may make an order directing such of her relatives as would be
entitled to inherit her property on her death according to Muslim law to pay
such reasonable and fair maintenance to her as he may determine fit and proper,
having regard to the needs of the divorced woman, the standard of life enjoyed
by her during her marriage and the means of such relatives and such maintenance
shall be payable by such relatives in the proportions in which they would
inherit her property and at such periods as he may specify in his order:
Provided that where such divorced woman has
children, the Magistrate shall order only such children to pay maintenance to
her, and in the event of any such children being unable to pay such
maintenance, the Magistrate shall order the parents of such divorced woman to
pay maintenance to her:
Provided further that if any of the parents is
unable to pay his or her share of the maintenance ordered by the Magistrate on
the ground of his or her not having the means to pay the same, the Magistrate
may, on proof of such inability being furnished to him, order that the share of
such relatives in the maintenance ordered by him be paid by such of the other
relatives as may appear to the Magistrate to have the means of paying the same
in such proportions as the Magistrate may think fit to
order.
(2) Where a divorced woman is unable to
maintain herself and she has no relatives as mentioned in sub-section (1) or
such relatives or any one of them have not enough means to pay the maintenance
ordered by the Magistrate or the other relatives have not the means to pay the
shares of those relatives whose shares have been ordered by the Magistrate to
be paid by such other relatives under the second proviso to sub-section (1),
the Magistrate may, by order, direct the State Wakf
Board established under section 9 of the Wakf Act,
1954, or under any other law for the time being in force in a State,
functioning in the area in which the woman resides, to pay such maintenance as
determined by him under sub-section (1) or, as the case may be, to pay the
shares of such of the relatives who are unable to pay, at such periods as he
may specify in his order.