Women’s Charter 1961 · 2020 Revised Edition · Part 10
113. Power of court to order maintenance
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The court can order a man to pay maintenance to his wife or former wife, or a woman to pay her incapacitated husband or former husband. It can do so during matrimonial proceedings, or when granting a divorce, judicial separation or nullity of marriage, or later. The marriage date does not matter, whether before, on or after 1 July 2016.
Summary · Drafted with AI, checked against the official text on 30 Sep 2026.
Last amended by an amending law of 2016.
The court may order a man to pay maintenance to his wife or former wife, or order a woman to pay maintenance to her incapacitated husband or incapacitated former husband —
incapacitated husband
“incapacitated husband” means a husband who —(a)during the marriage, is or becomes —(i)incapacitated, by any physical or mental disability or any illness, from earning a livelihood; and(ii)unable to maintain himself; and(b)continues to be unable to maintain himself;
during the course of any matrimonial proceedings; or
when granting or subsequent to the grant of a judgment of divorce, judicial separation or nullity of marriage.
The court may make an order under this section regardless when the marriage was solemnised, whether before, on or after 1 July 2016.