**Alimony**

Today, while walking from the Family Court to the District Court, a man called out, “Lawyer Sahib.” I turned around to see him. He appeared to be in his fifties, tall, fair-skinned, wearing a faded white shirt, a Gandhi cap on his head, and sporting a thick mustache. He approached me and asked, “May I ask you something?” I replied, “Sure, go ahead.”

He said, “Sir, if my wife left me about 20 years ago and hasn’t returned in 16 years, does she still have the right to claim alimony?” Hearing this question, I paused for a moment and asked if they had divorced. He said, “Not through the court, but we had a written agreement with relatives, which is unfortunately misplaced.” I told him that if the court has not issued an order, he may still have to pay, since there was no formal divorce, and mere private documentation wouldn’t hold in court. Upon hearing this, he seemed a bit disheartened.

Then he said, “But, sir, what if I don’t earn anything?” I responded that he would still be obliged to pay. He quickly replied, “What does...