The Supreme Court, while commenting on the elusive nature of fixation of amounts of maintenance, had stated as follows, in
Jasbir Kaur Sehgal (Smt) v. DistrictJudge, Dehradun and Ors (1997) 7 SCC 7;
"No set formula can be laid for fixing the amount of maintenance. It has, in the very nature of things, to depend on the facts and circumstances of each case. Some scope for leverage can, however, be always there. The court has to consider the status of the
parties, their respective needs, the capacity of the husband to pay having regard to his reasonable expenses for his own maintenance and of those he is obliged under the law and statutory but involuntary payments or deductions. The amount of maintenance fixed
for the wife should be such as she can live in reasonable comfort considering her status and the mode of life she was used to when she lived with her husband and also that she does not feel handicapped in the prosecution of her case. At the same time, the amount so
fixed cannot be excessive or extortionate."