Salary attachment - what is the cap on amount or percentage

It basically depends on the discretion of the magistrate/court.  Its 1/3rd of the income, but it also depends on what has been asked, if maintenance its 1/3rd of income.  If its from salary in a bank account half salary.  If its rent depends on whether its a metro or a district headquarter or village and the husbands income will also be considered in deciding upon such figure.  Many a time magistrate will ask the respondent husband whether he can pay this much or not.

Regarding attachment of salary, the respondent husband should be in government job.

This is what Hon, Supreme Court has to say about attachment of salary

"RAJASTHAN HIGH COURT

Criminal Procedure Code, 1973, Section 125 -- Maintenance - Recovery - Maintenance amount cannot be recovered by way of attachment of salary - Recourse can be taken to S.421 or other relevant provisions"

Bombay HC- CrPC 125(3) procedure to be followed for recovery of due amount/ arrears in PWDVA 2005 instead of issuing Non Bailable order Directly.

7. The procedure for levying of fines is available under Section 421 of the Code of Criminal Procedure as under :­

“421.  Warrant for levy of fine – When an offender has been
sentenced to pay a fine, the Court passing the sentence may take
action   for   the   recovery   of   the   fine   in   either   or   both   of   the
following ways, that is to say, it may ­
(a)   issue   a   warrant   for   the   levy   of   the   amount   by
attachment and sale of any movable property belonging to the
offender;
(b)   issue   a   warrant   to   the   Collector   of   the   district,
authorising him to realise the amount as arrears of land revenue
from   the   movable   or   immovable   property,   or   both   of   the
defaulter:”

8. Thus   there   is   absolutely   clear   provision   under   the   Code   of  Criminal Procedure, which lays  down as to  how the  amount of maintenance, final or interim, is to be recovered. The Magistrate, in my opinion, could not have issued  non­bailable warrant directly.   He should have followed  the procedure laid down in sub section (3) of Section 125 &  Section  421 of the Code of Criminal Procedure.  In the scheme of Code of Criminal Procedure, in the first place, the Magistrate was under obligation to issue a warrant for levy of the amount by attachment and sale of any movable property.   The  other remedy available was to issue a warrant to the Collector of the district, authorising him to realise the amount as arrears of land revenue from the movable or immovable property, or both of the defaulter.   The Magistrate could   have   sentenced   the   petitioner   for   the   whole   or   any   part   of   each month’s   allowance   for   the   maintenance   or   the   interim   maintenance   and expenses of proceeding, as the case may be, remaining unpaid after the  execution of the warrant, to imprisonment for a term which might extend to one month or until payment if sooner made.

9. As such the first option available to the Magistrate was to issue a   warrant   for   levying   fine.     If   whole   of   the   amount   was   recovered   by adopting   the   procedure   under   Section   421   of   the   Code   of   Criminal  Procedure, the question of putting the defaulter in prison did not arise.  In case amount was not recovered or part of it was recovered and part of it was not recovered, then the question would have arisen as to how much sentence should be imposed on the defaulter as per the provision laid down in the Code of Criminal Procedure.  The stage of issuing warrant comes only after sentencing and not before that.

The payment of wages Act stipulates that the deduction on any account shall not be more than 50% of the wages.  In the wages, there are statutory deductions.  Once, you deduct those statutory deductions, then net wages come.  Out of these net wages, only 50% can be attached for realization of any dues available to J.H. (Judgment Holder), leaving the remaining 50% for the survival of the employee.  So roughly, you can say 50% of the net wages can be attached.