Wife [wif, Sax.; wiff, Dut,; wyf, Icel.; uxor, Lat.], a woman that has a husband. See HUSBAND AND WIFE.
Wife includes a divorced Muslim wife, Zohara Khatoon v. Mohd. Ibrahim, AIR 1981 SC 1243: (1981) 2 SCC 509: (1981) 2 SCR 910. [Criminal PC, (1974), s. 125 (1) Cl. (b) and s. 127(3)]
Wife includes divorced wife, Capt. Ramesh Chander Kaushal v. Veena Kaushal, AIR 1978 SC 1807: (1978) 4 SCC 70: (1978) 3 SCR 782.
The word 'wife' is not defined in the Code except indicating in the Explanation its inclusive character so as to cover a divorcee, Yamuna Bai Anantrao Adhav v. Anantrao Shivram Adhav, AIR 1988 SC 644: (1988) 1 SCC 530: (1988) 2 SCR 809.
It means a Parsi wife. [Parsi Marriage and Divorce Act, 1936 (3 of 1936), s. 2 (9)]
Clause (b) of the Explanation to s. 125(1), provides that 'wife' includes a woman who has been divorced by, or has obtained a divorce from her husband and has not remarried. 'Wife' means a wife as defined, irrespective of the religion professed by her or by her husband. Therefore, a divorced Muslim woman, so long as she has not remarried, is a 'wife' for the purpose of s. 125. The statutory right available to her under that s. is unaffected by the provisions of the personal law applicable to her, Mohd. Ahmed Khan v. Shah Bano Begum, AIR 1985 SC 945 (949): (1985) 2 SCC 556. [Criminal Procedure Code, 1973, s. 125(1), Expl. (b)]
On a plain reading of sub-s. (3) of s. 16 it seems that at the time when the income accrues, it must be the income of the wife of that individual whose total income is to be computed for the purpose of assessment; this seems to follow clearly from clause (a) of sub-s. (3). Therefore in a sense it is right to say that the relationship of husband and wife must subsist at the time of the accrual of the income; otherwise the income will not be the income of the wife, for the word 'wife' predicates a marital relationship, P.J. Plaskat Thomas v. C.I.T, AIR 1964 SC 587 (591). [Income Tax Act (11 of 1922), s. 16(3)(a)]
The term 'wife' in s. 125(4) of Cr PC would mean a women whose marriage relationship is in existence, AIR 1993 Ker 21 (22).
Means a woman who has a husband. The word wife mean a person who would have been a wife but for the decree of divorce or dissolution passed in the trial court, Sivakami Ammal v. Bangaruswami Reddi, AIR 1954 Mad 1039: (1954) 2 Mad LJ 396: 1954 Mad WN 515.