The answer depends entirely on which statute you are under, which is why this question produces so much confusion.
Where a husband can claim
Sections 24 and 25 of the Hindu Marriage Act, 1955 are gender neutral. Section 24 covers maintenance pendente lite and expenses of the proceeding for "the wife or the husband", and Section 25 covers permanent alimony on the same footing. The Special Marriage Act, 1954 is similar. So a husband who genuinely has no independent income sufficient for his support can apply.
Where he cannot
Section 144 BNSS, which replaced Section 125 CrPC, provides for a wife, children and parents. A husband is not within it. Nor is the Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act available to him, and the Hindu Adoptions and Maintenance Act provision for a spouse operates in favour of the wife.
Courts scrutinise these claims closely, and the decisive factor is almost always earning capacity rather than current earnings. An able-bodied, qualified, employable husband who has chosen not to work will generally not succeed. Genuine incapacity through illness or disability, or a real and provable disparity where the wife has substantial income and the husband does not, is a different matter and such orders have been made.
What evidence matters
- Medical records where incapacity is pleaded
- An honest affidavit of assets and liabilities in the Rajnesh v. Neha format, which both parties must file regardless of who is claiming
- Employment history, qualifications, and a credible explanation of the loss of income
The practical reality
These applications are far less common than the reverse, but they are not hopeless, and they are sometimes filed tactically to neutralise the wife's own claim. Courts see through that quickly. If the claim is genuine, plead the incapacity specifically and prove it.