Taunting Husband Over Unemployment is Cruelty, Ground For Divorce, Says Chhattisgarh High Court
Taunting Husband Over Unemployment is Cruelty, Ground For Divorce, Says Chhattisgarh High Court
Raipur - The Chhattisgarh High Court has ruled that if a wife taunts a husband for not having a job during a financially difficult time, it is considered mental cruelty and is a valid reason for divorce.
In a case that highlights the changing realities of society, a couple was granted a divorce on several grounds, including the wife taunting the husband. The High Court granted a divorce to a 52-year-old lawyer from Durg.
The ruling was made by a division bench of Justice Rajani Dubey and Justice Amitendra Kishore Prasad, which overturned a family court's order from October 2023 that had dismissed the husband's plea for divorce. The High Court stated that the wife's actions of abandoning her husband and son without cause, taunting him during financial hardship, and skipping court proceedings amounted to cruelty and desertion under the Hindu Marriage Act, 1955.
"A spouse's behavior, including verbal altercations and unreasonable demands, can constitute mental cruelty, warranting a decree of divorce," the bench said.
The couple married on December 26, 1996, in Bhilai and have two children. According to court documents, the husband supported his wife through her PhD studies and helped her get a job as a school principal.
However, his lawyer argued that the wife became increasingly argumentative over time, often clashing with him over minor issues. Tensions reportedly escalated during the pandemic when the husband's income was affected by court closures, and she allegedly taunted him about it. In August 2020, after a heated argument, she left the marital home with their daughter and refused to return despite attempts by the husband and son.
The couple has been living separately since September 16, 2020. The court noted that the marriage had "irretrievably broken down," concluding that the wife's decision to leave without a valid reason and her refusal to reconcile amounted to desertion. The judges also pointed out that her absence from the legal proceedings further showed her intention to end the marriage.
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