An SC bench, headed by Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul, held that such demeanor by a wife will certainly amount to inflicting cruelty on the man, and will be grounds for divorce under marital laws.
The top court allowed a plea for divorce by an army officer whose wife wrote several complaints against him to his superiors and to the women’s rights body.
“When the reputation of the spouse is sullied amongst his colleagues, his superiors, and the society at large, it would be difficult to expect condonation of such conduct by the affected party.
In circumstances like this, the wronged party cannot be expected to continue with the matrimonial relationship and there is enough justification for him to seek separation,” said the bench, which also included justices Dinesh Maheshwari and Hrishikesh Roy.
The bench emphasized that when the career and reputation of a spouse were severely damaged because of the conduct of the other partner, it could not be expected of the former to reconcile and agree to live together again.
The court emphasized that mental cruelty, as a ground for divorce, had to be understood keeping in mind the background, the level of education, and the status of the couple in order to determine whether the conduct in question was such that it would justify the dissolution of marriage.
The bench, also comprising Justices Dinesh Maheshwari and Hrishikesh Roy, said when the career and reputation of a spouse were severely damaged because of the conduct of the other partner, it could not be expected of the former to reconcile and agree to live together again.
