Chandigarh, March 1:
The Punjab and Haryana High Court has upheld a family court’s decision granting divorce to a husband on the grounds of cruelty by his wife. According to the court, the wife pressured her husband to separate from his family and humiliated him, which falls under the category of mental cruelty.
In its ruling, the family court had stated that the wife’s behavior was inappropriate as she forced her husband to live separately from his family and mistreated him.
High Court’s Remarks on Cruelty Allegations
A bench comprising Justice Sudhir Singh and Justice Sukhvinder Kaur clarified that any allegations made by a party must be substantiated with evidence. If a spouse’s conduct makes it unbearable for the other to continue living together, it qualifies as cruelty.
Husband’s Claim: Father’s Suicide Due to Wife’s Cruelty
The husband argued in court that after their marriage in 2018, his wife continuously pressured him to separate from his family. He further claimed that she used abusive language against him and harassed his family members. As a result of this mental torment, his father committed suicide. However, the wife and her father were legally acquitted in this case.
Upon reviewing the evidence, the court found that although the wife and her father were exonerated under Sections 306 and 34 of the IPC in connection with the suicide case, the wife did not provide any solid evidence to counter the husband’s claims.
Final Verdict
The High Court concluded that the husband’s evidence was sufficient to establish that the wife’s conduct amounted to cruelty. Since the wife failed to provide any proof to refute the allegations, the court upheld the family court’s decision granting divorce.
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