Bombay HC dismisses divorce plea for not being 'dutiful' wife
What's the story
The Bombay High Court has dismissed a man's plea seeking a divorce from his wife on the grounds that she was not "dutiful" as she woke up late and did not cook tasty food, said a report. A bench of Justices KK Tated and Sarang Kotwal upheld an order of the family court that dismissed the divorce plea filed by the man. Here's more.
The plea
Plea dismissed as allegations did not amount to cruelty
The plea filed by the resident of Mumbai's Santacruz was dismissed by the court stating that the allegations made did not amount to cruelty, and therefore, could not be a ground for divorce. The bench ruled that the family court's conclusions that the allegations made did not amount to cruelty was correct in law and must not be interfered with.
Observations
The wife had the burden to do all household works
The court observed that the wife was a working woman and she was the one who had the additional burden of buying groceries, cooking, and doing all other household work. Therefore, allegations made by the petitioner that his wife did not cook tasty food, or that she was not dutiful could not be accepted as a ground for divorce, the court stated.
The claims
Petitioner claimed that the family court erred in its order
In his plea to the HC, the petitioner challenged the family court's order that refused him a divorce decree and claimed that the court judge had erred in its order. As evidence, he submitted a statement of his father supporting his allegations. He also alleged that his wife would abuse him and his parents if they woke her up early in the morning.
The wife's version
The wife denied all the allegations
The wife denied all the allegations made by the petitioner and as evidence, she submitted the statements of a neighbor and some relatives from the petitioner's side who testified that whenever they used to visit her, they would find her busy with some household work. She, in turn, alleged that the petitioner and his parents used to ill-treat her.