Delhi High Court Grants Divorce Citing Sustained Mental Cruelty Amid Failed Reconciliation

The Delhi High Court has granted a divorce to a man, overturning a previous Family Court decision, due to sustained mental cruelty inflicted by his wife. Despite temporary reconciliations, the court identified a persistent pattern of abuse, leading to the dissolution of the marriage solemnized in 2016.

The Delhi High Court has overturned a decision by the Family Court, granting a divorce to a man citing sustained mental cruelty inflicted by his wife. The court ruled that episodic reconciliations during the marriage, which began in 2016, did not negate the ongoing abuse suffered by the husband.

According to the Division Bench comprising Justices Anil Kshetarpal and Renu Bhatnagar, the husband's detailed testimony highlighted verbal abuse towards him and his disabled mother, unfounded suicide threats, and unjustified desertion. These combined events met the criteria for mental cruelty as per Section 13(1)(ia) of the Hindu Marriage Act.

The High Court criticized the Family Court's reliance on isolated incidents of attempted reconciliation, stating that these do not erase a broader pattern of cruelty, particularly as abuse persisted post-miscarriage. The court also rectified misinterpretations of legal doctrines that had earlier obstructed the husband's petition for divorce.

(With inputs from agencies.)