Judge Sunil Beniwal of the Saket District Court in Delhi found that the acts of the ex-wife caused injury to the man and hampered his professional growth.
A Delhi court has recently found a woman responsible for defaming her ex-husband and has mandated that she pay ₹15 lakh in damages. Judge Sunil Beniwal of the Saket District Court determined that her actions harmed the man and impeded his professional advancement.
“From the record of the case, it is evident that the defendant has indulged in acts amounting to defamation by way of Libel. The copy of email/ chats filed by the plaintiff have been duly proved, supported by way of an electronic evidence affidavit, and remain unrebutted. The defendant has not challenged and or taken any steps to challenge the authenticity of the said emails,” the Court said in its July 29 order.
The Court was addressing a lawsuit where the man sought damages from his ex-wife for defaming him and filing false legal cases against him.
The couple, married in 2001, saw the husband claim that the wife left their home in 2009 with their young daughter. He said she then started filing baseless lawsuits and making false accusations about him and his family to different courts and authorities.
He also alleged that the wife prevented him from seeing their daughter, denying him her love and affection.
It was further argued that the wife used abusive and defamatory language against him and his mother in emails to her friends.
The husband noted that in 2021, a family court dissolved their marriage on the grounds of cruelty under the Hindu Marriage Act, 1955.
Even after the divorce, he said his ex-wife kept defaming him by sending emails to his elderly and ill uncle, who was also his employer.
He also claimed that this constant harassment led him to have major surgery in March 2022, costing him ₹6 lakh.
In response, the wife argued that the lawsuit was false, frivolous, and intended to harass her.
She also argued that the lawsuit was barred by the statute of limitations because it was based on chats from 2010 and emails from 2020.
The Court noted that the wife had taken inconsistent positions based on her convenience.
“It is observed that at Question no. 5 of the cross examination the defendant has stated that she only has only used one email ID till date where as in the very next question the defendant has admitted that she had mentioned another email ID in her income affidavit in the month of November 2017 filed in the DV case as filed between the present parties which is duly mentioned above”, the Court noted in its Order.
The Court decided that the lawsuit was filed within the allowed time.
It found her responsible and ordered her to pay ₹15 lakh in damages, plus 9 percent interest from the date the suit was filed until the payment is made.
Advocate Minakshi Agarwal represented the husband, and advocate Fauzi Sayeed represented the wife.