A division bench of Justices Rajani Dubey and Amitendra Kishore Prasad on September 3 dismissed the wife’s appeal against the 2019 family court order, noting evidence substantiated the husband’s claims of cruelty and desertion.
The Chhattisgarh High Court (HC) upheld a family court’s order to dissolve a marriage, finding that a wife referring to her husband as a “paaltu chuha” (pet rat) for following his parents’ wishes constituted mental cruelty.
According to a report by The Times of India, a division bench of Justices Rajani Dubey and Amitendra Kishore Prasad on September 3 dismissed the wife’s appeal against the 2019 family court order, observing that the evidence supported the husband’s claims of cruelty and desertion.
The husband alleged that his wife provoked him against his parents, insisted on separation, and became aggressive when he resisted. He further claimed that she attempted self-harm during pregnancy and referred to him as a “pet rat” of his parents.
He submitted messages and family testimonies indicating that she frequently disrespected elders and refused to adjust to joint family life. In court, the wife admitted to sending him a message stating, “Leave your parents and stay with me.”
The bench, according to the report, observed that in the Indian social context, compelling a spouse to abandon their parents constitutes mental cruelty. The court also ruled that the wife’s extended stay at her parental home, apart from a brief return in 2011, met the legal criteria for desertion.
The court, rejecting her plea for restitution of conjugal rights, noted that her behavior weakened her case. While upholding the divorce, it ordered the husband to pay Rs 5 lakh as permanent alimony, the report added.