The Punjab & Haryana High Court has ruled that if a wife bent upon targeting her husband’s career and reputation by making complaints to his seniors, it will amount to Mental Cruelty and he would be entitled to a divorce.
In a plea filed by an Indian Air Force (IAF) officer to divorce his wife, the bench of Justice Ritu Bahri and Justice Ashok Kumar Verma observed that his wife had failed to discharge her matrimonial duties and obligations and rather, she had ill-treated the appellant, causing physical and mental cruelty to him.
It was found that all the allegations made by his wife were baseless and caused mental torture to the family. One such complaint is sufficient to constitute matrimonial cruelty.
"The conduct of the respondent-wife in filing a complaint making unfounded, indecent and defamatory allegations against her husband and parents-in-law indicates that she made all attempts to ensure that appellant and his parents are put in jail and the appellant is removed from his job. We have no manner of doubt that this conduct of respondent-wife has caused mental cruelty to the appellant-husband,” the High Court’s observations read.