GUWAHATI: The Madhya Pradesh High Court recently dismissed a woman’s appeal against a family court order granting her husband’s divorce plea on grounds of cruelty. A division bench of Justices Vivek Rusia and Gajendra Singh ruled that conversations of an undignified or indecent nature with friends after marriage could amount to mental cruelty.
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The husband had alleged that his wife engaged in vulgar WhatsApp chats with her male friends after their 2018 marriage. The court noted that while spouses have the freedom to communicate with friends, conversations must remain decent and not cause distress to their partner. It observed that continued engagement in objectionable conversations despite objections could constitute mental cruelty.
The husband, who is partially deaf, claimed that his wife began misbehaving with his mother soon after marriage and left their home within one and a half months. He also alleged that she maintained contact with her former lovers and engaged in inappropriate chats. He submitted printouts of these conversations as evidence.
The wife, however, denied the allegations and argued that her husband had hacked her phone and fabricated the messages. She further claimed that her right to privacy had been violated and accused her husband of physical abuse and demanding ₹25 lakh as dowry.
However, the High Court noted that the woman’s father, a senior lawyer, had admitted to the police that his daughter was in the habit of talking to male friends. The court also pointed out that she had not filed any counter-complaint regarding domestic violence or other allegations against her husband.
The bench upheld the family court’s findings, ruling that the husband had successfully proven mental cruelty. It concluded that there was no legal flaw in the lower court’s judgment and dismissed the wife’s appeal.
