Punjab and Haryana High Court: A Division Bench comprising of M.M.S. Bedi and Hari Pal Verma, JJ. allowed an appeal filed by the wife against the judgment of the family court, which declined her petition for divorce.
The appellant claimed that her husband was addicted to the vice of drinking, gambling and taking medical intoxicants. He used to spend all his income on these addictions. He used to beat the appellant and demanded her to bring money from her parent’s home. He pressurized her to bring Rs. 8 lakhs, and when she showed her disability, the appellant was beaten after which she was forced to leave her matrimonial home. She filed a divorce petition on grounds of cruelty, which was dismissed by the family court. Feeling aggrieved, the petitioner approached the High Court.
The High Court perused the record and found that no rebuttal evidence was produced by the respondent-husband against the pleadings of the appellant. Considering the statements of the appellant and other witnesses, and in absence of a rebuttal by the respondent, the Court held that the facts as alleged by the appellant in divorce petition were established. Furthermore, the Court was informed that the respondent was settled in Australia and had no intention to contest the matter. In such circumstances, holding the factum of cruelty as established against the respondent, the High Court allowed the appeal and granted divorce to the appellant. [Yogita v. Sandeep Kumar,2018 SCC OnLine P&H 726, dated 01-06-2018]
