Kerala High Court: In an appeal filed by the husband against dismissal of petition for divorce on the ground of cruelty under Section
Facts
The appellant husband in the instant matter is 60 years old who submitted that the marriage was practically dead, and that an irretrievable breakdown of marriage with refusal to consent for mutual separation should also be treated as cruelty. The couple got married on 13-06-1985, and the two children born in the wedlock had also attained majority.
It was alleged by the husband that he worked in a gulf country and when he returned in 2015, his wife and children neglected him. He was not even invited to his son’s wedding, which was hosted on his mother’s death anniversary. Further, his wife left the matrimonial home without any reason on 2-04-2017, which led the husband to file for divorce.
On the other hand, the wife denied all allegations of cruelty and asserted that their son married a girl of his choice, which provoked her husband. She further stated that ‘minor bickering in the marriage cannot be treated as cruelty.’ The Family Court, hearing the petition for divorce, found that the husband’s allegations did not constitute any mental or physical cruelty for grant of divorce decree.
Court’s Analysis of Irretrievable Breakdown of Marriage
The Court stated that all attempts to reach a settlement had failed in the instant matter. It had also requested the parties to think about reconciliation, but that did not work out. Thus, the Court noted that the said marriage could not be revived.
The Court relied on Samar Ghosh v. Jaya Ghosh, (2007) 4 SCC 511, Beena M.S. v. Shino G. Babu, 2022 SCC OnLine Ker 778 and Rajib Kumar Roy v. Sushmita Saha (Civil Appeal No. 5454 of 2023) wherein, it was held that keeping parties together despite irretrievable breakdown of marriage amounts to cruelty on both sides.
The Court opined that “retaining the marriage itself is a cruelty to both the parties and no meaningful purpose would be served.” Thus, the Court therefore allowed divorce petition and dissolved the marriage between the parties in the instant appeal.
[Ramanadhan v. Raji, 2023 SCC OnLine Ker 8359, decided on 20-09-2023]
Judgment by: Justice A. Muhamed Mustaque
Advocates who appeared in this case :
For Appellant: Advocate Prabhu K.N., Advocate Manumon A.
For Respondent: Advocate Arun Ashok, Advocate Neena James, Advocate P.P. Sanju
