During the hearing in a divorce case in the Kerala High Court, a woman accused her husband of neither interested in sex nor having children.
The woman said that her husband’s time was spent only in temples and ashrams and he used to try to make her spiritual like her. The wife said that her husband’s attention was only on religious activities, which increased tension in her marital life.
The woman said in a petition filed in this case that the husband’s behavior had changed since marriage and he used to force her to live her kind of spiritual life. He also alleged that the husband had stopped her from studying. The woman then moved the court for divorce in 2019, but the husband promised that she would improve her behavior, so she withdrew the petition.
Woman filed a divorce application
However, in 2022, the woman again filed a petition for divorce, stating that the husband’s behavior was the same. The Family Court, considering his petition, ordered a divorce. The husband then filed a petition in the High Court, claiming that his spiritual practices have been misunderstood and the wife had decided not to produce children before completing his post graduate studies.
What did the High Court say on the woman’s application?
The High Court bench, which included Justice Devan Ramachandran and MB Snela, said in the judgment that no spouse has the right to change or pressurize other’s personal beliefs. The court also said that the husband’s forcing his wife to live a spiritual life is an example of mental cruelty. The court admitted that this is a sign of the husband ignoring family responsibilities and not performing marital duties.
Following this decision, the court upheld the Family Court’s divorce order, which completed the divorce process between the woman and her husband. The court also said that there was no lie in the woman’s claim and the decision to divorce her was correct.