Supreme Court rejects Jitender Singh challenge to Hindu Marriage Act
The Supreme Court just turned down a petition that challenged a part of the Hindu Marriage Act, which currently allows only wives, not husbands, to file for divorce if they have not lived with their spouse for more than a year after getting a maintenance order.
The case was brought by law student Jitender Singh, who argued this rule is unfair to men and should be gender-neutral.
SC bench warns against PIL misuse
A bench led by Chief Justice Surya Kant said Parliament has the power to create special rules for women, and saw no reason to change this one.
The judges also pointed out that Singh had his own ongoing marital dispute and warned against using public interest cases just to push personal issues.
In short, the court wants laws protecting women left as they are, and does not want public interest litigation used for private battles.