Supreme Court: sex refusal mental cruelty under Hindu Marriage Act
The Supreme Court just ruled that if a spouse keeps persistently refusing sexual intercourse without reasonable cause, it can count as mental cruelty under the Hindu Marriage Act.
In this case, a doctor and his wife were married for 18 years but lived together for only a few months before being separated for over 15 years.
The court said this ongoing refusal was enough reason to grant divorce since it broke down the core of their relationship.
Judges cite failed reconciliation
The judges highlighted that marriage should be about mutual respect and sharing responsibilities.
They pointed out that neither partner tried to fix things during their long separation, which showed the marriage could not be saved.
By finalizing the divorce (using Article 142), the court wanted to let both people move on and avoid more emotional pain from an already broken relationship.