Bombay HC Upholds Divorce Over Spouse’s Suicide & Imprisonment Threats

The Bombay High Court ruled that threatening your spouse and their family with imprisonment, by making suicide threats, is cruel and can be grounds for divorce as per the Hindu Marriage Act, 1955. The Aurangabad bench of the Bombay High Court said this while they were hearing a case about the divorce of a couple where the husband claimed the wife made imprisonment and suicide threats.

Justice RM Joshi said that threatening to commit suicide to implicate the spouse and their family members in legal issues is a valid ground for divorce, reported India Today.

After a couple got married in April 2009, the husband filed for divorce on the grounds of cruelty. The couple had a daughter, but their marriage was plagued by problems. The wife left her home in October 2010 after her husband said that his wife's parents regularly meddled in their marriage. Without any formal notice, she departed from their house. The husband said his wife falsely accused his father of abuse, and his family was insulted when they visited her parents' house, as per the reports.

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The husband also stated in his testimony that his wife had threatened to commit suicide on several occasions with the intention of bringing him and his family into legal trouble. Additionally, he asserted that she had threatened them by attempting suicide.

The husband was granted a divorce on the grounds of cruelty after the trial court decided in his favour. The appellate court upheld this ruling. The wife then filed an appeal with the Bombay High Court after becoming unhappy with the decision.

In his remarks regarding the case, Justice Joshi said, "Such acts of cruelty by a spouse constitute valid grounds for seeking a divorce."