A division bench of Justices Rajani Dubey and Amitendra Kishore Prasad on September 3 dismissed the wife’s appeal against the 2019 family court order, noting evidence substantiated the husband’s claims of cruelty and desertion.
The Chhattisgarh High Court (HC) upheld a family court’s decision to dissolve a marriage, ruling that a wife calling her husband a “paaltu chuha” (pet rat) for following his parents’ wishes amounted to mental cruelty.
As reported by The Times of India, a division bench comprising Justices Rajani Dubey and Amitendra Kishore Prasad on September 3 dismissed the wife’s appeal against the 2019 family court order, noting that the evidence substantiated the husband’s claims of cruelty and desertion.
The husband alleged that his wife provoked him against his parents, insisted on separation, and displayed aggression when he resisted. He further claimed she attempted self-harm during pregnancy and referred to him as a “pet rat” of his parents. He presented messages and family testimonies showing that she frequently disrespected elders and refused to adjust to joint family life. In court, the wife admitted sending a message instructing him to “Leave your parents and stay with me.”
The bench observed that, within the Indian social context, forcing a spouse to abandon their parents constitutes mental cruelty. It also held that the wife’s prolonged stay at her parental home, except for a brief return in 2011, satisfied the legal conditions for desertion.
Rejecting her plea for restitution of conjugal rights, the court noted that her conduct undermined her case. While upholding the divorce, it directed the husband to pay Rs 5 lakh as permanent alimony.
