The Madhya Pradesh High Court has granted a husband divorce from his wife, declaring that she made false claims about him being an alcoholic and publicly humiliated him, which constitute mental cruelty.

The couple, who married in June 2004 and have two children, were both public sector employees – with the husband in a class IV post and the wife in the Officer cadre. While their marriage started harmoniously, by 2015 relations had soured, and they began living separately from July 2017. The husband petitioned for divorce, alleging mental cruelty rooted in his wife’s continued public ridicule and false claims of his alcoholism.

The wife countered with allegations of domestic violence and claimed she was forced to live separately for her and her children’s safety. However, no substantive evidence supporting her assertions of her husband’s habitual alcohol consumption was presented in court.

The High Court criticised the wife’s approach, noting her clear intent to avoid marital duties and her actions that compromised her husband’s position as a public servant. The court observed that routine marital disputes do not constitute cruelty, but deliberate efforts to subject one’s spouse to social sham certainly do.

Citing previous Supreme Court judgements, the Madhya Pradesh High Court concluded that the wife’s behaviour amounted to grave mental cruelty, making it impossible for the marriage to continue. As a result, the court set aside the earlier dismissal of the divorce petition, declaring the marriage dissolved from the date of judgement.