The Court considered the arguments and said that it is a settled position of law that making reckless, defamatory, humiliating and unsubstantiated allegations in public against a spouse amounts to cruelty.
“It is relevant to mention here that within 2 years of marriage, the appellant has established himself as a Celebrity Chef which is a reflection of his hard work and determination which would not have been possible had he been one who was dependent on his spouse or in-laws for his necessities. Considering the aforesaid facts, it is only prudent to observe that these are mere allegations made by the respondent to disrepute the appellant in the eyes of the Court and such unsubstantiated claims have the effect on one’s reputation and therefore, amounts to cruelty.”
The Court further said that though a woman cannot be expected to work for the whole household, however, when a woman takes up the responsibilities of the house out of her free will, she does so out of sheer love for her family and no price can be put on it.
“It is often a natural consequence of motherhood that after the birth of a child, there is an increased sense of responsibilities which disrupts the work life balance of any woman for which husband cannot be blamed. However, in the present case, blaming the spouse for her personal failure is only perceived as a tactic to guilt the husband into fulfilling her unreasonable monetary demands, causing him great mental agony. Therefore, this Court is of the opinion that such conduct of the respondent amounts to cruelty,” the Court said.
It, therefore, allowed Kapur’s plea and granted him divorce.
Source: Barandbench
