Unexplained Relationship with Woman
The Punjab and Haryana High Court ruled that a husband’s unexplained relationship with another woman amounts to cruelty. This act alone, the court said, is enough to break a marriage.
Case Background
The husband challenged a family court’s order that had denied his plea for divorce. He claimed that his wife treated him and his family with cruelty. He also alleged that her accusations about his illicit relationship damaged their marriage.
The couple married in 2011 under the Hindu Marriage Act.
Petitioner’s Stance
The husband denied any illicit relationship with the woman in question. He argued that he had no improper connection with her and that the wife’s behavior caused the marriage to fall apart.
Court’s Ruling
The bench, comprising Justice Sudhir Singh and Justice Sukhvinder Kaur, rejected the husband’s claim. It found that his ongoing relationship with another woman, without any valid explanation, amounted to cruelty.
The court noted that the husband admitted to knowing the woman and traveling with her multiple times. This included trips by air, train, and even a visit to Goa.
Justice Singh stated that the husband’s admission and related evidence clearly showed that he disrupted the marriage.
Final Verdict
The court acknowledged that the couple had lived separately since 2018. However, it held that long separation alone was not enough to grant a divorce in this case.
The bench concluded that the husband’s actions caused the marital breakdown. As a result, the court dismissed his divorce plea.
