Husband comparing his wife to other and repeatedly taunting her that she does not meet his expectations amount to cruelty and is a ground for divorce, said Kerala High Court

The observation came from a bench of justice Anil K Narendran and Justice CS Sudha on August 4 while considering an appeal filed by a husband challenging a family court’s judgment granting divorce on his wife’s plea on the ground of cruelty.

The wife had alleged that her husband used to constantly remind her that she did not meet his expectations in terms of looks, that she was not cute enough for him, and that she was a let-down when compared to other women, including some prospective brides of his brother.

In the judgment, the court said, “The constant and repeated taunts of the respondent/husband that the petitioner is not a wife of his expectations; the comparisons with other women, etc. would certainly be mental cruelty which a wife cannot be expected to put up with”.

“Though irretrievable breakdown of marriage is not a sufficient reason for divorce, the law should take note of the fact in the interest of the parties and the society,” the court said.

“While public interest demands that the married status should be maintained as far as possible, when a marriage has been wrecked beyond the hope of salvage, public interest lies in recognition of the fact,” the court added and upheld the divorce granted by the high court.