The Calcutta High Court has recently ruled that a man can file a divorce petition if forcefully separated from his parents by his wife. The man can file the petition on the grounds of mental cruelty if compelled to stay away from his parents for no justifiable reason, said the court.
The court made the observation while hearing a plea filed by a woman challenging a family court order granting divorce to her husband.

The court gave the judgment on March 31, when a division bench comprising justices Soumen Sen and Uday Kumar dismissed the plea stating that ” a son living with his parents was absolutely normal in Indian culture and ethos. It was the pious obligation of the son to live and maintain the parents.”

It was in 2009 that a family court in West Bengal’s West Midnapore granted divorce to Prashant Kumar Mandal and his wife Jharna. The woman was disappointed with the judgement and reached the High Court with a plea against the divorce granted on the ground of cruelty.
However, she failed to receive a favourable ruling from the HC and the decision of the family court was upheld.