“Unfortunately, there is no provision like the Domestic Violence Act for a husband to proceed against the wife”, rued Madras high court, reinstating a suspended officer who had suffered cruelty and voluntary desertion by his wife.

This particular case from 2021 relates to the suspension of Dr P Sasikumar by the director of Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Services in Chennai on the ground that he was “involved in a domestic issue” and on the basis of a complaint lodged by his estranged wife.

However, Justice Vaidyanathan, pointing out that the domestic violence complaint was lodged by his wife just before judgment in a long-drawn divorce case, said: “It appears that only to harass the petitioner, the present complaint has been lodged by his wife, based on which police initiated action and the department placed him under suspension.”

The complaint has been given four days prior to grant of divorce by the family court, which itself clearly shows that the wife has anticipated divorce order and created unnecessary trouble to the petitioner, said the judge in his order. The divorce proceedings, initiated before a Salem court in 2015, ended with the divorce order in February 2020.
Justice Vaidyanathan said there was no need for the department to place the petitioner under suspension, and ordered his reinstatement within 15 days.
“As the case on hand is an exceptional one, this court interferes with the impugned order of suspension passed by the director of the department, and directs him to reinstate the petitioner in service within 15 days,” he ruled.

Justice Vaidyathan said: “Husband and wife must realize that, ‘ego’ and ‘intolerance’ are like footwear and should be left out of their house, when they enter the home, else, the child/children will have to face a miserable life.