Cruelty Against Husband

Mental cruelty in divorce cases is often difficult to prove due to the absence of physical evidence. This post analyses a Telangana High Court decision where authenticated, certified documentary evidence played a decisive role in establishing cruelty under matrimonial law.

The Telangana High Court reduced a wife’s maintenance from ₹90,000 to ₹50,000 per month, holding that Section 125 CrPC read with Rajnesh v. Neha secures dignified survival, not repayment of ₹3.5 crore business or personal debts. This post analyses the Court’s reasoning and its limits on maintenance law.

After more than a decade of acrimonious matrimonial litigation marked by criminal complaints, arrests, and failed mediation, the Telangana High Court upheld a decree of divorce on grounds of cruelty. While denying maintenance and permanent alimony to an employed wife, the Court significantly enhanced the minor daughter’s settlement from ₹10 lakhs to INR 80 lakhs - sending a clear message on prolonged litigation, cruelty, and parental responsibility.

A 45-day marriage followed by 12 years of separation led the Telangana High Court to grant divorce, examining concealment of mental illness, non-consummation, and irretrievable breakdown of marriage.

The AP High Court reaffirmed that husbands can also be subjected to cruelty in marriage. Dismissing the wife’s Section 151 CPC petition, the Court upheld the divorce decree, holding that mental cruelty including persistent quarrels, threats, and emotional harassment can justify dissolution even without physical violence. This strengthens the legal interpretation of cruelty against men.