JUDGEMENT
K.KANNAN, J. -
(1.) THE appeal is by the wife seeking for a divorce against the husband on
the ground that the husband was guilty of cruelty and desertion. The
incident of cruelty attributed to the husband was that on a particular
day after the marriage he had brought 3-4 persons alongwith him and made
indecent suggestion that she must have relations with them so that he
would obtain his supply of some drug (smack). It was also stated by her
on oath that this incident was immediately narrated to her husband's
brother who was a Police Constable. The parents were informed and they
had immediately come to rescue her and took her out of the house and
since then she has been living away with the child that she had through
the respondent at the residence of her parents. She had been living in
her parents' house for 3 years from the date of presentation of the
petition and her husband did not even take any interest to change his way
or take her back with the child.
(2.) THE Tribunal rejected the contention only on the ground that the wife was not able to give details of the persons with whom her husband
expected her to have illicit relations. She could give no information
regarding the physical features of such persons. She could not also
narrate the date when this incident had happened. I feel that the
approach of the trial Court was wholly erroneous. No woman of any esteem
would like to make a description of persons who had come to prey on her.
It was indeed even a vulgar suggestion at the trial and the Court ought
not to have even allowed such questioning to have taken place. The
counsel points out to the specific evidence given by the wife that she
had narrated this incident to her husband's brother. She could not have
examined his brother, but nothing prevented the respondent from citing
him as witness and elicit from him that such an incident never took place
and she had never narrated such an incident to his brother. I take that
this singular circumstance of misbehaviour attributed to the husband to
constitute cruelty entitling her to secure a decree for divorce. I will
not examine the issue of desertion, for she left his matrimonial company
on her own and she was trying to justify her separate living. The decree
of dismissal of the trial Court is set aside and the appellant shall be
entitled to a decree of dissolution of marriage by a decree of divorce.
The appeal is allowed.;
Click here to view full judgement.
Copyright © Regent Computronics Pvt.Ltd.