Orissa High Court recognizes emotional abuse in marriage

The Orissa High Court has ruled that a wife's repeated threats of suicide and violence can be a serious form of mental torture for her husband. The court made this decision while upholding a previous family court's order to dissolve a marriage due to emotional abuse. The case involved a couple who had been married since 2003. The husband, who is in his 50s, sought a divorce in 2009, citing cruelty. He said that his wife's behavior included constant arguments, threats to harm herself, and evicting his elderly parents from their home with help from local thugs. In August 2023, the family court granted the divorce but required the husband to pay his wife Rs 63 lakh as alimony. The wife, in her 40s, appealed this decision, wanting to restore their marriage. However, the High Court dismissed her appeal, emphasizing that marriage should be based on trust and mutual respect. The judges noted that the wife's behavior, especially when it included physical aggression and public humiliation, caused severe emotional harm to the husband. They stated that such actions go beyond simple disagreements and amount to mental cruelty. The court concluded that no one should be forced to endure a painful marriage and that the husband deserves to find peace by ending the relationship. They supported the family court's decision on the alimony.