Delhi High Court says, no law gives right to beat, torture wife

New-Delhi: The Delhi High Court have recently said that no law gives right to husband to beat and torture wife and granted divorce to a woman on the grounds of cruelty and desertion by her husband.

The matter was heard under a division bench of Justice Suresh Kumar Kait and Justice Neena Bansal Krishna and later granted divorce to the woman.

“Merely because the parties got married and the respondent was her husband, no law gave him the right to subject his wife to beatings and torture, the bench observed.

Such conduct of the respondent necessarily qualifies as physical cruelty entitling the appellant (woman) to divorce under Section 13(1) (ia) of the Hindu Marriage Act (HMA), 1955, the bench said.

The wife had claimed that she experienced mental and physical torture, dowry demands, harassment from her husband along with his family members.

The Delhi High Court also observed that the husband was unable to explain why he deserted his wife. The court also said that the divorce petition was filed two years after separation and hence it is eligible under the Section 131(b) of the Hindu marriage act.