The ruling came in a case filed by a woman married to the accused since 1965, who alleged years of mental and physical harassment. The lower court had acquitted the man for lack of direct evidence, but the High Court overturned the verdict, noting that the woman’s suffering was emblematic of generations of wives conditioned to endure cruelty in silence.
“The time has come for men to discard the inherited notion that marriage grants them unquestionable rights. A husband’s duty is to ensure his wife’s comfort, safety, and respect—these are primary obligations of marriage, not secondary ones,” the court said.
According to the complaint, the husband had multiple extramarital affairs and routinely abused and humiliated his wife. He allegedly destroyed her worship materials, restricted her phone access, barred her from family events, and deprived her of food and maintenance. In one instance, he reportedly tried to stab her, forcing her to flee and seek police protection.
The High Court found that forcing the woman to live separately for 18 years amounted to cruelty under Section 498A of the Indian Penal Code. The man was sentenced to six months’ imprisonment and fined Rs5,000, with an additional one-month term in case of default.
Justice Gowri emphasized that a woman’s endurance in marriage cannot be mistaken for consent, stating, “Age does not sanctify cruelty.” The judgment reinforces the court’s stance that equality and dignity are central to the institution of marriage.
