Bengaluru: The Karnataka High Court has dismissed a man’s appeal seeking divorce on grounds of cruelty, stating that the issues raised were minor and could have been resolved through mutual discussion. In a strongly worded observation, the court remarked that the petitioner appeared to want “an obedient and sincere maid rather than a wife.”
The case involved a couple who married in 2015 but lived together for only ten days before the wife left for her job in Singapore. The husband, employed in the United States, later filed for divorce in 2016, claiming cruelty. The family court in Bengaluru rejected the petition in 2020, noting that the wife had demonstrated frustration over unmet dowry expectations from the husband and his mother.
During the appeal, the wife told the High Court that she had intended to join her husband in the US but was unable to do so due to interference from his mother and the lack of visa arrangements. The husband admitted in cross-examination that he had not taken steps to secure a visa for her.
In its September 15 order, a division bench of Justices Jayant Banerji and Umesh Adiga upheld the family court’s decision, emphasising that marriage requires compromise and adjustment from both partners. The bench concluded that the petitioner’s expectations were unreasonable and that the grievances cited were trivial.