Wife cannot be ‘Vodafone pug’ following husband everywhere: Madras HC
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Chennai: The Madras High Court has invoked the Vodafone pug advertisement while dissolving the 16-year marriage of an estranged couple, observing that a wife cannot be expected to follow her husband everywhere because his employment requires him to move.
Justices G R Swaminathan and M D Sumathi set aside a court order rejecting the husband’s divorce plea. The court criticised the court’s reasoning that a husband who moved away for employment could not seek divorce on the ground of his wife’s adultery.
The bench pointed out that living together may not always be practical for married couples. A husband could be a soldier unable to establish a family home at his place of duty, while a wife could have employment of her own. Expecting her to accompany him was unrealistic, prompting the court to draw an analogy with Vodafone’s loyal pug.
The court found that the marriage had broken down after 16 years of separation. It granted the divorce but directed the husband to pay Rs 7 lakh as alimony. The decree will become effective only after the amount is deposited.
The couple married under Hindu rites on September 10, 1992, and have four children. The husband, now 67, moved to Mumbai for employment, after which they remained separated.
The court also noted that the wife had made no attempt to restore the relationship and had not sent a formal letter or notice to her husband.
Judgment was delivered on August 19 and made public on August 31.