Madhya Pradesh HC Grants Divorce After Wife Blames In-Laws for Burn Injuries
The Madhya Pradesh High Court has granted divorce to a man whose wife had set herself on fire and later accused his relatives of the act.
A Division Bench of Justice Vishal Dhagat and Justice Anuradha Shukla held that such an extreme step by a spouse creates fear and makes it impossible to maintain a healthy marital relationship.
“In this case, the wife set herself ablaze in a moment of despair and then blamed her in-laws. This act itself amounts to mental cruelty against the husband,” the Court observed in its August 26 judgment.
The couple married in 2003 and had one child. They began living separately in 2005, and the husband filed for divorce in 2006. He claimed that his wife’s behaviour had become unpleasant within a month of marriage and that in 2005, she attempted to immolate herself with kerosene. The wife, however, alleged that her in-laws had set her on fire.
On examining the evidence, the Court rejected the wife’s allegations. It noted that although she claimed neighbours had rescued her, she failed to present any of them as witnesses.
The Court also dismissed her charge that the husband had refused to live with her because of her burn scars, finding no evidence to support the claim.
Concluding that the wife failed to prove her allegations and had also not pursued criminal proceedings against the alleged wrongdoers, the Court dissolved the marriage under the Hindu Marriage Act.
