As per case facts, the parties married in 1989, and a son was born in 1990. After the husband filed for divorce, the wife initiated multiple false complaints to various ... authorities, including the police and media, alleging dowry harassment and violence. Police investigations consistently found these allegations to be false, even recommending action against the wife for filing a false report. The husband, citing these false accusations as cruelty, sought divorce. The lower courts dismissed his petition. The question arose whether the wife's actions of making and pursuing patently false and defamatory complaints against the husband amounted to matrimonial cruelty warranting a divorce. Finally, the Supreme Court ruled that such persistent false accusations and complaints, which gravely impact the husband's reputation and create an unbearable marital environment, indeed constitute cruelty. The Court granted the divorce, recognizing the impossibility of maintaining the marital bond under such circumstances, and made provisions for the wife's financial settlement and accommodation.