As per case facts, the appellant-wife appealed a divorce decree granted to the respondent-husband on grounds of cruelty and irretrievable breakdown of marriage. The wife left her matrimonial home, subsequently ... lodged criminal complaints against the husband, and made serious, unsubstantiated allegations against his character and his family. The husband was acquitted in these criminal cases. The parties have been separated for about seventeen years. The question arose whether the appellant-wife was guilty of mental cruelty, whether their marriage had irretrievably broken down, if this breakdown could serve as a ground for divorce, and if the Trial Judge should have granted permanent alimony. Finally, the Court concluded that the appellant-wife's baseless allegations and false complaints constituted mental cruelty. It affirmed that irretrievable breakdown, though not a standalone ground, can be considered cruelty under the Hindu Marriage Act. Regarding alimony, the Court clarified that a specific application is required, which the wife had not filed, but granted her the liberty to do so subsequently.