REPORTABLE

IN THE SUPREME COURT OF INDIA

CIVIL APPELLATE JURISDICTION

CIVIL APPEAL NO.6582 OF 2008

ARISING OUT OF

SPECIAL LEAVE PETITION (CIVIL) NO. 10907 OF 2007

SUMAN KAPUR … APPELLANT

VERSUS

SUDHIR KAPUR … RESPONDENT

J U D G M E N T

C.K. THAKKER, J.

1. Leave granted.

2. The present appeal is filed by the

appellant-wife being aggrieved and dissatisfied

with the decree of divorce dated August 07,

2004 passed by the Additional District Judge,

Delhi in HMA No. 322/2001/96 and confirmed by

the High Court of Delhi on January 29, 2007 in

Matrimonial Appeal No. 62 of 2004.

3. The facts in nutshell are that the

appellant Suman Kapur is the wife and

respondent Sudhir Kapur is the husband. The

matrimonial alliance was entered into between

the parties as per Hindu rites and rituals in

Delhi on March 04, 1984. It was the case of

the appellant that both the parties were

friends from childhood and were knowing each

other since 1966. They had also studied

together in the same school. They were very

close since 1974 and after a friendship of more

than a decade, they decided to marry. The

marriage was inter-caste marriage. Though

initially parents of both the parties were

opposed to the marriage, subsequently, they

consented. The parties have no issue from the

said wedlock.

4. The appellant has a brilliant academic

record and has been the recipient of the

prestigious Lalor Foundation Fellowship of

United States of America (USA), offered to

young scientists for outstanding performance in

the area of research. According to her, at the

time of her marriage, she was in employment

with the Department of Bio-chemistry in the All

India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) and

was also pursuing her Ph.D.

5. It is the case of the appellant that

she conceived for the first time in 1984,

within a period of about one month of the

marriage, but on account of being exposed to

harmful radiations as a part of lab work of her

Ph.D. thesis, she decided to terminate the

pregnancy. The appellant asserted that it was

done with the knowledge and consent of the

respondent-husband.

6. Again, in 1985, she conceived. But

even that pregnancy was required to be

terminated on the ground of an acute kidney

infection for which she had to undergo an IVP,

which entailed six abdominal X-rays and

radiometric urinary reflect test with

radioactive drinking dye. She claimed that

even the second pregnancy was terminated with

the knowledge and consent of the respondent-

husband.

7. According to the appellant, third time

she became pregnant in 1989, but she suffered

natural abortion on account of having a

congenitally small uterus and thus prone to

recurrent miscarriages.

8. It is the case of the appellant that

though she was well-placed and having good job

in AIIMS in Delhi, only with a view to

accompany her husband who was serving in

Bombay, she left the job. In 1988, the parties

together left for USA. The appellant was

awarded Lalor Foundation Fellowship in USA for

which she had to move to Kansas city and could

not join the respondent-husband at the place of

his work.

9. The case of the respondent-husband, on

the other hand was that since solemnization of

marriage between the parties, the attitude,

conduct and behaviour of the appellant-wife

towards the respondent as well as his family

members was indignant and rude. It was alleged

by him that first pregnancy was terminated in

1984 by the appellant-wife without consent and

even without knowledge of the respondent. Same

thing was repeated at the time of termination

of second pregnancy in 1985. He was kept in

complete dark about the so-called miscarriage

by the appellant-wife in 1989. The respondent

was thus very much aggrieved since he was

denied the joy of feeling of fatherhood and the

parents of the respondent were also deprived of

grand-parenthood of a new arrival. It was also

contended by the respondent that the attitude

of the appellant-wife towards her in-laws was

humiliating. Several instances were cited in

support of the said conduct and behaviour by

the husband.

10. The respondent-husband, therefore,

filed HMA No. 322/2001/96 in the Court of

Additional District Judge, Delhi under Section

13(1)(ia) and (ib) of the Hindu Marriage Act,

1955 (hereinafter referred to as ‘the Act’) for

getting divorce from the appellant-wife. Two

grounds were taken by the respondent-husband in

the said petition, i.e. (i) cruelty and (ii)

desertion. It was alleged by the husband that

the wife was all throughout conscious, mindful

and worried of one thing and that was her

career. In view of her thinking only in one

direction, she deprived the respondent-husband

of conjugal rights and matrimonial obligations.

She also treated the family members of the

respondent-husband with cruelty. She, without

consent or even knowledge of the respondent-

husband, got her pregnancy terminated twice in

1984 as well as in 1985 and falsely stated that

there was natural miscarriage at the time of

third pregnancy in 1989. At no point of time,

she had taken consent of the husband nor even

she had informed about the termination of

pregnancy or about miscarriage to the

respondent. At several occasions, she had

stated that she was not interested at all in

living with the respondent-husband and to

perform marital obligations. She had made it

explicitly clear to the respondent-husband that

she was not willing to be a mother at the cost

of her career. She had specifically told the

respondent-husband that if he was very much

interested and eager to be a father and his

mother (respondent’s mother) wanted to be a

grand-mother, he could enter into marriage tie

with any other woman, but the appellant-wife

would not give up her career. She had also

stated that she had no objection if the

respondent adopts a child which action would

not adversely affect her career. She had issued

a notice to the respondent-husband that it

would be better that they would peacefully

separate from each other so that the

respondent-husband may be able to fulfil the

wishes of his parents and the appellant-wife

may pursue her future career. The respondent-

husband, therefore, submitted that the case

attracted both the provisions, viz. (i) cruelty

on the part of the wife under clause (ia) of

sub-section (1) of Section 13 and (ii)

desertion of matrimonial home and refusal to

perform marital obligations falling under

clause (ib) of sub-section (1) of Section 13 of

the Act. On both the grounds, the respondent-

husband was entitled to a decree of divorce.

11. The appellant-wife in her objections

denied the allegations of the husband.

According to her, she was doing her best to

please her husband as well as her in-laws.

Precisely for that purpose, she had left her

service in Delhi and joined the husband. It

was admitted that she was in service and was

also interested in career as she was well-

educated lady and wanted to contribute to the

society. But that did not mean that she was

not performing her marital obligations. It was

an admitted fact that immediately after her

marriage, she conceived and she was very happy

about it. Unfortunately, however, for the

circumstances beyond her control, she was

compelled to get the pregnancy terminated with

the knowledge and consent of her husband. The

same thing was repeated in 1985. In 1989, there

was natural miscarriage. She also contended

that she had to go to USA for receiving

prestigious award of Lalor Foundation

Fellowship. According to her, instead of being

happy about the progress of the wife, the

husband had initiated the present proceedings

with jealousy and hence, he was not entitled to

a decree of divorce. Even otherwise, there was

no cruelty on her part. According to the wife,

during regular intervals, the parties used to

stay together and the appellant had never

refused to perform her matrimonial obligations

or even had shown her intention to deprive the

husband of conjugal rights. It was, therefore,

submitted that the husband was not entitled to

the relief sought by him and the petition was

liable to be dismissed.

12. The trial Court after hearing the

parties held that the husband was not entitled

to a decree of divorce on the ground that the

wife had deserted the husband for a continuous

period of not less than two years immediately

preceding the presentation of the petition.

He, however, held that it was fully established

by the husband that there was cruelty on the

part of the wife. The wife without the

knowledge and consent of the husband got her

pregnancy terminated twice – firstly in 1984

and secondly in 1985. The husband was also not

informed about natural miscarriage in 1989. A

finding was also recorded by the trial Court

that the wife was not ready and willing to

perform matrimonial obligations and she always

attempted to stay away from her husband by

depriving conjugal rights of the husband. It

was, therefore, a case of mental cruelty. The

trial Court also referred to several letters

written by wife to the husband, and notice

issued by the wife through an advocate which

went to show that she was not interested in

performing marital obligations and continuing

marital relations with the husband. The Court

also relied upon various entries made by the

appellant-wife in her diary which suggested

that all throughout she was worrying about her

future and her career. For wife, according to

the trial Court, her career was the most

important factor and not matrimonial

obligations. The trial Court, therefore, held

that the case was covered by mental cruelty

which was shown by the wife towards the husband

and the husband was entitled to a decree of

divorce on that ground.

13. Being aggrieved by the decree passed

by the trial Court, the wife preferred an

appeal in the High Court of Delhi. The High

Court again appreciated the evidence on record

and confirmed the decree of divorce passed by

the trial Court. The High Court, however, held

that it was not necessary for the Court to

consider mental cruelty so far as termination

of pregnancy was concerned, since in the

opinion of the High Court, even otherwise from

the letters and entries in diary, it was proved

that there was mental cruelty on the part of

the wife. Accordingly, the decree of divorce

passed by the trial Court was confirmed by the

High Court.

14. The said order has been challenged in

the present proceedings. On July 16, 2007,

notice was issued by this Court. The

respondent appeared and affidavit-in-reply and

affidavit-in-rejoinder were thereafter filed.

Considering the nature of controversy, the

Registry was directed to place the matter for

final hearing and accordingly, the matter has

been placed before us.

15. We have heard the learned counsel for

the parties.

16. The learned counsel for the appellant

contended that both the courts had committed an

error of law in granting a decree of divorce

against the appellant-wife. It was submitted

that the courts below ought not to have held

that there was mental cruelty on the part of

the appellant-wife and the respondent-husband

was entitled to a decree of divorce on that

ground. It was also submitted that once the

High Court has not considered the allegation as

to termination of pregnancy without the consent

of the husband, no decree for divorce on the

ground of mental cruelty could have been passed

by it. Even if all the allegations leveled

against the wife had been accepted, they were

in the nature of ‘normal wear and tear’ in a

matrimonial life of a couple which would not

fall within the mischief of clause (ia) of sub-

section (1) of Section 13 of the Act and the

orders passed by the courts below are liable to

be set aside. It was further submitted that

even otherwise, the wife is entitled to an

appropriate relief from this Court inasmuch as

from the evidence, it is clearly established

that the High Court confirmed the decree passed

by the trial Court on January 29, 2007 and

before the period of filing Special Leave to

Appeal to this Court expires, the respondent-

husband entered into re-marriage with a third

party and from the said wedlock, he is having

an issue. It was, therefore, submitted that the

husband has created a situation which had

seriously prejudiced the appellant and the

Court may not allow the respondent-husband to

take undue advantage of the situation created

by him.

17. The learned counsel for the

respondent-husband, on the other hand,

supported the decree passed by the trial Court

and confirmed by the High Court. It was urged

that the trial Court on the basis of evidence

adduced by the parties recorded a finding of

fact that the conduct and behaviour of the wife

was in the nature of mental cruelty and

accordingly allowed the petition filed by the

husband. The High Court, though convinced on

all grounds, did not think it fit to enter into

correctness or otherwise of the finding

recorded with regard to illegal termination of

pregnancy by wife without the knowledge and

consent of the husband since it was convinced

that even otherwise on the basis of evidence on

record, mental cruelty of the wife was

established. It was not necessary for the High

Court to consider and to record a finding as to

illegal termination of pregnancy by wife since

the decree passed by the trial Court could be

confirmed. As far as mental cruelty is

concerned, on the basis of other evidence and

material on record, a finding had been recorded

by the trial Court. The said finding was a

finding of fact which was confirmed by the High

Court. In exercise of jurisdiction under

Article 136 of the Constitution, this Court

will not interfere with the said finding and

hence the appeal deserves to be dismissed.

18. Regarding re-marriage by the husband,

it was stated that after the decree of divorce

passed by the trial Court, the husband did not

re-marry. But the decree of divorce was

confirmed by the High Court. The husband

thereafter had taken the action which cannot be

said to be illegal or otherwise unlawful. The

wife, therefore, cannot take a technical

contention that the husband should have waited

till the period of filing Special Leave to

Appeal to this Court would expire. It was,

therefore, submitted that the appeal deserves

to be dismissed.

19. Having heard the learned counsel for

the parties, on the facts and in the

circumstances of the case, in our opinion, it

cannot be said that by recording a finding as

to mental cruelty by the wife against the

husband, the Courts below had committed any

illegality.

20. Section 13 of the Hindu Marriage Act

provides for grant of divorce in certain cases.

It enacts that any marriage solemnized whether

before or after the commencement of the Act may

be dissolved on a petition presented either by

the husband or by the wife on any of the

grounds specified therein. Clause (ia) of sub-

section (1) of Section 13 declares that a

decree of divorce may be passed by a Court on

the ground that after the solemnization of

marriage, the opposite party has treated the

petitioner with cruelty.

21. Now, it is well-settled that the

expression ‘cruelty’ includes both (i) physical

cruelty; and (ii) mental cruelty. The parties

in this connection, invited our attention to

English as well as Indian authorities. We will

refer to some of them.

Mental Cruelty

22. The concept of cruelty has been dealt

with in Halsbury's Laws of England [Vol.13, 4th

Edition Para 1269] as under;

“The general rule in all cases of

cruelty is that the entire

matrimonial relationship must be

considered, and that rule is of

special value when the cruelty

consists not of violent acts but of

injurious reproaches, complaints,

accusations or taunts. In cases where

no violence is averred, it is

undesirable to consider judicial

pronouncements with a view to

creating certain categories of acts

or conduct as having or lacking the

nature or quality which renders them

capable or incapable in all

circumstances of amounting to

cruelty; for it is the effect of the

conduct rather than its nature which

is of paramount importance in

assessing a complaint of cruelty.

Whether one spouse has been guilty of

cruelty to the other is essentially a

question of fact and previously

decided cases have little, if any,

value. The court should bear in mind

the physical and mental condition of

the parties as well as their social

status, and should consider the

impact of the personality and conduct

of one spouse on the mind of the

other, weighing all incidents and

quarrels between the spouses from

that point of view; further, the

conduct alleged must be examined in

the light of the complainant's

capacity for endurance and the extent

to which that capacity is known to

the other spouse”.

23. In Gollins V. Gollins 1964 AC 644:

(1963)2 All ER 966, Lord Reid stated:

“No one has ever attempted to give a

comprehensive definition of cruelty

and I do not intend to try to do so.

Much must depend on the knowledge and

intention of the respondent, on the

nature of his (or her) conduct, and

on the character and physical or

mental weakness of the spouses, and

probably no general statement is

equally applicable in all cases

except the requirement that the party

seeking relief must show actual or

probable injury to life, limb or

health”.

24. Lord Pearce also made similar

observations;

“It is impossible to give a

comprehensive definition of cruelty,

but when reprehensible conduct or

departure from normal standards of

conjugal kindness causes injury to

health or an apprehension of it, is, I

think, cruelty if a reasonable person,

after taking due account of the

temperament and all the other

particular circumstances would

considered that the conduct complained

of is such that this spouse should not

be called on to endure it”.

[see also Russell v. Russell, (1897)

AC 395 : (1895-99) All ER Rep 1].

25. The test of cruelty has been laid down

by this court in the leading case of N.G.

Dastane v. S. Dastane, (1975)2 SCC 326 thus:

“The enquiry therefore has to be

whether the conduct charges as cruelty

is of such a character as to cause in

the mind of the petitioner a

reasonable apprehension that it will

be harmful or injurious for him to

live with the respondent....”

26. In Sirajmohmedkhan Janmohamadkhan v.

Haizunnisa Yasinkhan & Anr., (1981) 4 SCC 250,

this Court stated that the concept of legal

cruelty changes according to the changes and

advancement of social concept and standards of

living. It was further stated that to establish

legal cruelty, it is not necessary that

physical violence should be used. Continuous

cessation of marital intercourse or total

indifference on the part of the husband towards

marital obligations would lead to legal

cruelty.

27. In Shobha Rani v. Madhukar Reddi,

(1988) 1 SCC 105, this Court examined the

concept of cruelty. It was observed that the

term ‘cruelty’ has not been defined in the

Hindu Marriage Act. It has been used in Section

13(1)(ia) of the Act in the context of human

conduct and behavior in relation to or in

respect of matrimonial duties or obligations.

It is a course of conduct of one spouse which

adversely affects the other spouse. The cruelty

may be mental or physical, intentional or

unintentional. If it is physical, it is a

question of degree which is relevant. If it is

mental, the enquiry must begin as to the nature

of the cruel treatment and then as to the

impact of such treatment on the mind of the

other spouse. Whether it caused reasonable

apprehension that it would be harmful or

injurious to live with the other, ultimately,

is a matter of inference to be drawn by taking

into account the nature of the conduct and its

effect on the complaining spouse. There may,

however, be cases where the conduct complained

of itself is bad enough and per se unlawful or

illegal. Then the impact or the injurious

effect on the other spouse need not be enquired

into or considered. In such cases, the cruelty

will be established if the conduct itself is

proved or admitted. The absence of intention

should not make any difference in the case, if

by ordinary sense in human affairs, the act

complained of could otherwise be regarded as

cruelty. Mens rea is not a necessary element in

cruelty. The relief to the party cannot be

denied on the ground that there has been no

deliberate or wilful ill-treatment.

28. In V. Bhagat v. D. Bhagat (Mrs.),

(1994) 1 SCC 337, the Court observed;

“Mental Cruelty in Section 13(1)(ia)

can broadly be defined as that conduct

which inflicts upon the other party

such mental pain and suffering as

would make it not possible for that

party to live with the other. In other

words, mental cruelty must be of such

a nature that the parties cannot

reasonably be expected to live

together. The situation must be such

that the wronged party cannot

reasonably be asked to put up with

such unintentional. If it is physical,

it is a question of fact and degree.

If it is mental, the enquiry must

begin as to the nature of the cruel

treatment and then as to the impact of

such treatment on the mind of the

spouse. Whether it caused reasonable

apprehension that it would be harmful

or injurious to live with the other,

ultimately, is a matter of inference

to be drawn by taking into account the

nature of the conduct and its effect

on the complaining spouse. There may,

however, be cases where the conduct

complained of itself is bad enough and

per se unlawful or illegal. Then the

impact or the injurious effect on the

other spouse need not be enquired into

or considered. In such cases, the

cruelty will be established if the

conduct itself is proved or admitted.

The absence of intention should not

make any difference in the case, if by

ordinary sense in human affairs, the

act complained of could otherwise be

regarded as cruelty. Intention is not

a necessary element in cruelty. The

relief to the party cannot be denied

on the ground that there has been no

deliberate or wilful ill-treatment or

conduct and continue to live with the

other party. It is not necessary to

prove that the mental cruelty is such

as to cause injury to the health of

the petitioner. While arriving at such

conclusion, regard must be had to the

social status, educational level of

the parties, the society they move in,

the possibility or otherwise of the

parties ever living together in case

they are already living apart and all

other relevant facts and circumstances

which it is neither possible nor

desirable to set out exhaustively.

What is cruelty in one case may not

amount to cruelty in another case. It

is a matter to be determined in each

case having regard to the facts and

circumstances of that case. If it is a

case of accusations and allegations,

regard must also be had to the context

in which they were made”.

29. This Court in Chetan Dass v. Kamla

Devi, (2001) 4 SCC 250, stated;

“Matrimonial matters are matters of

delicate human and emotional

relationship. It demands mutual trust,

regard, respect, love and affection

with sufficient play for reasonable

adjustments with the spouse. The

relationship has to conform to the

social norms as well. The matrimonial

conduct has now come to be governed by

statute framed, keeping in view such

norms and changed social order. It is

sought to be controlled in the

interest of the individuals as well as

in broader perspective, for regulating

matrimonial norms for making of a

well-knit, healthy and not a disturbed

and porous society. The institution of

marriage occupies an important place

and role to play in the society, in

general. Therefore, it would not be

appropriate to apply any submission of

"irretrievably broken marriage" as a

straitjacket formula for grant of

relief of divorce. This aspect has to

be considered in the background of the

other facts and circumstances of the

case”.

30. Mental cruelty has also been examined

by this Court in Parveen Mehta v. Inderjit

Mehta (2002) 5 SCC 706 thus;

“Cruelty for the purpose of Section 13

(1)(ia) is to be taken as a behavior

by one spouse towards the other, which

causes reasonable apprehension in the

mind of the latter that it is not safe

for him or her to continue the

matrimonial relationship with the

other. Mental Cruelty is a state of

mind and feeling with one of the

spouses due to the behavior or

behavioral pattern by the other.

Unlike the case of physical cruelty,

mental cruelty is difficult to

establish by direct evidence. It is

necessarily a matter of inference to

be drawn from the facts and

circumstances of the case. A feeling

of anguish, disappointment and

frustration in one spouse caused by

the conduct of the other can only be

appreciated on assessing the attending

facts and circumstances in which the

two partners of matrimonial life have

been living. The inference has to be

drawn from the attending facts and

circumstances taken cumulatively. In

case of mental cruelty it will not be

a correct approach to take an instance

of misbehavior in isolation and then

pose the question whether such

behavior is sufficient by itself to

cause mental cruelty. The approach

should be to take the cumulative

effect of the facts and circumstances

emerging from the evidence on record

and then draw a fair inference whether

the petitioner in the divorce petition

has been subjected to mental cruelty

due to conduct of the other.”

31. In A. Jayachandra v. Aneel Kaur,

(2005) 2 SCC 22, the Court observed as under:

“The expression “cruelty” has not been

defined in the Act. Cruelty can be

physical or mental. Cruelty which is a

ground for dissolution of marriage may

be defined as wilful and unjustifiable

conduct of such character as to cause

danger to life, limb or health, bodily

or mental, or as to give rise to a

reasonable apprehension of such a

danger. The question of mental cruelty

has to be considered in the light of

the norms of marital ties of the

particular society to which the

parties belong, their social values,

status, environment in which they

live. Cruelty, as noted above,

includes mental cruelty, which falls

within the purview of a matrimonial

wrong. Cruelty need not be physical.

If from the conduct of the spouse,

same is established and/or an

inference can be legitimately drawn

that the treatment of the spouse is

such that it causes an apprehension in

the mind of the other spouse, about

his or her mental welfare then this

conduct amounts to cruelty. In a

delicate human relationship like

matrimony, one has to see the

probabilities of the case. The concept

proof beyond the shadow of doubt, is

to be applied to criminal trials and

not to civil matters and certainly not

to matters of such delicate personal

relationship as those of husband and

wife. Therefore, one has to see what

are the probabilities in a case and

legal cruelty has to be found out, not

merely as a matter of fact, but as the

effect on the mind of the complainant

spouse because of the acts or

omissions of the other. Cruelty may be

physical or corporeal or may be

mental. In physical cruelty, there can

be tangible and direct evidence, but

in the case of mental cruelty there

may not at the same time be direct

evidence. In cases where there is no

direct evidence, Courts are required

to probe into the mental process and

mental effect of incidents that are

brought out in evidence. It is in this

view that one has to consider the

evidence in matrimonial dispute.”

32. In Vinita Saxena v. Pankaj Pandit,

(2006) 3 SCC 778, the Court said;

“It is settled by a catena of

decisions that mental cruelty can

cause even more serious injury than

the physical harm and create in the

mind of the injured appellant such

apprehension as is contemplated in the

section. It is to be determined on

whole facts of the case and the

matrimonial relations between the

spouses. To amount to cruelty, there

must be such willful treatment of the

party which caused suffering in body

or mind either as an actual fact or by

way of apprehension in such a manner

as to render the continued living

together of spouses harmful or

injurious having regard to the

circumstances of the case.

The word “cruelty” has not been

defined and it has been used in

relation to human conduct or human

behaviour. It is the conduct in

relation to or in respect of

matrimonial duties and obligations.

It is a course of conduct and one

which is adversely affecting the

other. The cruelty may be mental or

physical, intentional or

unintentional. There may be cases

where the conduct complained of itself

is bad enough and per se unlawful or

illegal. Then the impact or the

injurious effect on the other spouse

need not be enquired into or

considered. In such cases, the

cruelty will be established if the

conduct itself is proved or admitted”.

33. It was further stated:

“Each case depends on its own facts

and must be judged on these facts.

The concept of cruelty has varied from

time to time, from place to place and

from individual to individual in its

application according to social status

of the persons involved and their

economic conditions and other matters.

The question whether the act

complained of was a cruel act is to be

determined from the whole facts and

the matrimonial relations between the

parties. In this connection, the

culture, temperament and status in

life and many other things are the

factors which have to be considered.

The legal concept of cruelty which

is not defined by the statute is

generally described as conduct of such

character as to have caused danger to

life, limb or health (bodily and

mental) or to give rise to reasonable

apprehension of such danger. The

general rule in all questions of

cruelty is that the whole matrimonial

relations must be considered, that

rule is of a special value when the

cruelty consists not of violent act

but of injurious reproaches,

complaints, accusations or taunts. It

may be mental such as indifference and

frigidity towards the wife, denial of

a company to her, hatred and

abhorrence for wife, or physical, like

acts of violence and abstinence from

sexual intercourse without reasonable

cause. It must be proved that one

partner in the marriage however

mindless of the consequences has

behaved in a way which the other

spouse could not in the circumstances

be called upon to endure, and that

misconduct has caused injury to health

or a reasonable apprehension of such

injury. There are two sides to be

considered in case of apprehension of

such injury. There are two sides to

be considered in case of cruelty.

From the appellants, ought this

appellant to be called on to endure

the conduct? From the respondent’s

side, was this conduct excusable? The

Court has then to decide whether the

sum total of the reprehensible conduct

was cruel. That depends on whether

the cumulative conduct was

sufficiently serious to say that from

a reasonable person’s point of view

after a consideration of any excuse

which the respondent might have in the

circumstances, the conduct is such

that the petitioner ought not be

called upon to endure.”

34. Recently, in Samar Ghosh v. Jaya Ghosh,

(2007) 4 SCC 511, this Court held;

“No uniform standard can ever be laid

down for guidance, yet we deem it

appropriate to enumerate some

instances of human behavior which may

be relevant in dealing with the cases

of ‘mental cruelty’. The instances

indicated in the succeeding paragraphs

are only illustrative and not

exhaustive.

(i) On consideration of complete

matrimonial life of the parties,

acute mental pain, agony and

suffering as would not make

possible for the parties to live

with each other could come within

the broad parameters of mental

cruelty.

(ii) On comprehensive appraisal of

the entire matrimonial life of the

parties, it becomes abundantly

clear that situation is such that

the wronged party cannot

reasonably be asked to put up with

such conduct and continue to live

with other party.

(iii)Mere coldness or lack of affection

cannot amount to cruelty, frequent

rudeness of language, petulance of

manner, indifference and neglect

may reach such a degree that it

makes the married life for the

other spouse absolutely

intolerable.

(iv) Mental Cruelty is a state of

mind. The feeling of deep anguish,

disappointment, frustration in one

spouse caused by the conduct of

other for a long time may lead to

mental cruelty.

(v) A sustained course of abusive

and humiliating treatment

calculated to torture, discommode

or render miserable life of the

spouse.

(vi) Sustained unjustifiable conduct

and behavior of one spouse

actually affecting physical and

mental health of the other spouse.

The treatment complained of and

the resultant danger or

apprehension must be very grave,

substantial and weighty.

(vii)Sustained reprehensible conduct,

studied neglect, indifference or

total departure from the normal

standard of conjugal kindness

causing injury to mental health or

deriving sadistic pleasure can

also amount to mental cruelty.

(viii) The conduct must be much more

than jealousy, selfishness,

possessiveness, which causes

unhappiness and dissatisfaction

and emotional upset may not be a

ground for grant of divorce on

the ground of mental cruelty.

(ix) Mere trivial irritations,

quarrels, normal wear and tear

of the married life which

happens in day to day life would

not be adequate for grant of

divorce on the ground of mental

cruelty.

(x) The married life should be

reviewed as a whole and a few

isolated instances over a period

of years will not amount to

cruelty. The ill-conduct must be

persistent for a fairly lengthy

period, where the relationship

has deteriorated to an extent

that because of the acts and

behavior of a spouse, the

wronged party finds it extremely

difficult to live with the other

party any longer, may amount to

mental cruelty.

(xi) If a husband submits himself for

an operation of sterilization

without medical reasons and

without the consent or knowledge

of his wife and similarly if the

wife undergoes vasectomy or

abortion without medical reason

or without the consent or

knowledge of her husband, such

an act of the spouse may lead to

mental cruelty.

(xii) Unilateral decision of refusal

to have intercourse for

considerable period without

there being any physical

incapacity or valid reason may

amount to mental cruelty.

(xiii) Unilateral decision of either

husband or wife after marriage

not to have child from the

marriage may amount to cruelty.

(xiv) Where there has been a long

period of continuous separation,

it may fairly be concluded that

the matrimonial bond is beyond

repair. The marriage becomes a

fiction though supported by a

legal tie. By refusing to sever

that tie, the law in such cases,

does not serve the sanctity of

marriage; on the contrary, it

shows scant regard for the

feelings and emotions of the

parties. In such like

situations, it may lead to

mental cruelty”.

35. Now, coming to the facts of the case,

from the evidence of Smt. Vimal Kapur (mother-

in-law of appellant-wife and mother of

respondent-husband) who is examined as PW 1 and

Sudhir Kapur, husband-PW 2, the trial Court

held that the wife was interested in her career

only and she had neglected towards matrimonial

obligations and exercise of conjugal rights by

the husband. The trial Court also held that

termination of pregnancy by wife was without

consent or even knowledge of the husband which

was in the nature of mental cruelty. But

keeping the said element of mental cruelty

aside, the High Court was convinced that the

allegation of mental cruelty towards the

husband by the wife was clearly established

from the evidence on record adduced by the

respondent-husband. The High Court noted that

the appellant-wife was constantly and

continuously avoiding staying with the husband

and preventing him to have matrimonial

relations. From the letters of the appellant-

wife also, the High Court held that it was the

wife who had stated that she had completely

lost interest in the marriage and she was

willing to get divorce. The High Court further

noted that the appellant-wife sent a notice

through her advocate to the respondent-husband

during the pendency of mediation proceedings in

the High Court wherein she alleged that the

respondent was having another wife in USA whose

identity was concealed. This was based on the

fact that in his income-tax return, the husband

mentioned the Social Security Number of his

wife as 476-15-6010, a number which did not

belong to the appellant-wife, but to some

American lady (Sarah Awegtalewis). The High

Court, however, recorded a finding of fact

accepting the explanation of the husband that

there was merely a typographical error in

giving Social Security Number allotted to the

appellant which was 476-15-6030. According to

the High Court, taking undue advantage of the

error in Social Security Number, the appellant

wife had gone to the extent of making serious

allegation that the respondent had married to

an American woman whose Social Security Number

was wrongly typed in the income tax return of

the respondent-husband.

36. The High Court also observed that the

appellant wanted to pursue her professional

career to achieve success. In her written

statement itself, she had admitted that she was

very much interested in her career; that she

was independent since 1979 and she was keen to

live independent life.

37. The High Court also took a serious

note of an entry in the personal diary of the

appellant-wife dated September 14, 1986 wherein

she stated;

“I said, “we started this journey as

two individuals and if you can do so

fine otherwise forget and don’t bring

the ghost of parents in between the

two of us. He did not like the use of

words ghosts and first cursed my

vocabulary and then he said “you do

not have any, but I have better ties”.

At this I told him you are given these

15 days and you can find another wife

for yourself. He has this notion that

he will go to USA (NY) and I will stay

with his parents and I told him I will

not and he says this was the deal in

July and when I refuted he said “no

you had promised”. I told him you

have just now paid the fine and you

are again using the same tricks again.

Naturally, he did not like and said to

me “I am not and have never with you

played tricks”. I said sorry- I do

not trust you any further and he said

it is your fault. It may now be my

fault but I think it is just quits. I

don’t think I will write to anybody

back in Delhi now for 15 days and if I

can find myself work here any kind”.

38. From the above letter, it is clear

that the appellant-wife had described the

parents of the husband as ‘ghost’.

39. In the letter dated June 21, 1988, she

stated;

“I really wish you would understand my

urge in pursuing my freedom away from

the hawk eyes of your mother, sister

and all other relatives. But, as I am

not ready to share the economic gains

of this job with you and other family

members. I don’t expect either you or

them to understand my need and

commitment for this job, or any job.

I am bound to cause friction with so

many people around me- I was at war

with just you around me in Bombay.”

40. In another letter, she stated that the

respondent-husband should not make a condition

for the wife of living together. She stated;

“I am not a good person to waste all

your potential, emotion on. I do not

deserve it.

… … … …

Please do not make living together a

condition for the coming few months.

And do not read from these lines that

I do not miss you- I do so

individually and circumstantially- but

as is my way of working I am not ready

to stop myself for bonds and I believe

the same for you. I wish the best and

topmost for you-the most perfect, one

can hope to be and wish that nothing

becomes a barrier between you and you

and your achievements. Even me. It

will be best if we could help each

other constructively; I also believe

that we can do so- it is just that we

believe in different things.

… … … …

If possible, stand out of all this

mess and try to work the best possible

solution for us and your family. I do

want you to remember that you are only

one son and your family commitments.

I would honour- but not at the cost of

my spiritual search in life.”

41. She further said that the respondent-

husband should not bring her marital status

preventing her from pursuing her career in the

name of marriage. She stated that when she was

unable to give even a child to the respondent-

husband, up to what stage, they should live

together. She clarified that she did not want

to close her avenues in life at least at that

stage. She also did not want to forego her

chances whatever she would believe about her

chances. She did not believe in love any more.

She expressly stated that she did not believe

in Indian social value system and she was very

happy in the foreign country.

42. She stated;

“Mujhe is vivah ke naam per apne raste

se mat roke. Ho sakta he mein he galat

hoon-per mujhe nahin lagta. Dampati

ke tarah hum saath ji liye hein-

purani quality of life se kuch neechey

hi star per jiye hein- ye aur koin

jaane ya na jaane- Cambridge school se

ek dosre ko bada hota dekh suman-

sudhir achhey se jaante hein. Es

vivah mein aapko santan bhi na de

saki- phir kahan tak jaruri hai ki hum

saath rahe? Aap mere vicharo se to

kabhi sahmat nahin honge per auron ki

rai kar lein-jis kisiki bhi- apni

jindgi suljha lein. Mujh se ye ummid

karma chod de ke kisi vyaktigat (per

mujh se unrelated) ya samajik karan se

abhi mein apna rehne sochne ka tarika

badloon. Jaisa maine pehle likha-

jindagi ji kar jaise bhi, job hi, jab

bhi samajh aayega tabhi aayega, jaise

main apne liye chhot chahti hoon vaise

he apni oar se jitna mujhe adhikar

hein aapko bhi mukt karti hoon. Meine

to kareeb chheh page par hi ye patr

samapt kar diya-except for some help

that I needed for car, etc-buy your

fax today was quite unsettling. I

don’t like to close my avenues in

life- at lease not yet. I was naïve

to believe whatever I did for marriage

as a constitution and marriage to you.

I am not ready to forgo my chances-

whatever I believe to be chances for

what I have experienced as being

married. I think the best alternative

will be you stay in India for some

more time. Chances are that even if

you get an assignment outside Kansas

we would be living separately. So

decide for yourself cause when time

comes I am going to do so for myself.

I will this time not make a compromise

and regret it a few months later and

make both our lives miserable. I have

done that several times in the past-at

least you should have enough of it to

stop trying to push me against my

belief.

My way of loving is not like that.

I do not even believe in love any

more. There is no bigger lie that any

one could tell another person. I do

not even believe in the Indian social

value system. So I am better off

being here away from every person and

every thing that I grew up with.

Whenever I have understood things to

be a different shade I will decide

whether I want to be here or there.”

43. The High Court, in contrast, referred

to the letters written by the respondent-

husband. It noted that those letters were full

of love and affection. According to the High

Court, the husband tried his level best to keep

the marriage tie to subsist and made all

attempts to persuade the wife explaining and

convincing her about the sacred relations of

husband and wife, the need and necessity of

child in their life and also feelings of his

parents who wanted to become grand parents.

According to the High Court, however, nothing

could persuade the wife who was only after her

career. In the light of the above facts and

circumstances, the Court held that the trial

Court did not commit any error of fact or of

law in passing the decree for divorce on the

ground of mental cruelty.

44. The High Court in paragraph 28 of the

judgment stated;

“Applying the above principles to

the facts of the present case, I

feel the respondent has been able to

establish and prove ‘cruelty’ under

Section 13(1) (ia) of the Act. The

conduct of the appellant has been

examined above. I have referred to

the letters exchanged between the

parties during the period 1986

onwards till 1994. Some of the

letters have been written by the

appellant herself. These letters

reveal the conflict and difference

between the parties. The present

case also reveals that the

respondent was bending over his

heels to placate and woo the

appellant till 1994 but thereafter

gave up. The respondent was deeply

in love and was emotionally attached

to her. He has however over the

passage of time developed a hatred

and ill-will for the appellant.

There is no apparent ground and

reason for the same except the

conduct of the appellant.”

45. We find no infirmity in the approach

of the High Court. The finding relating to

mental cruelty recorded by the trial Court and

confirmed by the High Court suffers from no

infirmity and we see no reason to interfere

with the said finding.

46. The fact, however, remains and it has

been brought to the notice of this Court that

the respondent got re-married on March 05, 2007

before the expiry of period of filing Special

Leave to Appeal to this Court under Article 136

of the Constitution. It was also stated that a

child was born from the said wedlock on

December 20, 2007. Thus, the marriage had been

performed within a period of ninety days of the

order impugned in the present appeal.

47. Since, we are confirming the decree of

divorce on the ground of mental cruelty as held

by both the courts, i.e. the trial Court as

well as by the High Court, no relief can be

granted so far as the reversal of decree of the

courts below is concerned. At the same time,

however, in our opinion, the respondent-husband

should not have re-married before the expiry of

period stipulated for filling Special Leave to

Appeal in this Court by the wife.

48. It is true that filing of appeal under

Article 136 of the Constitution is not a right

of the party. It is the discretion conferred

on this Court to grant leave to the applicant

to file appeal in appropriate cases. But,

since the Constitution allows a party to

approach this Court within a period of ninety

days from an order passed by the High Court, we

are of the view that no precipitate action

could have been taken by the respondent-husband

by creating the situation of fait accompli.

Considering the matter in its entirety, though

we are neither allowing the appeal nor setting

aside the decree of divorce granted by the

trial Court and confirmed by the appellate

Court in favour of respondent-husband, on the

facts and in the circumstances of the case, in

our opinion, ends of justice would be met if we

direct the respondent-husband to pay an amount

of Rs. Five lakhs to the appellant-wife. The

said payment will be made on or before 31

st

December, 2008.

49. The appeal is disposed of accordingly.

The parties will bear their own costs all

throughout.

…………………………………………………J.

(C.K. THAKKER)

NEW DELHI, …………………………………………………J.

November 07, 2008. (D.K. JAIN)