"If a Wife Engages in Such Chats, How Can Any Husband Tolerate It?": Madhya Pradesh High Court

The Madhya Pradesh High Court has stated that after marriage, both husband and wife should maintain dignity and respect in their interactions with friends. The court emphasized that crossing limits in such relationships can lead to emotional distress. This observation was made by a division bench comprising Justice Vivek Rusia and Justice Gajendra Singh while dismissing a petition filed by a woman challenging a lower court’s decision to grant divorce to her husband.

The court ruled that if a wife engages in obscene chats with another man, it constitutes cruelty toward her husband. The bench noted that the petitioner (wife) had engaged in explicit and sexually suggestive conversations with her male friend, which, according to the court, no husband could be expected to tolerate.

The judges further stated that while maintaining friendships is acceptable, conversations should remain respectful. If such interactions exceed appropriate boundaries, they can negatively impact marital life. The court also made it clear that if a spouse continues such behavior despite objections from their partner, it can be considered mental cruelty.

The case involved a couple who had a love marriage in 2018 but later faced conflicts. The husband accused his wife of engaging in inappropriate chats with her former lovers, while the wife denied the allegations, claiming that her phone had been hacked and that false messages had been created. She further alleged that her husband had violated her privacy and had demanded ₹25 lakh as dowry.

However, the lower court had ruled in favor of the husband after the wife’s father himself testified that his daughter had engaged in indecent chats with her boyfriend. Supporting this decision, the Madhya Pradesh High Court upheld the divorce granted by the lower court.