The Jharkhand High Court has issued a ruling clarifying the legal standards for using mental illness as a basis for divorce under the Hindu Marriage Act. According to LiveLaw, a Division Bench comprising Justice Sujit Narayan Prasad and Justice Akhil Kumar set aside an ex-parte divorce decree that had been granted to a husband based on allegations regarding his wife's mental health. The court determined that a spouse's condition or refusal of treatment cannot automatically be characterized as matrimonial cruelty without a thorough examination of the surrounding circumstances.
The dispute originated from a marriage solemnised in 2019, as noted in the court documents reported by LiveLaw. The husband alleged that his wife was diagnosed with schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and seizures at a facility in Kanke, Ranchi, but frequently refused prescribed medication. He argued that this behavior, combined with quarrels and misbehavior toward his family, constituted cruelty under Section 13(1)(ia) of the Hindu Marriage Act, 1955. The wife, however, countered that she was expelled from the matrimonial home in February 2025 and had been living with her daughter without financial support, while her husband and his family demanded additional dowry.
The Principal Judge of the Family Court in Koderma initially allowed the husband's suit on January 5, 2026, and the decree was signed on January 17, 2026. The High Court found that the lower court had relied heavily on the husband's testimony without examining the treating doctor or producing expert witnesses to substantiate the diagnosis. The Bench observed that the Family Court had treated the wife's refusal of medication as mental cruelty without verifying the severity of the illness or its actual impact on the marriage.
In its judgment, the High Court emphasized the need to avoid stigmatising spouses by relying solely on medical labels. The court held that judges must scrutinize the conduct in its entirety, including the circumstances of the refusal and the effect on the marital relationship. Consequently, the Bench allowed the wife's appeal, setting aside the lower court's judgment and the subsequent divorce decree. The decision underscores the requirement for cogent medical evidence before dissolving a marriage on the grounds of mental health-related cruelty.