Bride’s conduct of staying in room and not showing initiative in household chores is not cruelty; Delhi HC

The Delhi High Court has observed that a new bride's conduct of trying to remain in her room and avoiding household chores “ can by no stretch of imagination be described as cruel behaviour towards the husband” . The said order has been passed by a Division Bench of Justice Hima Kohli and Justice Asha Menon in an appeal against an order passed by a Family Court. The Court also observed that it is the duty of the husband's family to make a new bride feel at home and that a new bride would be hesitant in her new surroundings and it is always for the husband's family to make her feel at home and accepted as a member of the family. Therefore, the Court held that “ such conduct of the respondent No. 1 / wife of being interested in remaining in her room or not showing initiative in doing household work can by no stretch of imagination be described as cruel behaviour and that too upon the appellant/husband” The judges passed these observations while dismissing an appeal filed by the husband (Vishal Singh) who approached the High Court against an order of the lower court which had dismissed his appeal for dissolving the marriage between him and his wife Priya, under the Hindu Marriage Act, 1955. The husband contended that his wife had been adulterous and cruel towards him. However, the Court held that no case of adultery and cruelty has been made out against the woman and stated that “ to our mind, none of these acts, if at all were committed by the wife, could tantamount to & lsquo cruel' conduct” .