Allahabad High Court has ruled that refusing sex to one’s spouse for an extended period without a valid reason amounts to mental cruelty and can be considered grounds for divorce.
The decision came in response to an appeal filed by Varanasi resident Ravindra Pratap Yadav, who had sought a divorce on the grounds of mental cruelty inflicted by his wife’s refusal to cohabit and fulfill marital obligations. The court criticized the family court for dismissing Yadav’s plea and adopting a hyper technical approach.
Yadav claimed that after their marriage in 1979, his wife’s behavior changed, leading to her refusal to live with him. They reached a divorce agreement in 1994, with Yadav paying an alimony of Rs 22,000. However, when he sought a divorce decree, his wife did not appear in court, resulting in the family court’s dismissal of his petition.