Bengaluru – The Karnataka High Court has ruled that a husband treating his wife as a “cash cow” amounts to mental cruelty, and this can be valid grounds for divorce. The court overturned a lower family court’s decision and allowed the wife’s divorce plea.
A division bench of Justices Alok Aradhe and J.M. Khazi made this observation after reviewing evidence showing that the husband depended financially on his wife for years without providing emotional or financial support in return.
The couple, married in 1999 in Chikkamagaluru, had a child in 2001. The wife filed for divorce in 2017, but her plea was rejected by a family court in 2020. She then moved to the High Court.
The wife submitted proof of bank transactions showing she transferred ₹60 lakh to her husband over the years. She had even worked in the UAE to repay debts of her husband’s family, purchased agricultural land in his name, and set up a salon for him in 2012. He, however, returned to India in 2013 and failed to become financially independent.
The court said, “It is clear the husband had a materialistic approach and treated the wife as a cash cow. His behavior caused emotional trauma and mental agony, which is sufficient to prove mental cruelty.”
The High Court criticized the family court for ignoring the wife’s testimony, which was not even cross-examined. It ruled that the lower court failed to properly assess the facts and sided with the wife.
The husband also failed to appear in the family court, and the case was decided ex parte. The High Court set aside the earlier judgment, giving much-needed relief to the wife.
Case Summary:
- Marriage Year: 1999
- Divorce Application Filed: 2017
- Lower Court Decision: 2020 (Divorce Denied)
- High Court Decision: Divorce Granted (2024)
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