The Chhattisgarh High Court has upheld a family court ruling that granted divorce to a man after his wife called him a “paaltu chuha” (pet rat) for refusing to live separately from his parents.
A Division Bench of Justice Rajani Dubey and Justice Amitendra Kishore Prasad held that such remarks, along with pressuring the husband to abandon his parents, amount to mental cruelty under Indian joint family traditions. The Court observed that forcing a spouse to forsake his parents cannot be treated as a small issue but is instead an act of cruelty.
The couple got married in 2009 and had one child. In 2016, the husband filed for divorce citing cruelty and desertion. He claimed that his wife insulted him and demanded that he leave his parents. The wife denied these claims, instead accusing the husband of emotional and financial neglect, along with abusive behavior.
In 2019, a Raipur family court dissolved the marriage. The wife challenged this decision in the High Court, but the Court upheld the divorce on September 3, 2025.
The Court relied on a message sent by the wife, which stated: “If you leave your parents and stay with me, respond; otherwise don’t ask.” The judges said this clearly showed her insistence that the husband abandon his parents.
The Court also noted that the wife left the matrimonial home in 2010 and stayed at her parental home without proper justification. She returned only briefly in 2011 during a reconciliation attempt but then continued to live separately.
The Bench further clarified that her pending plea for restitution of conjugal rights did not change the fact that her actions amounted to cruelty and desertion. Based on oral testimony, documentary evidence, and her own admissions during cross-examination, the Court found the husband’s case valid.
Along with upholding the divorce, the High Court ordered the husband to pay ₹5 lakh as permanent alimony to the wife. This amount is in addition to the maintenance she already receives under Section 125 of the CrPC. The Court considered her employment, financial needs, and responsibility to care for her son before deciding the amount.
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