Chennai — In a notable ruling, the Madras High Court has stated that when a wife removes her mangalsutra (thali) during separation, it causes deep mental cruelty to the husband and reflects the breakdown of the marriage. The court granted divorce to the husband, a professor from Erode, citing this act and other serious allegations made by the wife.
The judgment came from a division bench of Justices V.M. Velumani and S. Sounthar while hearing an appeal filed by C. Sivakumar. He had challenged the local Family Court’s 2016 order denying him divorce.
During the court proceedings, the wife admitted to removing the mangalsutra at the time of separation. Although she claimed that only the chain was removed and not the actual thali, the court emphasized the cultural and emotional significance of the mangalsutra in South Indian Hindu marriages.
The judges stated that removing the thali, which symbolizes a woman’s married status and is only removed after the husband’s death, was deeply disrespectful and emotionally painful to the husband. The wife had even placed it in a bank locker, confirming her disconnection from the marital bond.
The court added, “The act of removing the thali may not solely dissolve the marriage, but it strongly indicates the intention of the wife to end the relationship. It reflects mental cruelty, especially when considered along with other evidence.”
In addition, the wife had publicly accused the husband of having affairs with his colleagues, including in front of students, police officers, and co-workers. The court found these baseless allegations further intensified the mental harassment.
The bench also pointed out that the couple had been living separately since 2011, with no effort from the wife to reconcile or resume the marriage. Taking all facts into account, the court concluded that the marriage had irretrievably broken down and set aside the earlier order, granting divorce to the husband.
Be a part our social media community:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/IndianMan.in?mibextid=ZbWKwL
Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/indianman.in?igsh=MWZ2N3N0ZmpwM3l3cw==
