Accusations of cruelty against spouse’s employer: High Court

According to a ruling by the Delhi High Court, it is cruelty to lodge negative complaints about a spouse’s job with the intention of damaging their financial and professional standing. When dissolving a couple’s marriage, a bench led by Justice Suresh Kumar Kait said that filing such complaints shows a lack of goodwill and respect for one another, which is essential for a happy marriage.

The appellant spouse contested a family court ruling that denied him a divorce, claiming their marriage caused him great mental suffering. According to his allegations, the wife complained to his workplace with the goal of making him seem bad in front of his coworkers.

The bench, which also included Justice Neena Bansal Krishna, noted in an order earlier this month that “making derogatory complaints to the employer of spouse, with intent to harm professional reputation and financial well-being, is nothing but cruelty, regardless of whether the complaints were false or true.”

The court ruled that a spouse is not exempt from responsibility for cruelty only because they filed the allegations after they split. “Making such complaints demonstrate lack of mutual respect and goodwill, which is crucial for a healthy marriage,” the court said. The parties had been living apart since September 2011 and had married in January 2011 in accordance with Hindu rituals and ceremonies.

According to the court’s ruling, the wife’s actions inevitably led to the judgment that her actions seriously disturbed the husband’s mental serenity, making it impossible for the parties to continue their marriage.

The court declared, “It can be considered cruelty that the respondent admitted to sending a message containing derogatory language towards the appellant’s father and filing complaints with his employer.”