The Karnataka High Court has held that a husband cannot seek divorce merely by saying he has lost interest in his wife.
The court said Hindu marriage is a sacrament, not a contract, and once married, the relationship is meant to last for life. On that basis, it dismissed the husband’s appeal and refused to interfere with the family court’s decision.
The case involved a couple married in 2003 in a love and inter-caste marriage. They also have a daughter who is now almost an adult. The husband had earlier sought divorce, while the wife had asked for restitution of conjugal rights. The family court had already rejected the husband’s divorce plea and accepted the wife’s claim.
Before the High Court, the husband argued that the marriage had broken down and that he had no interest in continuing it. But the court noted that he was trying to take advantage of his own wrong. It also pointed out that he admitted in cross-examination that he had not resumed marital life because he was simply not interested.
The judgment is significant because it reaffirms the traditional Hindu law view of marriage as a lifelong sacred bond. At the same time, it shows that courts will not grant divorce only because one spouse has emotionally withdrawn from the relationship.
Karnataka High Court dismisses husband’s divorce plea, saying Hindu marriage is a sacrament and not a contract that can be abandoned for loss of interest.
