(Image source from: Withholding sex during honeymoon is not cruel})

In what can be deemed as a significant ruling, the Bombay High Court held that refusing sex with life partner can't be called cruel.

Sidelining a family court judgment that wanted to dissolve a marriage on this ground, the Bombay High Court upheld that not having sex during the honeymoon phase was absolutely fine.

The Court also ruled that the wife stepping out in shirt and pants post marriage and going out to work too wouldn't amount to cruelty towards a husband.

Justices PN Deshmukh and VK Tahilramani asserted that married life should be assessed as a whole and not in instances, and that situations like withholding sex or dressing like male counterparts were no ground to grant a divorce.

"The ill-conduct must be preceded for a fairly lengthy period where the relationship has deteriorated to an extent that because of the acts and behaviour of a spouse, one party finds it extremely difficult to live any longer with the other party (which) may amount to mental cruelty", the bench said.

"Mere trivial irritations, quarrels, normal wear and tear of married life would not be adequate for the grant of divorce", the judges asserted.

AW: Suchorita Dutta