Expecting Wife To Do Household Chores Cannot Be Termed As Cruelty: Delhi High Court

The Delhi High Court recently gave an observation that a husband expecting his wife to do household chores cannot be termed as cruelty while dealing with a plea to grand divorce to a petitioner, reports Bar and Bench.

A bench comprising of Justices Suresh Kumar Kait and Neena Bansal Krishna made this observation on Wednesday. The petitioner approached the court challenging the family court’s order rejecting his plea seeking divorce citing cruelty by the wife.

During the hearing, the court observed that once the couple enters into wedlock, it is their intend to share the responsibilities of life.

The court observed that if a married woman is asked to do household work, the same cannot be equated to the work of a maidservant and will be counted as her love and affection towards the family. “The husband takes over the financial obligations and the wife accepts household responsibility. Such is the present case.

Even if the appellant (husband) expected the respondent (wife) to do household chores, it cannot be termed as cruelty,” the court further added.

The bench setting aside the family court judgement, granted divorce to the petitioner.

The couple got married in 2007 and have a son. The husband alleged that the marriage was tumultuous since the beginning due to the “quarrelsome and uncompromising conduct” of the wife towards him and his family members.

He also alleged that the wife was reluctant to do any of the household chores and was not willing to take up any responsibility. However, the wife rejected the allegations and claimed that she had done all household chores but the husband and his family were not satisfied.

The bench then noted that the husband has “bestowed to the desires of the wife” and arranged a separate accommodation to save his matrimonial life. The wife but later was constrained to live with her parents as the husband stayed away most of the time.

However, the court concluded that the wife had no intention to live in a joint family and left her matrimonial home to live with her family. While, the husband in order to ensure the well-being of her wife arranged separate accommodations, however, the wife opted to stay with her parents.

The wife has not only ignored matrimonial obligations but also deprived the husband of his fatherhood by keeping him away from his son, the court further added.