The Allahabad High Court has dismissed a husband's plea for divorce, ruling that allegations of his wife quarreling without reason do not amount to mental cruelty under the Hindu Marriage Act, 1955.

A bench of Justice Rajan Roy and Justice Om Prakash Shukla held that the husband, a government doctor, failed to establish that his wife’s conduct caused him severe mental anguish, necessary to justify the dissolution of their marriage.

The appellant sought divorce on grounds of mental and physical cruelty, claiming their 2015 marriage was conducted under duress and that his wife made defamatory accusations, manipulated images, and blackmailed him. However, the court found his allegations to be vague and lacking evidence, noting they reflected "normal wear and tear in married life."

The court emphasized that disputes like quarrels and restrictions on meeting family or friends do not meet the threshold for cruelty. Moreover, the husband failed to prove his wife's police complaints were false or malicious, a critical factor in such cases.

“The appellant could not bring on record specific instances of mental harassment to substantiate his claim of cruelty,” the court noted, concluding that the grounds presented were insufficient to justify the dissolution of the marriage.