HC: Wife's Suicide Pacts, Conversion Pressure Cruel

The Chhattisgarh high court has established that a wife's repeated threats to die by suicide, along with attempts at self-harm, legally constitute mental cruelty towards her husband. The court further observed that pressuring a spouse to convert religions also falls under this definition, impacting the marital relationship significantly.

These crucial observations were made by a division bench while affirming a family court's decision to grant divorce to a man from Balod district. The ruling highlighted that cruelty is not solely physical, but can also encompass actions that create a reasonable apprehension of harm or distress in the petitioner's mind, affecting their well-being.

The court's stance was informed by the husband's complaint detailing his wife's multiple suicide threats and self-harm attempts, leading him to live in constant fear. Additionally, a community representative testified about the wife's family pressuring the husband to adopt Islam, reinforcing the grounds for divorce.