India Supreme Court: Refusal to Do Chores Not Cruelty

New Delhi, India - The Supreme Court of India ruled on March 20 that a wife's refusal to perform household chores does not constitute cruelty under matrimonial law, emphasizing that marriage is a partnership requiring equal contributions from both spouses to domestic responsibilities.

The observation came during a hearing on a divorce petition filed by a husband challenging a Karnataka High Court order. The couple, both government school teachers, married in May 2017 and have been living separately since 2019. They also share an eight-year-old son. The husband initially obtained a divorce decree from a family court in 2021, citing his wife's alleged improper behavior, including her refusal to cook and other grievances, as grounds for cruelty. The High Court later overturned that decision, prompting the husband's appeal to the apex court.

A bench comprising Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta questioned the counsel for the husband on the nature of the alleged cruelty. The counsel noted that mediation efforts between the couple had failed. In response, Justice Nath stated that in modern times, both partners must equally participate in tasks such as cooking, cleaning, and...