‘Ideal Indian wife continues to embody strength even when deserted': Madhya Pradesh high court

Hindustan Times

2 days ago

The Madhya Pradesh High Court showered an unusual praise on a woman for 'staying rooted' in her 'dharma' as a wife and not giving up symbols of her marriage even after being abandoned by her husband for nearly two decades. Madhya Pradesh high court said that conduct of an ideal Indian wife is rooted in 'dharma, cultural values and sanctity of marital bond.'(File Photo)
A bench of Justice Vivek Rusia and Justice Binod Kumar Dwivedi dismissed a divorce plea by the woman's husband on grounds of cruelty and observed that as per Hindu concept, 'marriage is a sacred, eternal and indissoluble union.'
It added that an 'ideal Indian wife', even when deserted by her husband, 'continues to embody strength, dignity and virtue.' The court added that her conduct is rooted in 'dharma, cultural values and sanctity of marital bond.'
What is the case?
The man and the woman got married in November 1998 in Madhya Pradesh's Indore and have a son who was born in 2002. The woman lives with her in-laws in a joint family while her husband serves as a Constable in the Special Armed Force and stays in Bhopal. The husband first appealed a family court seeking divorce on grounds of cruelty, saying that his wife showed no interest in marital relations, and accused him of having an affair and drinking alcohol. The couple has been living separately since 2006.
The wife, however, has refuted these allegations and said that her husband is seeking divorce on false grounds. She said that she has been living with her in-laws since marriage and that she has always been willing to fulfil her marital obligations. She also alleged that her husband has an extramarital affair with a female colleague of his.
Based on this, the family court dismissed the husband's petition for divorce and the high court, in its order dated August 5, 2025, upheld the decision.
Madhya Pradesh high court's observations
The Madhya Pradesh high court bench said that in the case present before it, the woman did leave her matrimonial home and continued to live with and care for her in-laws, upholding her 'self-respect and dignity'.
'Despite the pain of abandonment, she remains rooted in her dharma as a wife. She does not allow bitterness or despair to erode her sense of responsibility towards the marriage and the family, she has become a part of,' the bench observed.
'Despite the absence of her husband, she remained committed to her in-laws. She is serving them with care and affection, as she would have, if her husband was present, thereby reinforcing her moral stature,' it added.
The court also that the woman reflected the 'Hindu ideal of a woman as Shakti - not weak, but submissive and powerful in her endurance and grace' by not using her sufferings to 'gain sympathy'.
'Even when she left alone, she does not forsake, the Mangalsutra, the Sindoor or the symbols of her marriage status as her marriage to her is not a contract, but a Sanskara - an indelible sacrament.'
The court called the case 'unique' because the woman continued to live with her in-laws, depicting her 'loyalty' as 'typical Indian woman who puts all her efforts to save her family life', while in many similar cases, the wife decides to live alone or with her parents.
Dismissing the woman's suspicion of her husband having an affair as grounds for cruelty, the court said that since the husband has not lived with her for around 19 years, she is 'constrained' to think so in 'sheer frustration'.