Wife Cannot Be Treated As Bonded Labourer: Chhattisgarh High Court

According to a recent ruling by the Chhattisgarh High Court, a wife cannot be treated by her husband like a hired chattel or as ‘bonded labour.’ The court further added that a woman cannot be forced to live with her in-laws, if she has been threatened against her life.

The statement was made by a bench of Justices Goutam Bhaduri and Sanjay Kumar Jaiswal, as they upheld a wife's appeal of a divorce decree issued by a family court in 2018. The couple got married in 2015 and decided to part ways in 2016, owing to personal differences.

The wife, according to the husband, objected to his parents visiting the couple’s home in Raipur and claimed that she did not want to live with them. The court was informed that she would claim their home is not a “Dharmashala”. The wife claimed that she was ill-treated by her in-laws and was tortured for dowry. She further stated that her husband had warned her that there would be serious repercussions if she did not comply.

As a result, the husband filed a petition with the family court asking for a divorce on the grounds of cruelty, claiming that the wife constantly picked conflicts with him over petty issues. The family court had granted the husband divorce on grounds of cruelty, as the couple failed to reconcile during counselling sessions.

The High Court, however, found that the wife was forced to leave the house as she was threatened by her husband and in-laws. The husband’s conduct also indicated his misbehaviour with his wife. The Court then moved to revoke the divorce judgement entered by the family court, noting that the husband's assertion that the wife had abandoned him lacked adequate support.