Orissa High Court Grants Divorce Citing Mental Cruelty and Marital Breakdown

The Orissa High Court has recently ruled on multiple cases emphasizing that no individual can be compelled to endure a marriage filled with suffering. In a landmark judgment, the court granted divorce to a man against whom his wife had filed 45 FIRs, stating that continuous legal harassment amounts to mental cruelty, a valid ground for divorce under the Hindu Marriage Act, 1955.

Key Judgments:

1.Case of BRP v. SP (March 12, 2025)

• Couple separated in 2013 and lived apart for over 12 years.
• High Court granted divorce on grounds of desertion and irretrievable breakdown.
• Wife awarded ₹18 lakhs as permanent alimony.

2.Case of Laxmi Narayan Singh v. Sunitaprava Jenamani (September 12, 2024)

• Husband accused wife of false police complaints and desertion.
• Family Court dismissed the petition, but the High Court overturned the decision.
• Divorce granted with ₹5 lakhs in alimony.

3.Case of Anubhav Mohanty v. Varsha Priyadarshini (December 21, 2023)

• High-profile case involving actor-MP Anubhav Mohanty and actress Varsha Priyadarshini.
• Divorce granted on grounds of non-consummation of marriage and mental cruelty.
• High Court overturned Family Court’s decision.

These judgments reaffirm that false allegations, harassment, and prolonged separation constitute mental cruelty, allowing courts to grant divorce in such cases.