The Case Of The Partygoing Wife

Can a wife attending latenight parties be deemed as cruelty towards her husband?

- Naorem Anuja

ROHIT B. KHURANA was convinced he had strong grounds to divorce his wife—Neha Rohit Khurana—and the trial court agreed. Married in April 1999, they had built a family with two children, but conjugal bliss had been elusive. The marital discord persisted, and in 2008, Khurana filed a petition under section 13 (1) (i-a) of the Hindu Marriage Act 1955 for grant of a decree of divorce on grounds of cruelty. Neha, a working woman, was allegedly in the habit of attending late-night parties—and according to him, was lacking in respect for the institutions of marriage and family.