Wife watching porn not valid ground for man to seek divorce, says HC

CAN a man seek divorce on the ground that his wife has sexually transmitted disease (STD), watches porn and masturbates?

- JEGADEESWARI PANDIAN @ Madurai

The Madurai Bench of Madras High Court answered in the negative.

Dismissing the appeals filed by the husband against lower court orders that denied divorce to him, a bench comprising Justices GR Swaminathan and R Poornima observed on Wednesday that a woman's individuality and sexual autonomy is not subsumed by her spousal status. "When masturbation among men is acknowledged to be universal, masturbation by women cannot be stigmatised," the judges said.