Woman calling her husband ‘obese elephant’ grounds for divorce: HC

NEW DELHI: Calling your overweight husband “mota haathi” ( fat elephant) is grounds for divorce as it is “destructive of the matrimonial bond”, the Delhi high court ruled on Saturday.

The court upheld a divorce granted by a family court in 2012 to a man who said he was subjected to cruelty by his wife for being overweight and his alleged failure to satiate her sexual desires. The woman challenged the order in the high court.

“The calling of names and hurling of abuses such as ‘haathi’, ‘mota haathi’ and ‘mota elephant’ by the appellant ( woman) in respect of her husband — even if he was overweight, is bound to strike at his self-respect and self esteem,” justice Vipin Sanghi said.

The woman had contended the family court relied on “vague and non- specific” allegations while granting the divorce. She argued he failed to give specific instances of alleged cruelty with dates, times and particulars.

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