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The Madhya Pradesh High Court has granted divorce to a man whose wife set herself on fire and then falsely accused her in-laws of causing the incident. The Division Bench of Justice Vishal Dhagat and Justice Anuradha Shukla determined that such extreme behavior, which resulted in dread and fear for the husband and undermined matrimonial bonding, constitutes mental cruelty under Section 13(1)(ia) of the Hindu Marriage Act.

The couple, married in 2003 and separated in 2005, had a prolonged dispute that involved the wife’s self-inflicted burns followed by unsubstantiated allegations against her husband’s family. The trial court had denied divorce, but the High Court found that the wife’s failure to present reliable evidence—such as credible neighbors or witnesses—and her inability to initiate criminal proceedings or support her charges with testimony or documentation demonstrated that her claims were not genuine.

Crucially, the court held the act of self-immolation and subsequent blaming of relatives amounted to cruelty, noting any such drastic step directly causes fear and hinders marital relations. The bench further rejected the wife’s accusations that the husband’s refusal to cohabit was due to physical changes after her injuries, citing a lack of evidence.

In dissolving the marriage, the court underscored that suffering painful incidents does not justify levelling baseless and unsupported criminal allegations against a spouse or relatives. The order recognizes that actions creating sustained mental anguish and false accusations in such contexts breach the right to a fair and peaceful marital relationship, and are valid grounds for divorce under Indian law.