Man's attempt to depict his wife mentally unstable turns a costly misstep

High court dismissed his plea to subject his wife to a mental health assessment

Judge dismissed husband's attempt to invalidate marriage

A 32-year-old man’s attempt to depict his estranged wife as mentally unstable turned out to be a costly misstep. The high court not only dismissed his plea to subject his wife to a mental health assessment but also levied a fine of Rs 50,000 payable to her.

The couple, residing in the city, tied the knot in November 2020, but within three months, the 26-year-old woman relocated to her parents’ residence due to irreconcilable differences. In June 2022, she lodged a complaint against her husband at KP Agrahara police station under the Dowry Prohibition Act.

Subsequently, he petitioned the family court seeking the dissolution of their marriage, alleging cruelty. On March 15, 2023, he submitted an application requesting his wife’s referral to psychiatrists at Nimhans.

However, after the woman presented evidence demonstrating her mental soundness, the family court ruled in her favour, prompting the husband to challenge the decision in the high court.

Despite his claims of possessing evidence of his wife’s purported mental incapacity, including an outpatient evaluation at Victoria Hospital, where a doctor suggested her mental age was “11 years and 8 months” with “borderline intelligence,” the high court upheld the family court’s decision.

Justice M Nagaprasanna emphasized that while the family court could order a medical examination, such measures shouldn’t be instigated solely on the basis of petitions. The judge dismissed the husband’s attempt to invalidate the marriage based on his wife’s alleged mental state, asserting that the husband hadn’t initiated proceedings based on her purported mental unsoundness but rather on grounds of cruelty.