Archive · 7 Sep 2026
Andhra Pradesh High Court Rejects Divorce Over Customs
A husband asked for a divorce because his wife did not follow some traditional customs.
He said this amounted to cruelty and that she had deserted him.
The wife denied the allegations.
She said she came from an orthodox family and blamed the husband’s brother and sister-in-law for the disputes.
The family court rejected the husband’s divorce request in 2006.
The Andhra Pradesh High Court agreed with that decision.
The High Court said people can have different beliefs and choices about religious or cultural rituals.
It ruled that not following such customs alone is not enough to legally prove cruelty.
The Andhra Pradesh High Court ruled that refusing traditional or orthodox customs is not cruelty.
The ruling upheld a family court decision rejecting a husband’s divorce petition.
The marriage took place in 1999 under Hindu rites and rituals.
The husband sought divorce on grounds of cruelty and desertion, but the family court rejected his plea in 2006.
The court said personal freedom, individual choice, and differing beliefs about rituals do not meet the legal threshold for cruelty.
- Who
- The Andhra Pradesh High Court, the husband, and his wife were involved in the case.
- What
- The court upheld the rejection of a divorce petition based on alleged cruelty and desertion.
- When
- The High Court issued the ruling on August 20; the family court had rejected the divorce plea in 2006.
- Where
- The case was decided by the Andhra Pradesh High Court after proceedings before a family court.
- Why
- The husband argued that his wife’s refusal to follow traditional customs amounted to cruelty, but the court disagreed.
Wife’s position
Husband’s position
Meaning of customs refusal
Wife’s position
The wife denied the allegations and maintained that she also belonged to an orthodox family.
Husband’s position
The husband treated his wife’s refusal to follow traditional or orthodox customs as cruelty.
Cause of marital disputes
Wife’s position
The wife claimed that the husband’s brother and sister-in-law were responsible for the disputes.
Husband’s position
The husband sought divorce by alleging cruelty and desertion by his wife.
Legal threshold
Wife’s position
The court held that personal freedom, individual choice, and differing beliefs about rituals do not by themselves prove cruelty.
Husband’s position
The husband’s divorce request was rejected because the alleged conduct did not satisfy the legal standard for cruelty.
- Court
- Andhra Pradesh High Court
- Judges
- Justice Battu Devanand and Justice Sunitha Gandham
- Marriage
- The couple married in 1999 under Hindu rites and rituals.
- Divorce grounds
- Cruelty and desertion
- Family court decision
- The husband’s divorce plea was rejected in 2006.
- High Court ruling
- Refusing to follow traditional or orthodox customs does not generally constitute cruelty.