Refusing household chores not cruelty: SC

NEW DELHI: Emphasising that household chores should be shared between husband and wife, Supreme Court on Friday observed that times have changed and a husband must share the burden of work.

"You're not marrying a maid, you're marrying a life partner," said a bench of Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta to a man seeking divorce on grounds of "cruelty".

"You have to contribute in cooking, washing, etc. Today's times are different," the SC bench said and asked the man and his wife to appear in person.

SC's observations came while hearing a petition filed by the man challenging a Karnataka high court order. The HC had set aside a trial court order granting divorce to the man on the ground of cruelty.

During the hearing before SC, the man's counsel said mediation between the man and the woman - who got married in 2017 and have an eight-year old boy - had failed, and since 2019, the couple is separated.

"He wants divorce. The trial court granted divorce on the ground of cruelty," the counsel said. The SC bench asked what cruelty was alleged in the matter. The counsel said the woman had indulged in "improper behaviour and was not cooking food".

To this, Justice Nath said, "You have to equally participate in all these. Cooking, cleaning, washing, everything", adding the HC was right that it might not be a ground for cruelty.
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