'Wife Not Cooking for Husband Does Not Amount to Cruelty When Both Are Working': Telangana High Court Rejects Divorce Plea

Hyderabad, January 7: The Telangana High Court has dismissed a divorce petition filed by a husband on the grounds of cruelty, ruling that a wife’s failure to cook for her spouse does not constitute a legal basis for ending a marriage, particularly when both partners are employed. The decision was delivered by a division bench comprising Justice Moushumi Bhattacharya and Justice Nagesh Bheemapakka. The ruling upheld a lower court's decision to reject the husband’s appeal for the annulment of his marriage, which he claimed had become untenable due to his wife’s alleged refusal to perform household chores.

Conflicting Work Schedules

In its observations, the court highlighted the practical realities of the couple's professional lives. Evidence showed that the husband worked from 1:00 PM to 10:00 PM, returning home late at night, while the wife worked from 9:00 AM to 6:00 PM, requiring her to wake up early. The bench remarked that given the wife's early work commitments, her inability to prepare food for her husband in the morning could not be viewed as a serious lapse or an act of cruelty. "Not preparing food for her husband cannot be seen seriously and it cannot be termed as cruelty," the court stated. HC on Divorce: When Husband Chooses To Live Away From His Parents, Wife’s Failure in Taking Care of Them Does Not Amount to Cruelty, Says Allahabad High Court.

Context of the Dispute

The couple married in 2018 but spent much of their marriage living apart following a series of disputes. The husband filed for divorce in 2019, alleging that his wife’s refusal to assist with domestic duties and her frequent visits to her parents' home amounted to mental cruelty. However, the court found the husband’s testimony inconsistent. He provided conflicting accounts of how long they actually lived together, citing five months in one instance and three months in another during their nearly two-year marriage. The court also addressed the husband’s grievance regarding his wife staying with her parents, noting that she had moved back to her parental home following a miscarriage. The bench ruled that seeking family support during such a period of physical and emotional recovery cannot be classified as cruelty. HC on Divorce: Wife Not Observing ‘Parda’ Cannot Entitle Husband To Obtain Divorce, Rules Allahabad High Court.

Legal Precedent and Domestic Roles

While acknowledging that the Supreme Court has previously categorized a spouse’s unreasonable demand for a separate residence as a form of cruelty, the Telangana High Court clarified that such rulings depend entirely on the specific facts of each case. In this instance, the court noted that the suggestion for a separate residence had come from the wife's legal counsel rather than the wife herself, further weakening the husband’s argument. By dismissing the appeal, the High Court reaffirmed that domestic expectations, such as cooking, must be weighed against the modern context of dual-income households and the personal circumstances of the individuals involved.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jan 07, 2026 08:03 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).