The Punjab and Haryana High Court has held that a husband’s unexplained association with another woman outside the bounds of marriage amounts to cruelty towards his wife.

The Division Bench, comprising Justice Sudhir Singh and Justice Sukhvinder Kaur, made this observation while hearing an appeal filed by a husband challenging a 2023 Family Court decision that denied his plea for divorce.

The couple, married in 2011 and parents to a child, had been living separately since 2018. The husband sought divorce on the grounds that his wife had made baseless allegations about his character, accusing him of having an extramarital relationship—claims which he alleged caused irreparable harm to their marriage.

However, the High Court found merit in the wife’s assertions. It noted that the husband had admitted to being acquainted with a particular woman, with whom he had travelled multiple times by air and train, including a visit to Goa. Despite his denial of any illicit relationship, the Court found his explanations insufficient.

“Maintaining relations with a lady outside the matrimonial alliance, that too without any justified explanation, certainly amounts to cruelty,” the Court observed, adding that such conduct is enough to rupture the marital bond.

The Court also took note of a compact disc presented before the Family Court, allegedly showing the husband exiting a flat with the woman in question. Additionally, it was brought to light that the husband had registered a company jointly with her.

Rejecting the husband's claim that there was no evidence to support the wife's allegations, the Bench remarked that his own admissions and the available material demonstrated that it was his conduct that had disturbed the marital relationship.

“His conduct disentitles him to any relief,” the Court concluded, upholding the Family Court’s decision and dismissing his appeal.

The husband was represented by Advocate Balraj Gujjar, while Advocate RK Dhankar appeared for the wife.