The Madhya Pradesh High Court held that a major woman has the right to live according to her own wishes and cannot be unlawfully detained by police. However, the Court clarified that she cannot reside as the wife of a man who is below the legally prescribed marriageable age.
The Madhya Pradesh High Court held that a woman married during childhood cannot be denied reasonable maintenance, observing that she was victimised first by child marriage and later by being awarded a meagre maintenance amount. The Court emphasised the need to protect the rights and dignity of women.
The Supreme Court held that persistent refusal of sexual relations without reasonable cause constitutes mental cruelty and can be a valid ground for divorce under the Hindu Marriage Act. Upholding a Rajasthan High Court judgment, the Court dismissed a wife’s appeal challenging the dissolution of marriage.
