The Karnataka High Court, Dharwad Bench, has held that Section 14 of the Family Courts Act overrides the certificate requirement of Section 65-B of the Evidence Act, so a Family Court may receive video recordings without a certificate, and has upheld the dismissal of a husband’s suit to declare his marriage void and a decree of restitution of conjugal rights for his wife.
The Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court has dismissed a husband’s appeals against the refusal of divorce on grounds of cruelty and desertion and a decree of restitution of conjugal rights for his wife, holding that quarrels, family friction and separation do not amount to cruelty or desertion without proof of conduct of the required gravity.
The Supreme Court reaffirmed that under the Hindu Marriage Act, a divorce can be granted if there is no compliance with an order to restore conjugal rights for at least a year. The case involved a marriage irretrievably broken for over 16 years, leading to the grant of divorce and a one-time alimony payment of Rs. 30 lakhs.
