Karnataka High Court Dismisses Man’s Annulment Petition Citing Cruelty

The Karnataka High Court has dismissed a man’s petition against a previous family court order in which he had unsuccessfully sought the annulment of his marriage on grounds of cruelty by his estranged wife.

The estranged wife had filed a case against the man under several charges, including provisions of the Dowry Prevention Act. The single-judge bench of Justice M. Nagaprasanna dismissed the petition with a cost of Rs 50,000 payable by the husband to the estranged wife.

The husband’s counsel argued that the marriage should be annulled due to the woman’s mental age of 11 years and eight months. The estranged wife’s counsel argued that the petition was related to cruelty, as the woman was a teacher, singer, and polytechnic student who had appeared for several technical exams.

The bench noted that the husband had not preferred a petition before the concerned court invoking the mental unsoundness of the wife, but rather cruelty.