AP High Court: Filing False Criminal Case Against Husband is Cruelty Under Hindu Marriage Act

The Andhra Pradesh High Court ruled that a wife's act of filing a false criminal complaint against her husband and his family, leading to their prosecution and eventual acquittal, constitutes mental cruelty under Section 13(1)(ia) of the Hindu Marriage Act, 1955.  

The court observed that such actions cause persistent trauma and social humiliation, amounting to mental cruelty and providing valid grounds for divorce.  The case involved a couple separated for nearly 29 years, with the husband alleging mental cruelty due to the false complaint.  

The court upheld the divorce decree, emphasizing that mental cruelty can be established based on the preponderance of probabilities.