"Wife Not a Commodity": Orissa HC Imposes Cost on Husband for Frivolous Habeas Corpus Plea Over Wife’s Custody

The Orissa High Court dismissed a husband’s habeas corpus plea seeking custody of his wife and child, who left his home due to marital disputes. 

The Division Bench observed that the wife acted of her own volition and emphasised her fundamental right to personal autonomy.

The court ruled that the husband can neither treat his wife as a “commodity” nor misuse the court’s power to compel her.

The court imposed a Rs 25,000 cost on the husband for filing a frivolous petition. (VKB v. State of Odisha & Ors.)