Indian court compares a wife removing mangalsutra to 'mental cruelty'. Internet reacts!

In a bizarre judgement, an Indian High Court has ruled that the removal of 'Mangalsutra' or 'thali' is "mental cruelty of highest order". Mangalsutra is a sacred thread worn around the neck by some Hindu women wornas a reflection of their marital status. The judgement in question came during the case of a man seeking a divorce. When granting the divorce to the aggrieved petitioner, a division bench of Justices V M Velumani and S Sounthar made the observation about Mangalsutra and the importance it holds in a Hindu marriage.In June 2016, C Sivakumar, a professor at a medical college in Erode, filed for divorce, however, a local court denied his request. Sivakumar had sought to have the decision overturned. Granting his request, the Madras High Court observed that removing the jewellery holds significance of its own.

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The petitioners now ex-wife was examined during the proceedings and she admitted that while she and Sivakumar were separated she removed her thali and kept it in her bank locker.

Citing Section 7 of the Hindu Marriage Act, her attorney argued that thali is not required for marriageand that, even if their client removed it,the wife's removal of the thali would not have any effect on the marital bond.

However, as per a PTI report, the bench said that it is common knowledge that the tying of the thali is an important ceremony in marriage rituals, which take place "in this part of the world".

It cited orders of a division bench of the High Court, which stated that "It was a known fact that no Hindu married woman would remove the thali at any point of time during the lifetime of her husband."

"Thali around the neck of a woman was a sacred thing which symbolises the continuance of married life and it is removed only after the death of the husband. Therefore, its removal by the petitioner/wife can be said to be an act which reflected mental cruelty of the highest order as it could have caused agony and hurt the sentiments of the respondent," PTI quoted the bench as saying.

Since the judgement came to light, it has taken the Internet by storm and people have been quick to point out that being married and wearing a piece of jewellery have no real intrinsic connection. Some even compared it to tying a rope around a cow's neck.

(With inputs from agencies)

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