The Gujarat High Court has mandated a Mumbai pilot to provide his wife with Rs 1 lakh per month in permanent alimony, simultaneously granting divorce due to his cruelty.
The court’s directive stemmed largely from the pilot’s invasive actions. He reportedly installed CCTV cameras in every room of the house and microphones inside the bathrooms.
These intrusions into privacy, coupled with the wife’s extreme step of going on a hunger strike, were decisive factors in the court’s judgment, a national daily reported.
The case itself involves a teacher from Ahmedabad who married the pilot in Mumbai in May 2023.
According to the report, this was the pilot’s second marriage. His first wife died by suicide, leaving behind a son.
His second wife agreed to marry with the explicit understanding that she would not have children of her own and would instead care for the pilot’s son, a sacrifice the court took note of.
Their relationship deteriorated rapidly. Despite owning three houses in Mumbai, the pilot reportedly transferred all his properties and moved into a rented flat, where he carried out the invasive surveillance by installing CCTV cameras in every room and microphones in the bathrooms.
The wife accused him of cruelty, which escalated to police intervention. The pilot admitted to these installations but absurdly claimed it was out of concern for the safety of family members—a defense the court outright rejected.
Initially, the husband sought divorce, while the wife filed for restitution of conjugal rights. A family court in Ahmedabad rejected the husband’s divorce plea on grounds of cruelty, acknowledging the wife’s significant sacrifice in relinquishing her right to have children in agreeing to this marriage. The matter was subsequently escalated to the High Court.
The bench, comprising Justice AY Kogje and Justice NS Sanjay Gowda, delivered a scathing verdict: “This is a case where continuation of the cohabitation of the husband and wife would only amount to perpetuating cruelty upon both of them. The fact that the husband installed CCTV cameras in all the rooms and also a microphone in the bathroom in the initial period of their marital life would itself clearly indicate that the question of there being a normal marital life between them is beyond the realm of possibility.”
In its final order dissolving the marriage, the court declared, “Given the passage of time since they are separate and their apparent animosity to each other which has resulted in multiple litigations, it is clearly apparent that the marriage is beyond repair.”
Also Read: Gujarat’s Progress Or A Sham? Kutch Village Boycotts School With Zero Amenities https://www.vibesofindia.com/gujarats-progress-or-a-sham-kutch-village-boycotts-school-with-zero-amenities/
