The Chhattisgarh High Court at Bilaspur has dissolved the marriage of Bhilai resident Anil Kumar Sonmani and his wife Shradha Tiwari after nearly three decades, citing mental cruelty and desertion as valid grounds for divorce. The order, delivered on 18 August 2025 by a division bench of Justice Rajani Dubey and Justice Amitendra Kishore Prasad, overturned a family court decision that had earlier dismissed Sonmani’s plea.
Background of the Case
The couple married in December 1996 and had two children - a daughter, Falguni, and a son, Aniket. Over time, differences began to surface, particularly after Shradha secured a Ph.D. and was appointed as a school principal. According to Sonmani, his wife's behaviour changed, and disputes over small issues escalated into frequent quarrels.
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The husband, an advocate by profession, stated that the situation worsened during the COVID-19 lockdown when his work and income came to a halt. He alleged that instead of supporting him, his wife taunted him as "unemployed" and placed demands he could not meet.
Allegations of Cruelty and Separation
In August 2020, Shradha left the matrimonial home with their daughter and later wrote a letter declaring her intention to sever ties with both her husband and son. Despite several efforts, including visits and phone calls, she never returned. The family court in Durg dismissed Sonmani’s divorce plea in October 2023, but he appealed against the order before the High Court.
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During the appeal, the court noted that the wife had chosen to remain absent despite repeated notices. The bench observed that her conduct - taunting during financial distress, instigating the daughter against her father, and leaving without reasonable cause - amounted to mental cruelty.
"The repeated humiliation and withdrawal of support during a period of vulnerability clearly inflicts mental pain," the court said, while citing earlier Supreme Court judgments on cruelty within marriage.
The High Court also found that desertion was proved beyond doubt. The wife's written letter, expressing her decision to permanently end the relationship, was treated as clear evidence of animus Deserendi - the intention to desert. Since the separation had continued for more than two years before the divorce petition was filed, the statutory requirement under the Hindu Marriage Act was satisfied.
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The bench emphasised that reconciliation between the parties was no longer possible. "The marriage has irretrievably broken down beyond repair," the judges observed, while granting a decree of divorce in favour of the husband.
With this order, the long-standing matrimonial dispute has come to a legal close, with the court formally dissolving a marriage that lasted nearly 29 years.
Case Title: Anil Kumar Sonmani @ Anil Swami vs. Smt. Shradha Tiwari (Sonmani)
Case Number: FA (MAT) No. 316 of 2023
