Housewife As Busy As A Professional, Karnataka HC Tells Husband Who Contended His Wife Is ‘Merely A Housewife’ [Read Order]

After all, she is responsible for looking after the members of the family, and for running the house. To look after the members of the family, and to run the house is not an easy task, the court said.

A housewife is as busy as a professional person, the Karnataka High Court has told a husband who approached the court with a contention that his wife, being merely a housewife, is free to travel by a train, rather than having to take a flight in order to attend the trial in Bengaluru.

While dismissing plea seeking transfer of divorce case filed by husband in Karnataka, the Supreme Court had observed that the wife, who lives in Uttar Pradesh, can claim "requisite expenditure" from husband when she is required to travel to attend the case.

Later, on an application claiming her traveling expenditure for two days for which she had attended the hearing in Bengaluru, the family court directed the husband to pay her a sum of Rs. 32,114 as traveling expenses. Assailing this order before the high court, the husband contended that the family court was not justified in granting the traveling expenditure to the respondent, as she has traveled through flight, and not by train.

With regard to the contention that merely because the wife happens to be a housewife she is free to travel by train, Justice Raghvendra S Chauhan observed that it is highly misplaced.

“For, the said plea terms the housewife as "free". Such a contention merely shows the lack of understanding about the work being carried out by "the housewife." It also reveals the lack of gender justice, where large number of persons continue to carry a misnomer that a housewife is "free". Needless to say, a housewife is as busy as a professional person. After all, she is responsible for looking after the members of the family, and for running the house. To look after the members of the family, and to run the house is not an easy task,” the court said.

Dismissing the husband’s plea challenging the order asking him to meet travel expenses, the court said it is not for him to decide as to what mode of transportation his wife should take in order to attend the hearing. “If the respondent decides to travel by air, and not by train, even then the petitioner cannot escape his liability to pay the "requisite traveling expenditure," the court observed.