'Mental Illness Cannot Be Ground For Divorce, Refusal To Undergo Treatment Not Automatically Cruelty': Jharkhand High Court

The Jharkhand HC has held that mental illness cannot, by itself, be a ground for stigmatising a spouse or dissolving a marriage, and that refusal or inability to undergo medical treatment cannot automatically be characterised as matrimonial cruelty. The Court set aside an ex-parte divorce decree granted to a husband on the basis of allegations concerning his wife's mental health and refusal to take prescribed medication.A Division Bench of Justice Sujit Narayan Prasad and Justice Akhil Kumar...

Wife Pursuing Higher Studies Or Employment Cannot Be Labelled 'Over-Ambitious': Jharkhand High Court Grants Divorce To Wife

The Jharkhand HC has held that a wife pursuing higher education or employment after marriage cannot be labelled ambitious or over-ambitious, as pursuing higher education is her right and not a privilege granted by her husband. The Court criticised the Family Court's reliance on gender stereotypes while dismissing a woman's divorce petition and granted her a decree of divorce on the ground...

'Duty To Maintain Widow Daughter-In-Law, Children Despite Age': Jharkhand High Court Upholds Maintenance Obligation Of 84-Year-Old Father-In-Law

The Jharkhand HC has held that the pious responsibility of maintaining a widowed daughter-in-law and grandchildren is not extinguished merely because the father-in-law is elderly. The Court upheld an order directing an approximately 84-year-old man to pay ₹17,000 per month towards the maintenance of his widowed daughter-in-law and two minor grandsons.A Division Bench comprising Chief...

Jharkhand High Court Directs State To Delete Prohibited Land List From Registration Portal, Notes S.22-A Of Registration Act Was Struck Down

The Jharkhand HC has directed the State Government to immediately delete the prohibited list of lands maintained on the National Generic Document Registration System (NGDRS) portal, noting that Section 22-A of the Registration Act, 1908, under which the list was prepared, had already been struck down. The Court further directed Sub-Registrars across Jharkhand to register deeds of transfer...

'Alleging Extramarital Affair Merely Because Wife Talks To Another Man Reflects Gender Stereotypes, Amounts To Cruelty'': Jharkhand High Court

The Jharkhand HC has held that alleging an extramarital relationship against a wife merely because she speaks to another man reflects gender-based stereotypes and amounts to cruelty towards her. The Court upheld the dismissal of a husband's divorce petition, finding that he had failed to establish cruelty or desertion on the part of his wife.A Division Bench comprising Chief Justice M.S....

Jharkhand High Court Sets Aside JSSC Recruitment Cancellation Following Protests, Appointees' Services To Depend On Final Outcome Of Litigation

The Jharkhand HC has quashed the State Government's notification dated August 18, 2026, cancelling the recruitment conducted by the Jharkhand Staff Selection Commission (JSSC) pursuant to Advertisement No. 10 of 2023. The Court held that the State's decision was contrary to earlier orders of the High Court and Supreme Court concerning the same recruitment process. However, it clarified that...

Refusing Daughter-In-Law Entry To Matrimonial Home, Insulting Her Is Not 'Cruelty': Jharkhand High Court

The Jharkhand HC has held that allegations of a mother-in-law and sister-in-law refusing to allow a woman to enter her matrimonial home and insulting her were insufficient, in the facts of the case, to constitute cruelty under Section 85 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), 2023. The Court quashed criminal proceedings against the two women, finding that the allegations against them did...

'Love Of Both Parents Is Child's Basic Right': Jharkhand High Court Upholds Father's Visitation, Declines To Disturb Mother's Custody

The Jharkhand HC has held that children require the love, affection, care, company and protection of both parents for their proper upbringing, and that this is not merely a requirement but their basic human right. The Court upheld a Family Court order declining temporary custody of a minor child to his father while granting him monthly visitation rights and telephonic interaction with the...

'Spouses Must Endure Hardships Together': Jharkhand High Court Dismisses Husband's Plea Seeking Divorce Over Wife's Alleged Mental Illness

The Jharkhand HC has upheld the dismissal of a husband's divorce petition alleging cruelty and mental illness on the part of his wife, observing that marriage is highly revered in India and spouses must face illness and hardship together. The Court found that the husband had failed to establish either cruelty or mental disorder warranting dissolution of marriage under the Hindu Marriage...

'Single Knife Blow During Sudden Argument Over Drinking Is Not Premeditated Murder': Jharkhand High Court

The Jharkhand HC has held that a single knife blow inflicted during a sudden argument, in the heat of passion and without premeditation, can fall within Exception 4 to Section 300 IPC, making the offence culpable homicide not amounting to murder. The Court converted the murder conviction of an 88-year-old father who fatally stabbed his son following an argument over his consumption of alcohol...

'Questions Under Section 313 CrPC Must Be Explained To Accused In Language He Understands': Jharkhand High Court

The Jharkhand HC has held that an accused must be questioned under Section 313 CrPC in a language he understands, and that improper recording of his statement, causing prejudice to his right to explain incriminating circumstances, can itself be a ground for acquittal. The Court set aside the murder conviction and life sentence of an illiterate man whose statement had been recorded entirely...

'Restrictive Reading Would Deprive Poor': Jharkhand High Court Awards ₹8 Lakh For Death Of Man Who Fell From Crowded Train Despite Missing Ticket

The Jharkhand HC has held that provisions governing compensation for railway accidents must be interpreted liberally, observing that a restrictive interpretation of the Railways Act would deprive poor and middle-class victims of compensation, particularly when crores of people depend on trains because they cannot afford travelling by air or private vehicles. The Court awarded Rs.8 lakh...