Madras High Court Rules Porn Watching and Masturbation Not Grounds for Divorce
The court emphasized sexual autonomy, spousal privacy, and evidentiary standards in rejecting a husband's claim of marital cruelty under the Hindu Marriage Act.
- The Madras High Court upheld a family court's decision denying a man's divorce petition, ruling that his wife's private acts of watching pornography and masturbation do not constitute cruelty.
- The judgment reinforced that such behaviors are not offenses unless they breach statutory laws or affect conjugal obligations.
- The court highlighted that a woman's sexual autonomy and right to privacy, including spousal privacy, remain intact within marriage.
- It rejected societal stigma around female masturbation, affirming it as a personal act that cannot be grounds for divorce.
- The husband's additional claim that his wife suffered from a venereal disease was dismissed due to lack of evidence.
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Hindustan Times 