The Gujarat High Court is set to hear a divorce appeal on December 1, filed by a man alleging a series of bizarre acts of cruelty by his wife, including that she forced him to sleep with a stray dog that would “bite him viciously” if he tried to get near her in their bed.
The husband’s plea, which was previously rejected by a family court, also details allegations of a “dominant” wife, a humiliating April Fool’s radio prank, and claims he was “devastated” by the impact of his wife’s actions on their life.
The case, which has seen a long legal journey, came before a Division Bench of Justice Sangeeta K Vishen and Justice Nisha M Thakore on November 11. The Bench asked the counsel for both the husband and wife to seek instructions regarding a possible settlement.
Settlement talks appear complex. The husband’s counsel informed the court that the wife was seeking a “whopping amount of ₹2 crores,” while the husband, “considering his job profile,” was only willing to pay ₹15 Lakh. The wife’s counsel countered that the husband had failed to prove cruelty and that his job and family properties justified a “reasonable amount.”
The Christian couple, who met in 2001 and married in Ahmedabad in 2006, reportedly saw “cracks in their marriage” when the wife began bringing stray dogs into their apartment, allegedly against the residential welfare association’s rules.
According to the husband’s petition, the situation escalated dramatically. He claims the dogs posed a threat, bit other residents, and created “unhygienic conditions,” leading to the couple being “ostracized” and summoned by police at “all odd hours.”
The husband alleges the dogs also ruined their personal relationship. His plea states, “Very often the dogs which were greatly attached to the defendant would attack the appellant when the defendant was assaulting him and inflict painful bites.”
The most striking claim is that “one of the dogs would insist on sleeping in the bed of the appellant and defendant and would bite the appellant viciously if he tried to sleep beside the defendant.”
Beyond the canine conflict, the husband cites a 2009 April Fool’s Day prank organized by his wife via a radio station, where he was allegedly accused of an extra-marital affair. “He was greatly embarrassed and humiliated before his friends and employers and became an object of ridicule,” the plea states.
The husband, who was diagnosed with diabetes in 2009, attributes his health issues to the “constant torture and cruelty.” He claims he was forced to leave their home in 2011 for Bengaluru, but his wife followed him.
A family court in Ahmedabad rejected his divorce petition in February 2024. In her defense, the wife denied the allegations, claiming her husband actually worked with a trust for stray dogs and was the one who brought them home. While she admitted to the radio prank, she claimed no “adverse comment” was made. The family court accepted her contentions.
The husband has now appealed to the High Court, arguing the trial court “committed an error of fact” in its conclusions, particularly regarding his supposed “love and affection for the stray dogs.”
Advocates Bhargav Hasurkar and Vishwajitsinh Jadeja are representing the husband, while Advocate NV Gandhi is appearing for the wife. The matter is listed for consideration on December 1.
