Divorce by Mutual Consent | Hindu Marriage Act 1955

Introduction - 

       Divorce means of putting an end to the marriage by dissolution of marital relations. The parties can no longer be husband and wife. The grounds on which the divorce is taken are generally based on various theories-  1) offense, guilt or fault theory of divorce 2) consent theory 3) breakdown theory.
Consent theory is based upon the premise that the marriage is entered into by the parties out of their free consent and violation and hence they must also be free to put an end to the marriage when both of them agree. Section 13(B) of the Hindu Marriage Act, 1955 covers this aspect.

Meaning of Divorce - Section 13)  - 

           Any marriage solemnized whether before or after the commencement of the Hindu Marriage Act, 1955 may, on a petition presented by either the husband or the wife, be dissolved by a decree of divorce on the ground that the other party—

     (i) has, after the solemnization of the marriage had voluntary sexual intercourse with any person other than his or her spouse; or

   (ia) has, after the solemnization of the marriage, treated the petitioner with cruelty; or

   (ib) has deserted the petitioner for a continuous period of not less than two years immediately preceding the presentation of the petition; or

   (ii) has ceased to be a Hindu by conversion to another religion; or

  (iii) has been incurably of unsound mind, or has suffering continuously or intermittently from mental disorder of such a kind and to such an extent that the petitioner cannot reasonably be expected to live with the respondent.

Explanation: In this clause  —

      (a) the expression "mental disorder" means mental illness, arrested or incomplete development of mind, psychopathic disorder or any other disorder or disability of mind and include schizophrenia;

      (b) the expression "psychopathic disorder" means a persistent disorder or disability of mind (whether or not including sub-normality of intelligence) which results in abnormally aggressive or seriously irresponsible conduct on the part of the other party and whether or not it requires or is susceptible to medical treatment; or

   (iv) has been suffering from a virulent and incurable form of leprosy; or
 
   (v) has been suffering from veneral disease in a communicable form; or

  (vi) has renounced the world by entering any religious order; or

 (vii) has not been heard of as being alive for a period of seven years or more by those persons who would naturally have heard of it, had that party been alive;

Explanation : In this sub-section, the expression "desertion" means the desertion of the petitioner by the other party to the marriage without reasonable cause and without the consent or against the wish of such party, and includes the willful neglect of the petitioner by the other party to the marriage, and its grammatical variations and cognate expression shall be construed accordingly.

(1A) Either party to a marriage, whether solemnized before or after the commencement of this Act, may also present a petition for the dissolution of the marriage by a decree of divorce on the ground —
(i) that there has been no resumption of cohabitation as between the parties to the marriage for a period of one year or upwards after the passing of a decree for judicial separation in a proceeding to which they were parties; or

(ii) that there has been no restitution of conjugal rights as between the parties to the marriage for a period of one year or upward after the passing of a decree of restitution of conjugal rights in a proceeding to which they were parties.

(2) A wife may also present a petition for the dissolution of her marriage by a decree of divorce on the ground, —

(i) in the case of any marriage solemnized before the commencement of this Act, that the husband had married again before the commencement or that any other wife of the husband married before such commencement was alive at the time of the solemnization of the marriage of the petitioner: Provided that in either case the other wife is alive at the time of the presentation of the petition; or

(ii) that the husband has, since the solemnization of the marriage, been guilty of rape, sodomy or bestiality; or

(iii) that in a suit under section 18 of the Hindu Adoptions and Maintenance Act, 1956 (78 of 1956), or in a proceeding under section 125 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973, (Act 2 of 1974) or under corresponding Section 488 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, 1898 (5 of 1898), a decree or order, as the case may be, has been passed against the husband awarding maintenance to the wife notwithstanding that she was living apart and that since the passing of such decree or order, cohabitation between the parties has not been resumed for one year or upwards;

(iv) that her marriage (whether consummated or not) was solemnized before she attained the age of fifteen years and she has repudiated the marriage after attaining that age but before attaining the age of eighteen years.

Explanation : This clause applies whether the marriage was solemnized before or after the commencement of the Marriage Law (Amendment) Act, 1976 (68 of 1976)].

Divorce by Mutual Consent (Section 13B) -

     Section 13(B) of the Hindu Marriage Act 1955 deals with the divorce by mutual consent. This Section was inserted under the Amendment Act of 1976. Divorce by Mutual Consent means both the parties (husband and wife) agree to dissolve their marriage. In simple words, both wife and husband are willing to get separated by divorce.

For divorce by mutual consent parties to the marriage on the ground that they have been living separately for a period of one year or more and they have not been able to live together and also that they have agreed that marriage should be dissolved

 (Section 13B) run as follows -

    Subject to the provisions of this Act a petition for dissolution of marriage by a decree of divorce may be presented to the District Court by both the parties to a marriage together, whether such marriage was solemnized before or after the commencement of the Marriage Laws (Amendment) Act, 1976 (68 of 1976), on the ground that they have been living separately for a period of one year or more, that they have not been able to live together and that they have mutually agreed that the marriage should be dissolved. On the motion of both the parties made earlier than six months after the date of the presentation of the petition referred to in sub-section (1) and not later than eighteen months after the said date, if the petition is not withdrawn in the meantime, the Court shall, on being satisfied, after hearing the parties and after making such inquiry as it thinks fit, that a marriage has been solemnized and that the averments in the petition are true, pass a decree of divorce declaring the marriage to be dissolved with effect from the date of the decree.

Case Laws - 

Jayshree Vs Ramesh AIR 1984 Bombay 302-

In this case, both the parties filed a petition for divorce under Section 13(b).  Subsequently, the husband Alone filed an application for withdrawal of the petition.  But the Bombay High Court held that once consent is given it cannot be withdrawn without the consent of the other spouse.


See also

Various Grounds for obtaining Divorce under Hindu Marriage Act, 1955

Divorced Person when may Marry again