{"id":264,"date":"2020-04-23T10:29:47","date_gmt":"2020-04-23T10:29:47","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/lexforti.com\/legal-news\/?p=264"},"modified":"2021-01-17T12:15:50","modified_gmt":"2021-01-17T12:15:50","slug":"irretrievable-breakdown-of-marriage-need-of-an-hour","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lexforti.com\/legal-news\/irretrievable-breakdown-of-marriage-need-of-an-hour\/","title":{"rendered":"Irretrievable Breakdown of Marriage: Need of an Hour"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><strong>Jyoti Sharma | National Law University and Judicial Academy Assam | 27th October 2019<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_47_1 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-grey ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<div class=\"ez-toc-title-container\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<span class=\"ez-toc-title-toggle\"><a href=\"#\" class=\"ez-toc-pull-right ez-toc-btn ez-toc-btn-xs ez-toc-btn-default ez-toc-toggle\" aria-label=\"ez-toc-toggle-icon-1\"><label for=\"item-6a56021537449\" aria-label=\"Table of Content\"><span style=\"display: flex;align-items: center;width: 35px;height: 30px;justify-content: center;direction:ltr;\"><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/label><input  type=\"checkbox\" id=\"item-6a56021537449\"><\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-4'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/lexforti.com\/legal-news\/irretrievable-breakdown-of-marriage-need-of-an-hour\/#Introduction\" title=\"Introduction\">Introduction<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-4'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/lexforti.com\/legal-news\/irretrievable-breakdown-of-marriage-need-of-an-hour\/#History_of_Irretrievable_Breakdown_Theory_of_Marriage\" title=\"History\nof Irretrievable Breakdown Theory of Marriage\">History\nof Irretrievable Breakdown Theory of Marriage<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-4'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/lexforti.com\/legal-news\/irretrievable-breakdown-of-marriage-need-of-an-hour\/#Conceptual_Framework_of_Irretrievable_Breakdown_Theory_of_Marriage\" title=\"Conceptual\nFramework of Irretrievable Breakdown Theory of Marriage.\">Conceptual\nFramework of Irretrievable Breakdown Theory of Marriage.<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-6'><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-6'><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-6'><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-6'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/lexforti.com\/legal-news\/irretrievable-breakdown-of-marriage-need-of-an-hour\/#Merits_and_Demerits_of_Irretrievable_Breakdown_of_Marriage\" title=\"Merits and Demerits of Irretrievable Breakdown of Marriage\">Merits and Demerits of Irretrievable Breakdown of Marriage<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-6'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/lexforti.com\/legal-news\/irretrievable-breakdown-of-marriage-need-of-an-hour\/#Judicial_Attitude\" title=\"Judicial Attitude\">Judicial Attitude<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><\/ul><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-4'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-6\" href=\"https:\/\/lexforti.com\/legal-news\/irretrievable-breakdown-of-marriage-need-of-an-hour\/#Present_Status_of_Irretrievable_Breakdown_of_Marriage_In_India\" title=\"Present Status of Irretrievable Breakdown of Marriage In India\">Present Status of Irretrievable Breakdown of Marriage In India<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-4'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-7\" href=\"https:\/\/lexforti.com\/legal-news\/irretrievable-breakdown-of-marriage-need-of-an-hour\/#Conclusion\" title=\"Conclusion\">Conclusion<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Introduction\"><\/span><strong>Introduction<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>Marriage is a sacred institution\nand it is the very foundation of a stable family and civilized society. Under\nHindu Law, marriage is regarded as sacrament which is eternal and indissoluble.\nBut there is also a concept of divorce in Hindu law. The term \u2018divorce\u2019 comes\nfrom the latin word \u2018<em>divortium\u2019 <\/em>which\nmeans to turn aside; to separate. It is the legal cessation of a matrimonial\nbond. According to Derrett<a href=\"#_ftn1\">[1]<\/a> in\none of his study remarked that- \u201c<em>Divorce was introduced into Hindu Law\nfor the protection of helpless women when they were ill treated. It was never\nParliament\u2019s intention to give husbands matrimonial variety at their option so\nlong as they could remain a pleader<\/em>\u201d. Not until a few decades back ,\ndivorce was abhorred as an evil; the grounds for divorce was very limited and\nit was sought only under compelling circumstances. Things have, however changed\nnow and marriage is no longer viewed as an indissoluble union. In view of the\nneeds of changing times, divorce laws has been substantially liberalized. The\nHindu Marriage Act, 1955 revolutionised the matrimonial laws and provided for\ndivorce on several grounds. Initially the grounds were based on fault on the\npart of the respondent. Later the theory of breakdown was further advanced by\namendment in s. 13(1) cls. (viii) and (ix) in 1964 and in 1976 divorce by\nmutual consent was introduced.<a href=\"#_ftn2\">[2]<\/a>\nThus over the years, the Indian legislature has attempted to introduce\nirretrievable breakdown of marriage as a ground for divorce according to the\nchanging needs of the society. However discussions and deliberations for so\nmany years have not led to any consensus on whether irretrievable breakdown of\nmarriage as a ground for divorce should be introduced or not.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"History_of_Irretrievable_Breakdown_Theory_of_Marriage\"><\/span><strong>History\nof Irretrievable Breakdown Theory of Marriage<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>The concept of Irretrievable\nbreakdown of marriage was for the first time introduced in New Zealand where it\nwas recognized that it needn\u2019t be necessary for there to be some fault or other\nfor a spouse to want to opt out of a marriage and hence the law has to\nrecognize and cater to that requirement. The first divorce in the ground of\nIrretrievable breakdown of marriage was granted by the court in New Zealand in\n1921. The Court held that \u201c<em>when\nmatrimonial relations have ceased to exist, it is not in the interests of the\nparties nor in the interest of the public to keep the man and woman bound as\nhusband and wife in law<\/em>\u201d. Then in England it was the case of <em>Masarati v. Masarati<\/em><a href=\"#_ftn3\">[3]<\/a>\nthat introduced the theory of breakdown and the 1943 House of Lord decision in\nthe case of <em>Blunt v. Blunt<\/em> <a href=\"#_ftn4\">[4]<\/a>made\nit increasingly accepted that no public interest was served by keeping legally\nin existence a marriage which had in fact broken down.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 From\nthe Indian context, The Law Commission of India, in its seventy-first report<a href=\"#_ftn5\">[5]<\/a>\nrecommended the introduction of irretrievable breakdown of marriage as a ground\nfor divorce. According to the report- \u201c<em>Restricting\nthe ground of divorce to a particular offence or matrimonial disability causes injustice\nin those cases where the situation is such that although none of the parties is\nat fault, or the fault is of such nature that the parties to the marriage\ncannot be worked. In such circumstances there is hardly any utility in\nmaintaining the marriage as a fa\u00e7ade, when the emotional and other bonds which\nare of the essence of marriage have disappeared.<\/em>\u201d Then in 1981, a bill was\nintroduced providing for irretrievable breakdown of marriage as a ground for\ndissolution of the marriage but it did not get through as some groups felt that\nunscrupulous husbands would desert their wives and take advantage of this\nprovision<a href=\"#_ftn6\">[6]<\/a>. In\n2009 once again, the Law Commission of India has, vide is 217<sup>th<\/sup>\nReport, recommended the incorporation of irretrievable breakdown of the\nmarriage as another ground for divorce. Pursuant to that and Apex court\nrecommendations, another bill was introduced- The Marriage Laws (Amendment)\nBill 2010 and then the Marriage Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2013. However the\nstatutory provision as it stand today is that simple breakdown of the marriage <em>per se <\/em>is no ground for divorce under\nany of the personal laws in India. Thus, there have been innumerable cases\nwhere the marriage was in fact utterly broken, but the courts tied down by the\ntechnicalities of the law, could not give any meaningful relief to the parties.\nIt is however evident that legislative as well as judicial trends are heading\ntowards the introduction of irretrievable breakdown as a specific ground for\ndivorce. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Conceptual_Framework_of_Irretrievable_Breakdown_Theory_of_Marriage\"><\/span><strong>Conceptual\nFramework of Irretrievable Breakdown Theory of Marriage.<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>According to the legal definition<a href=\"#_ftn7\">[7]<\/a>,\nIrretrievable breakdown theory of law can be defined as- <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201c<em>The situation that exists when either or\nboth spouses are no longer able or willing to live with each other, thereby destroying\ntheir husband and wife relationship with no hope of resumption of spousal\nduties.\u201d The Irretrievable\nbreakdown of marriage is the most controversial theory in legal Jurisprudence.\nMarriage is the union of two persons which is based on the love and affection\nand respect for each other. If any of these is hampered due to any reasons or\nif there is a failure in the matrimonial relationship between the spouses that\nreaches to such an extent that both the spouses are no longer willing to live\nwith each other peacefully then it is better to dissolve such a dead\nrelationship which exists only in name not in reality<\/em><a href=\"#_ftn8\">[8]<\/a><em>. <\/em><em><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>This means that if the couple\ncan no longer live together as husband and wife then they must prove to the\ncourt that the marriage broke down and there is no reasonable chance of living\ntogether. Although the Hindu Marriage Act in Section 13 recognizes few grounds\nfor the dissolution of marriage but irretrievable breakdown of marriage is not\na ground for divorce under Hindu Marriage Act, 1955. The Supreme Court in its\nvarious landmark cases have shown its concern of making irretrievable breakdown\nof marriage as a ground for divorce. But, ultimately it is for the legislature\nto decide whether to include irretrievable breakdown of marriage as a ground of\ndivorce or not but the legislature must consider irretrievable breakdown of\nmarriage as a ground to grant divorce under the Hindu Marriage Act, 1955. <\/em><em><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h6 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Merits_and_Demerits_of_Irretrievable_Breakdown_of_Marriage\"><\/span><strong>Merits and Demerits of Irretrievable Breakdown of Marriage<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h6>\n\n\n\n<p><em>The Irretrievable breakdown of\nmarriage has its own merits as well as demerits. Marriage is considered to be a\nsacramental institution which is based on respect, truth, love towards each\nother. If the matrimonial relation results into a failure where parties develop\nstrong hatred for each other and is not willing to live with each other there\nis no point in stretching such a dead relationship. Therefore in order to\nprotect the real sanctity of marriage and to reduce the number of unhappy\nmarriages, to prevent from getting wasted the precious years of the spouses it\nis better to dissolve such marriage. One of the most vital aspect of this\ntheory is that the Marriage Law Amendment Bill, 2010 provides advantage to the\nwomen. According to the amendment\u00a0 the\nwife can oppose a husband plea for divorce but the husband will have no such\nright to oppose. Another merit of this theory is that <\/em>Marriage Laws (Amendment) Bill,\n2010 provides the wife and children a clearly-defined share in the husband\u2019s\nimmovable property in case of divorce.<em><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 The\ntheory also has some demerits as well. The Law Commission of India in its 71<sup>st<\/sup>\nreport has stated two strong opposition relating to the demerit of this theory.\n<\/em><em><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Firstly it stated that if the\nirretrievable breakdown of marriage is made as a ground for divorce then it\nwill make the divorce easy and the sanctity of the marriage in India will get\neasily destroyed. Secondly it stated that it will allow the guilty spouse to\ndissolve the marriage out of his own pleasure and he\/she will take the\nadvantage of his own fault by dissolving the marriage.<\/em><em><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Another demerit of this theory\nis that if irretrievable breakdown of marriage is introduced as a ground for\ndivorce in India there are chances of increased divorce rates in India,\nspecially women being a victim in the case. <\/em><em><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h6 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Judicial_Attitude\"><\/span><strong>Judicial Attitude<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h6>\n\n\n\n<p>Even\nthough irretrievable breakdown of marriage has not been stated under Section 13\nof the Hindu Marriage Act, 1955 as a ground for divorce, there have been many\njudgments which gave decisions based on the principle. To further understand\nthe scope of the model, few landmark case laws have been discussed:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In the\ncase of <em>V. Bhagat v. D. Bhagat<\/em><a href=\"#_ftn9\">[9]<\/a>,\nthe Supreme Court observed: \u201c<em>We reach\nthis conclusion of granting divorce without any mental compunction because it\nis evident that for whatever be the reasons, this marriage has broken down and\nthe parties can no longer live together as husband and wife ; if such is the\nsituation it is better to close the chapter<\/em>.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 In\nthe case of <em>Sanghamitra Singh v. Kailash\nChandra Singh<\/em><a href=\"#_ftn10\">[10]<\/a>,\na husband sought divorce. The wife informed the court that the husband had\nalready clandestinely married another lady and a criminal case had already been\nfiled against him. Granting the divorce, the court observed: \u201c<em>Whether the husband has married for second\ntime or not, it is not clear that the marriage has irretrievably broken down\nand none of the parties wants restoration of marital tie. Accordingly, by\napplying the doctrine of \u2018irretrievable breakdown\u2019, we grant a decree of\ndivorce upon consent of both the parties<\/em>.\u201d Likewise in the case of <em>Amma Khatoon v. Kashim Ansari<\/em><a href=\"#_ftn11\">[11]<\/a>,\nwas a case under the Dissolution of Muslim Marriages Act, 1939 where the\nJharkhand High Court dissolved a marriage on ground of irretrievable breakdown\nof marriage by invoking s. 2(ix) of the Act, i.e \u2018any other ground which is\nrecognized as valid for the dissolution of marriages under muslim Law.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The\nargument of irretrievable breakdown, however did not find favour with the\nCalcutta High Court in <em>Swapan Kumar\nGanguly v. Smiritikana Ganguly<\/em> <a href=\"#_ftn12\">[12]<\/a>as\naccording to the court, the state of being a married woman and not a divorcee\nor spinster by itself is a great protection to a woman in our society and this\nfact cannot be overlooked even where parties admittedly cannot live together. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>A\njudgment which is very significant in this context is <em>Naveen Kohli v. Neelu Kohli<\/em><a href=\"#_ftn13\">[13]<\/a>.\nThe Supreme Court made a strong plea for incorporating irretrievable of the\nmarriages as a ground for divorce under the Hindu Marriage Act, 1955. The\nhusband filed a petition for divorce on the ground of cruelty making several\nallegations against the wife; the wife too made several allegations and also\ncriminal complaints against the husband. The family court at Kanpur granted the\ndecree. Against this the wife filed an appeal before the Division bench of\nAllahabad High Court which set aside the divorce decree; thereupon the husband\nfiled a special leave petition under Article 136 of the Constitution of India.\nThe court after analyzing in great detail the facts and circumstances of the case\nheld that- \u201c<em>Once marriage has broken down\nbeyond repair, it would be unrealistic for the law not to take notice of the\nfact and it would be harmful to society and injurious to the interest of the\nparties<\/em>.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Present_Status_of_Irretrievable_Breakdown_of_Marriage_In_India\"><\/span><strong>Present Status of Irretrievable Breakdown of Marriage In India<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>With regard to the current status of\nirretrievable breakdown of marriage it can be inferred that although the law\nmaking body has failed to amend the law to include irretrievable breakdown of\nmarriage as a ground for divorce though the Law Commission of India has\nrecommended the same way back its 71st Report and 217<sup>th<\/sup> Report but\nthe Supreme Court in its various cases have analysed the importance of\nirretrievable breakdown of marriage as a ground for divorce. The Supreme Court have\nexercised its power under Article 142 of the Indian Constitution and have\ndissolved marriages on the ground of breakdown theory. Infact, Marriage Laws\n(Amendment) Bill, 2010 seeks to make Irretrievable breakdown of marriage as a\nground for divorce. The amendment which was included in this bill provided\nadvantage to the women. The amendments states that a wife can oppose a\nhusband\u2019s plea for a divorce under the \u201cIrretrievable breakdown of marriage\u201d\nclause but the husband will have no such right to oppose if the wife moves the\ncourt on the same ground. On 26<sup>th<\/sup> August 2013 the bill was passed by\nthe Rajya Sabha however it was not taken up for discussion in Lok Sabha. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Given the current scenario the Supreme Court in\nits latest case, <em>R. Srinivas Kumar v. R.\nShametha<\/em>, 4<sup>th<\/sup> October 2019 used its inherent power under Article\n142 of the Constitution of India for dissolution of marriage on the ground of\n\u2018Irretrievable breakdown of Marriage\u2019. \u00a0In this case for the last two decades the\npetitioner was fighting a legal battle for divorce and his plea was rejected by\nthe lower court as well as the Andhra Pradesh High Court. The Supreme Court\nbench consisting of Justice S.K Kaul and M R Shah applied the inherent power\nunder Article 142 of the constitution to do complete Justice and allowed the\npetition claiming that the marriage had irretrievably broken down.\u00a0 In this case the Supreme Court held that \u2013 \u201c<em>In the present case, admittedly, the husband\nand wife have been living separately for more than 22 years and it will not be\npossible for the parties to live together. Therefore we are of the opinion that\nwhile protecting the interest of the respondent wife to compensate her by way\nof lump sum permanent alimony, this is a fit case to exercise the powers under\nArticle 142 to dissolve the marriage between the parties<\/em>.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>So, when a \u201cWedlock becomes deadlock\u201d the court\nanalyses the case and if the circumstances goes to such an extent that the\nmarriage is beyond repair then accordingly the court grant dissolution of\nmarriage based on the concept of breakdown theory. However\u00a0 irretrievable breakdown of marriage has not\nbeen inducted as a ground for divorce in the Indian legal context but if in the\nfuture if it is incorporated in law then it should be hedged with sufficient\nsafeguards and applied with utmost discretion. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Conclusion\"><\/span><strong>Conclusion<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>Divorce laws are being continually liberalized\nto meet the needs of changing times and facilitate liberation of spouses living\nin an unworkable relationship. Mutual consent is a major step in this direction\nbut not often even when a marriage has utterly broken, one of the spouses might\nwithhold consent to a mutual divorce. Jurists, academicians and courts, as well\nas the Law Commission of India have recommended that irretrievable breakdown of\nmarriage be made a ground for divorce. Of late, courts are inclined to dissolve\na marriage where there appears to be no chance of the parties living happily in\nthe relationship. But, Irretrievable breakdown per se, however is not enough\nand courts invoke a statutory \u2018ground\u2019 and in view of the cumulative facts,\ngrant relief to the parties. Infact, Supreme Court in its various judgments has\nrecommended the inclusion of irretrievable breakdown as a ground for divorce\nbut such law is in the offing now. So,it can be finally concluded that\nirretrievable breakdown of marriage should be recognized as a ground for\ndivorce in India. The grounds when introduced needs to provide safeguards to\nensure that it is not misused and no party is exploited. \u00a0<br><\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator\"\/>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"#_ftnref1\">[1]<\/a> J.\nDuncan M. Derrett, <em>A Critique of Modern\nHindu Law<\/em>, (1970) pp. 329<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"#_ftnref2\">[2]<\/a> Kusum, \u201cIrretrievable\nbreakdown of marriage: A ground for divorce\u201d, Indian Law Institute, Vol 20:2<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"#_ftnref3\">[3]<\/a> [1969]\n1 WLR 393, CA<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"#_ftnref4\">[4]<\/a> [1943] AC 517, HL<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"#_ftnref5\">[5]<\/a> \u2018Irretrievable\nBreakdown of Marriage as a Ground for Divorce\u2019, 1978. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"#_ftnref6\">[6]<\/a> B. Sivaramayya,\n\u2018Irretrievable breakdown of marriage as a ground for divorce: Gateway to\nliberalization or oppression,\u2019 in Kusum (ed), <em>Women: March Towards Dignity<\/em>, 1993, pp. 56-62. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"#_ftnref7\">[7]<\/a> West\nEncyclopedia of American Law Edition<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"#_ftnref8\">[8]<\/a> Paras Diwan, \u201cLaw of marriage and\ndivorce\u201d, Universal law publishing and Co., 6<sup>th<\/sup>\u00a0Edition, 2011,\npg. 29<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"#_ftnref9\">[9]<\/a> AIR\n1994 SC 710, P. 721 : (1994) 1 SCC 337<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"#_ftnref10\">[10]<\/a> AIR 2001 Ori 151 :\n(2001) 91 CLT 404<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"#_ftnref11\">[11]<\/a> AIR\n2001 Jhar 28<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"#_ftnref12\">[12]<\/a> AIR 2002 Cal 6 :\n(2002) I DMC 433<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"#_ftnref13\">[13]<\/a> AIR 2006 SC 1675 :\n(2006) 4 SCC 558<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Jyoti Sharma | National Law University and Judicial Academy Assam | 27th October 2019 Introduction Marriage is a sacred institution and it is the very foundation of a stable family and civilized society. Under Hindu Law, marriage is regarded as sacrament which is eternal and indissoluble. 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