29/07/2025
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In India, the grounds for divorce are primarily governed by the personal laws of different religions and the Special Marriage Act, 1954 for interfaith marriages. Here are seven common grounds for divorce applicable under most laws, such as the Hindu Marriage Act, 1955, the Indian Divorce Act, 1869, and others:
1. Adultery
When one spouse engages in sexual relations outside the marriage. Adultery must be proven with substantial evidence under Indian laws.
2. Cruelty
Physical or mental cruelty, including acts that make it impossible for the spouse to continue living with the other.
Examples: abuse, harassment, or any behavior causing severe emotional distress.
3. Desertion
If one spouse abandons the other without reasonable cause for a continuous period (usually 2 years under most laws).
4. Mental Disorder
If one spouse suffers from an incurable mental disorder that makes it impossible to live together.
5. Conversion
If one spouse converts to another religion without the consent of the other, it can be a ground for divorce.
6. Communicable Diseases
If one spouse has a severe communicable disease, such as leprosy or a sexually transmitted disease (depending on the act governing the marriage).
7. Renunciation
If one spouse renounces the world by entering a religious order or becoming a sanyasi/sanyasini.
Additional Grounds (Specific to Certain Laws)
Irretrievable Breakdown of Marriage (applicable in specific cases and pending wider legal recognition).
Presumption of Death (if one spouse has been missing for at least 7 years).
Non-Resumption of Cohabitation after judicial separation (specific to some laws).