Hindu Marriage Act, 1955
10. Judicial separation.-
(1) Either party to a marriage, whether solemnized before or
after the commencement of this Act, may present a petition to the district
court praying for a decree for judicial separation on the ground that the other
party-
(a) has deserted the petitioner for a
continuous period of not less than two years immediately preceding the
presentation of the petition; or
(b) has treated the petitioner with such
cruelty as to cause a reasonable apprehension in the mind of the petitioner
that it will be harmful or injurious for the petitioner to live with the other
party; or
(c) has, for a period of not less than one
year immediately preceding the presentation of the petition, been suffering
from a virulent form of leprosy; or
(d) has, immediately before the presentation
of the petition, been suffering from venereal disease in a communicable form,
the disease not having been contracted from the petitioner; or
(e) has been continuously of unsound mind for
a period of not less than two years immediately preceding the presentation of
the petition; or
(f) has, after the solemnization of the
marriage, had sexual intercourse with any person other than his or her spouse.
Explanation.- In this section, the expression
"desertion", with its grammatical variations and cognate expressions,
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.
(2) Where a decree for judicial separation has been passed, it
shall no longer be obligatory for the petitioner to cohabit with the
respondent, but the court may, on the application by petition of either party
and on being satisfied of the truth of the statements made in such petition,
rescind the decree if it considers it just and reasonable to do so.