A married woman who was fed of seeking relief outdoors is officially a single woman again after a court in India gave her a permission to divorce her husband because their home did not have a toilet.
The family court in the northwestern state of Rajasthan ruled on Friday in favour of the woman, who argued that her husband’s failure to provide an indoor toilet during their five years of marriage, which she claimed was absolutely ‘wickedness’.
Justice Rajendra Kumar Sharma who saw reasons with the woman and gave her the permission to divorce her husband, said women in villages often endured physical pain waiting until darkness to relieve themselves outdoors.
According to reports, the woman’s lawyer Rajesh Sharma, said the judge labelled open defecation, a major health problem in India disgraceful and deemed it torture to deny women a safe environment for relief. However, it’s not the first time a marriage has been called off over a toilet.
Last year a woman refused to tie the knot in Uttar Pradesh state after her fiancé refused to build a toilet for the couple. In June another woman refused to return to the home of her in-laws until they constructed a toilet. In India, divorce is only granted if proof such as cruelty, violence or undue financial demands are shown in court.
