New Delhi, Feb. 13 -- The Supreme Court on Wednesday castigated the Bombay high court for using the terms "illegitimate wife" and "faithful mistress" to describe a woman whose marriage had been annulled due to legal invalidity, calling such language "misogynistic" and an affront to dignity and constitutional ethos.
The top court also settled a critical legal question, ruling that a spouse whose marriage has been declared void under the Hindu Marriage Act (HMA), 1955, is entitled to seek permanent alimony and interim maintenance from the other spouse.
A three-judge bench comprising justices Abhay S Oka, Ahsanuddin Amanullah and AG Masih delivered the ruling while answering a reference made by a two-judge bench last year. The reference aros...