A court in India has ruled that a woman's viewing of porn is not a sufficient ground for divorce. According to the Madras High Court, women have individual rights over their bodies and do not lose their sexual freedom even if they are married.
A man filed for divorce after accusing his wife of watching porn and masturbating frequently. According to him, this was a type of abuse that caused problems in their relationship. But the court disagreed, saying, “Self-pleasure is not forbidden.”
The Madras High Court added that if masturbation is normal for men, it should not be belittled or judged when it is done by a woman. The court also emphasized that a woman has a her own identity even after marriage and should not be confined to being a wife or mother.
While the court acknowledged that excessive porn viewing is bad, it insisted that it is not sufficient grounds for divorce. The decision aims to break the stigma surrounding women's sexuality in India, where such issues are rarely discussed.
Despite this, divorce remains taboo in India, with only one in 100 marriages ending in divorce. Due to the slow justice system, such cases can take years to resolve.
