title: Sushil Kumar Verma v. Usha, 30 August 1983.
abstract: The husband plaintiff petitioned for divorce on the ground of cruelty after his wife became pregnant one month after their marriage and had the fetus aborted at a government-approved pregnancy termination centre without telling him of either the pregnancy or the abortion. The Court granted the petition, holding that the abortion of a fetus during the first pregnancy by a deliberate act without the husband's consent constitutes cruelty under Section 13(1)(ia) of the Hindu Marriage Act of 1955. It also stated that if one party to a marriage deliberately avoids procreation without the consent of the other spouse, the very purpose of the marriage is frustrated.
mesh_terms: D000028:Abortion, Induced; D000029:Abortion, Legal; D001208:Asia; D003906:Developing Countries; D004243:Divorce; D005193:Family Planning Services; D007194:India; D007603:Jurisprudence; D008393:Marriage; D020458:Third-Party Consent
keywords: Abortion, Induced; Abortion, Legal; Asia; Court Decision; Developing Countries; Divorce--legal aspects; Family Planning; Fertility Control, Postconception; India; Nuptiality; Southern Asia; Spousal Consent--legal aspects