A Hindu man has the right to divorce his wife if she insists that they live away from his aged parents and spend his income solely on them, a bench of the Supreme Court ruled on Friday. "It is not a common practice or desirable culture for a Hindu son in India to get separated from his parents on getting married at the insistence of the wife, especially when the son is the only earning member in the family," observed Justice Anil R Dave, who wrote the judgment, according to The Hindu.

The apex court bench, also comprising Justice L Nageshwara Rao, held that moving away from the parents' house after coming of age or marriage was a "western thought alien to our culture and ethos". The justices added that a son "has a moral and legal obligation" to support his parents "when they have no income or have a meagre income".

The top court made the observations as it confirmed the divorce of a Karnataka-based couple.