Summary: A long-standing court battle between Ponnusamy and R. Geetha over divorce and custody has finally ended with the High Court of Madras granting the divorce because of mental cruelty.
Ponnusamy and Geetha got married on November 26, 2001, in Coimbatore. They have a daughter born on November 13, 2004. Ponnusamy, who works in a government job, claimed that Geetha treated him badly and ignored their child.
Ponnusamy accused Geetha of treating him like a servant and not caring for their child. He said she left their home on May 4, 2007, and never came back. He even filed a complaint with the Singanallur Police on May 5, 2009, but Geetha didn’t cooperate.
Geetha denied all the accusations, claiming she looked after both Ponnusamy and their child. She also filed a complaint against him at the R.S. Puram All Women Police Station, but Ponnusamy promised to take care of her and the child.
During the trial, both sides showed their evidence. Ponnusamy and his brother gave their testimonies, while Geetha and her brother did the same. The court found that both sides made serious accusations but didn’t have strong evidence.
On September 17, 2016, the Family Court in Coimbatore rejected Ponnusamy's request for a divorce, saying he didn’t prove that Geetha left him or was cruel.
Ponnusamy appealed the decision. His lawyer pointed out Geetha’s statements during questioning. Geetha admitted not asking for custody of their child and not knowing her school. She also didn’t follow up on her Domestic Violence case after it was dismissed in 2015.
The High Court, led by Justice C.V. Karthikeyan and Justice K. Kumaresh Babu, noted that Geetha's actions amounted to mental cruelty. They changed the lower court’s decision on December 12, 2025, granting Ponnusamy a divorce.
"The records clearly reflect that the respondent had failed to take care of the child at least from the year 2009 onwards."
The court dissolved the marriage, citing continuous mental cruelty by Geetha.
