Guwahati, Sept. 3 -- The Madras High Court has reversed a family court order that had rejected a man's divorce petition after finding that his move to Mumbai for work without his wife amounted to a failure of marital duty.

The case was heard by a Division Bench of Justices GR Swaminathan and MD Sumathi. The High Court said work-related circumstances can make it impractical for a married couple to live together, and a spouse cannot always be required to move with the other.

The Bench gave the example of a soldier, saying it may not be possible to establish a family home inside army barracks. It also said a wife may have a job of her own and cannot be expected to follow her husband wherever he goes like the pug in the Vodafone advertiseme...