Another Verdict: Asking For Perfection In Housework Is Not Cruelty!

TW: Mention of Suicide, Verbal Abuse

A few months back, I wrote about a verdict which was delivered by the Mumbai Court stating that insults and taunts can’t drive a person to suicide, wherein I highlighted how difficult it is for a newly married girl to adjust to a completely different environment.

Further, if the family keeps on passing comments and insulting her, it is very obvious that her state of mind will get disturbed. Everyone bears an individual tendency to tolerate things, and these taunts can result in disastrous incidents.

Asking for perfection in housework is not cruelty!

Lately, Andhra Pradesh High Court addressing a case stated that, “Daughter-In-Law being told by Mother-In-Law that she requires more perfection in household work not Cruelty”.

The bench comprising Justice Dr VRK Krupa Sagar articulated that, “A praise or a comment with reference to the works that were being done is a common factor in any household. It is no one’s case that she was either abused or physically beaten for her imperfections in doing household works”.

Kindly read the highlighted line again: praise or a comment; certain questions arise in my mind after reading this!

Why do people need perfection?

We all, including women, are human beings and as far as I know, nobody can be perfect in this world.

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I would again reiterate the fact that the first year of marriage is very crucial for a woman as she encounters a lot of changes naturally and over the top if she receives comments on her work, it worsens her mental state.

Why perfection can’t be exchanged with improvement, that too if conveyed politely. Has anyone witnessed how MIL conveys this so-called “Need Of Perfection” to DIL?

Why is a comment treated commonly?

My parents, my brother and I consist of my maiden family. I remember my mother’s face when a relative passed a comment against my brother, she was so furious. When a girl gets married, it’s the sole responsibility of her husband and in-laws to make her comfortable and feel at home.

Do you think such comments will allow her to accept her husband’s house as her own? These comments are the little stones thrown at her daily, and she gets wounds which are invisible to the whole world.

Abuse is not only physical but verbal too

A lot of people consider only physical abuse or torture as cruelty but trust me verbal abuse is equivalent to physical, it is no less. Some advice to ignore or neglect, but honestly, it is not possible.

Further, as per the news article, “The complainants alleged that their daughter was subjected to cruelty within the eight months of her marriage and that the appellants compared her marriage and that the appellants compared her marriage ceremony and arrangements with that of her sister’s wedding celebrations”.

Such comparisons work as fuel to the fire. Such verdicts only give a boost to in-laws with wrong intentions to do whatever they want and sometimes cost a life too.

Image source: Still from the Trailer of Tamil Film The Great Indian Kitchen, edited on CanvaPro

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