SHARAD MANOHAR, J.:---This is as appeal filed by the respondent with against the decree of divorce passed against her by the City Civil Court, Bombay.

For the sake of convenience, the parties will be referred to with reference to their position in the trial Court as petitioner and respondent, the husband being referred to as the 'petitioner' and the wife being referred to as the 'respondent'.

2. To state it very briefly, the petitioner husband filed the petition against the respondent wife for divorce on the ground that with effect from 25th October, 1976 she left the matrimonial home with the intention not to return back to the matrimonial home at any time. In other words, according to the petitioner she deserted him for good on and with effect from 25th October, 1976 and that she had not come to the matrimonial home right till the date of the petition which was filed on 4th March, 1980.

The respondent's defence on other hand was that she did not leave the matrimonial home out of volition but was forced to take that step because of the harassment and ill-treatment meted out to her by the petitioner and his parents and sisters. In other words, it was her case that the boot w