Supreme Court Rulings on Jojari River Pollution, Mental Cruelty Divorce and Autism Stem Cell Therapy
The Supreme Court has delivered a set of significant rulings on issues ranging from environmental degradation to mental cruelty in marriage and the use of stem cells for autism treatment. These decisions are featured in Part 3 of Volume 8 of the Supreme Court Cases (SCC) for 2026.
In a case concerning the Jojari river system in Rajasthan, the Court issued directions to effectively stop the ongoing environmental degradation and to ensure meaningful restoration of the river system. The matter, titled In re: Contamination in Jojari River, Rajasthan, (2026) 8 SCC 366, highlighted severe pollution of the river, with 2 million lives said to be at risk.
In a matrimonial dispute, the Court held that denial of conjugal rights, including persistent refusal of sexual intercourse without any reasonable cause, constitutes mental cruelty under Section 13(1)(i-a) of the Hindu Marriage Act, 1955. The Court affirmed the grant of divorce on the ground of mental cruelty in Sonal Talpada v. Veerbhan Singh, (2026) 8 SCC 401.
Separately, the Court clarified the law on the permissibility of therapeutic use of stem cells as a routine healthcare service for the treatment of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). The ruling came in Yash Charitable Trust v. Union of India, (2026) 8 SCC 415.
Source: SCC Times