Indian court grants woman divorce over lack of home toilet

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http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-india-40992656

>An Indian woman has been granted permission to divorce her husband because he would not build a toilet in their home.

>The woman in her 20s had been married for five years, but had been forced to relieve herself in nearby fields.

>Indian law only allows divorce in limited circumstances such as domestic violence or proven cruelty.

>The woman's lawyer told the AFP news agency that the judge said forced open defecation was a form of torture.

>The court, in the state of Rajasthan, said that women are often forced to wait until dark to travel to the open fields used instead of toilets.

>A report carried by the Times of India quoted the court's judgement as saying: "We spend money on buying tobacco, liquor and mobile phones, but are unwilling to construct toilets to protect the dignity of our family.

>"In villages, women have to wait until sunset to answer nature's call. This is not only physical cruelty but also outraging the modesty of a woman."

>Indian media said the woman had filed for divorce in 2015.

>Urination and defecation in open fields is common in parts of rural India. The government has set a goal to provide every household with a toilet by 2019, but the work has been met with some resistance.