The appellant Mahendra Prasad sought divorce from respondent Jag Patti Devi on the ground of cruelty under Section 13 of the Hindu Marriage Act, 1955, but his petition was dismissed by the Family Court, Varanasi in 1998, and that dismissal was upheld by the Allahabad High Court in 2015. During the pendency of the Supreme Court appeal, it emerged that the respondent is allegedly of unsound mind and bedridden for approximately ten years, raising the question of how courts should handle a party's mental incapacity in civil and matrimonial proceedings. The Supreme Court examined the relevant statutory framework, including Order XXXII of the CPC (dealing with persons of unsound mind), the Mental Healthcare Act, 2017 (particularly Section 105 on mental illness in judicial proceedings), and constitutional protections under Article 21. The Court noted that neither the CPC nor the Mental Healthcare Act, 2017 prescribes a clear procedure for enquiring into a party's mental capacity when it arises during proceedings, and cautioned that allegations of mental illness must not be used to marginalise or obstruct the opposite party. The judgment sets out the legal landscape on this issue but the text provided does not record a final disposal of the appeal.